How to play
A nonogram is a picture hidden in a grid. The numbers next to each row and above each column are clues. Each clue lists, in order, the lengths of the groups of filled squares in that line. A row marked 3 1 contains a group of three filled squares, then at least one empty square, then one more filled square. Work out which squares are filled, and the picture appears.
Pick a size and a puzzle type. Pictures are 31 hand-made images, from a heart on a 5×5 grid to an owl on 15×15, and each one is named when you solve it. Random creates a new puzzle every time, including 20×20 grids on larger screens. Every puzzle has exactly one solution and can be solved with pure logic, one row or column at a time.
Rules
- Row clues are read from left to right, column clues from top to bottom.
- Groups in the same line are always separated by at least one empty square.
- A clue of 0 means the whole line is empty.
- The puzzle is solved as soon as every filled square matches the picture. Crosses are only notes for you and never need to be complete.
- A clue turns grey and is struck through when the filled squares in its line match it. That tells you the line fits its clue, not that every square in it is correct.
- The timer starts with your first move and pauses while the page is in the background.
- Check and Hint are optional; the game counts how often you use them.
Controls
Mouse
- Left click uses the selected tool (Fill by default). Right click uses the other one, so with Fill selected a right click places a cross.
- Clicking a square that already has that mark clears it.
- Hold and drag to mark several squares in one straight line. The stroke locks to the row or column you first move along, and it only changes squares that were in the same state as the one you started on, so a drag never flips marks back and forth.
Touch
- Choose Fill or Cross with the large buttons above the grid, then tap a square.
- Drag your finger across the grid to paint a row or column. Dragging back shortens the stroke again.
Keyboard
- Tab into the grid and move the cursor with the ← ↑ → ↓ keys.
- Space or Enter fills or unfills, X places or removes a cross, Backspace clears the square.
- Ctrl+Z undoes and Ctrl+Y redoes. A whole drag counts as one step.
Auto-cross finished lines is off by default. When it is on, the game crosses the remaining squares of any line whose filled squares already match its clue.
Tips and strategy
- Start with the big numbers. A group of 7 in a 10-square line covers squares 4 to 7 wherever it sits. Imagine every group pushed as far left as it can go, then as far right. Squares covered by the same group in both positions must be filled.
- Add up the clue. If the numbers plus one gap between each pair equal the length of the line, the line has only one possible layout. In a 10-square row, 4 5 fills everything except the fifth square.
- Use crosses generously. A square you know is empty is as useful as a filled one, because it limits where groups can go.
- Close finished groups. When a group reaches its full length, cross the squares at both ends.
- Work from the edges. A filled square near the border often fixes where the first group starts.
- Alternate between rows and columns. Every new mark in a row gives new information to the columns it crosses, and the other way round.
Frequently asked questions
Will I ever need to guess?
No. Before a puzzle is shown, the game solves it with the same row-by-row and column-by-column reasoning you use. Puzzles that need guessing or have more than one answer are never offered.
What does Check do?
It marks your mistakes in red for a few seconds: filled squares that should be empty and crosses on squares that should be filled. Untouched squares never count as mistakes.
How does Hint choose a square?
If you have made a mistake, the hint corrects one wrong square first. Otherwise it reveals a square that follows logically from the correct marks you already have, so it points to your next real step.
Is my progress saved?
Yes, in this browser. Unfinished pictures, the current random puzzle, solved pictures, best times and settings are kept when you reload or come back later. Undo history starts fresh after a reload. If storage is blocked, the game still works but nothing is remembered.
Why can't I pick 20×20 on my phone?
On a narrow screen its squares would be too small to tap reliably, so 20×20 appears only on wider screens.
More free games
- Sudoku – place the digits 1 to 9 by logic.
- Minesweeper – read the numbers, avoid the mines.
- Word Search – find words hidden in a letter grid.
- Block Puzzle – fit pieces and clear lines.
- 2048 – slide and merge tiles.
- Memory – match the pairs.
- Mahjong Solitaire – clear the board in matching pairs.
- FreeCell – the patience game where skill wins.