The tactile horizontal-vertical illusion was studied as a function of hand, size, and figure (L or inverted 1'). Independent groups of subjects examined raised-line L and inverted T shapes with their left or right thumbs. The illusion varied with stimulus size and the nature of the figurethat is, with whether the pattern was an inverted T or an L shape. No illusion appeared for the L configuration. Furthermore, the strength of the illusion was linked to stimulus size, with the illusion appearing for larger inverted T patterns. The illusion vanished when the left thumb was used for haptic examination. Illusory judgments were only present for the right thumb, implicat• ing the superiority of the right hemisphere for spatial processing.