How to play nonograms
Use the numbers beside each row and above each column to work out which squares are filled in.
The rules
- Each number is a solid run of filled squares in that line, and the numbers appear in order.
- Between two runs there is always at least one empty square. A clue of 3 2 means a run of three, a gap, then a run of two.
- A clue of 0 means the whole line is empty.
You win as soon as the filled squares exactly match the solution. X marks are only notes for yourself, so you never have to X out the empty squares. The puzzles are generated patterns rather than pictures, so don't expect a drawing to appear.
Controls
- Fill and X: pick a tool, then tap a square. Tapping a square that already shows that tool clears it.
- Drag: press and drag to paint a straight line. The drag locks to the row or column you move along first, and it only changes squares that matched the one you started on, so it won't paint over your earlier work.
- Right click: with a mouse, the right button always places an X.
- Keyboard: click the board or tab to it, then use the arrow keys to move, Space or Enter to apply the current tool, and X to mark. Ctrl+Z or Cmd+Z undoes.
- Small screens: larger boards can be scrolled by dragging the numbers, or shrunk to fit with the Whole board switch.
Heavier grid lines every five squares help you count. A clue turns pale when the filled squares in its line match it, which tells you the count fits but not that the squares are in the right place.
Buttons
- Undo reverses your last stroke or hint.
- Hint fixes your first mistake if you have one. Otherwise it reveals a square that can be worked out from a single line.
- Check highlights squares that contradict the solution, including an X on a square that should be filled.
- Reset empties the board and can't be undone. On a Daily your clock, hints and checks carry on; in Practice they start over.
Daily and Practice
There are three Daily puzzles for each date, at 5x5, 10x10 and 15x15, and they change at midnight on your device. Practice offers the same three sizes with a new random puzzle whenever you press New puzzle.
Time, streaks and best times
There are no points. The clock runs while you play and doesn't advance while the tab is hidden. Solve any one Daily to keep your streak going for that day. Miss a day and it starts again. Best times are tracked separately for each mode and size, and a solve with a hint can't set one. Using Check doesn't affect it. Your copied result lists your time plus any hints and checks you used.
Strategy
- Find the overlap. On a line of 10 with a clue of 7, the run must cover squares 4 through 7 wherever it sits. Compare the run pushed fully left with the run pushed fully right, and fill what they share.
- Add up tight lines. Add the clues and one gap between each. If 3 2 3 on a line of 10 gives 3+1+2+1+3 = 10, the whole line is decided.
- Work from the edges. A filled square against the wall must start the first run in that direction, so you can finish that run and X the square after it.
- X what you know. Once a line's runs are placed, X the rest. Those Xs become walls that shorten the options in the crossing lines.
- Bounce between rows and columns. Every new square changes the crossing line, so go back to lines that looked hopeless.
Questions
Do I ever have to guess?
No. Before a puzzle is used, a solver finishes it one line at a time with no guessing. If you feel stuck, there is still a deduction available somewhere.
Does the game tell me when I make a mistake?
Only when you ask. Press Check, or use Hint, which corrects a mistake before revealing anything new.
Does solving all three Dailies add three days to my streak?
No, a streak grows by at most one per day however many sizes you solve.
Will my board be saved?
Yes, today's Dailies and your practice boards are saved in this browser. Saved Dailies from earlier days are removed automatically.
Why don't the puzzles draw a picture?
They are generated by code, which makes abstract patterns. The fun is in the deduction rather than the reveal.