How to Play Nonograms

Overview

Nonograms (also called Griddlers or Picross) are logic puzzles where you fill in cells on a grid to reveal a hidden picture. Use the number clues to determine which cells to fill and which to leave empty.

Video Tutorial

Rules

  • 1Numbers on the left/top show groups of consecutive filled cells in that row/column.
  • 2Multiple numbers mean multiple groups, separated by at least one empty cell.
  • 3Groups must appear in the order shown.
  • 4A clue of 0 means the entire row/column is empty.

Understanding Clues

[3]3 consecutive filled cells
[2,1]Group of 2, gap, then group of 1
[0]Entire row/column is empty

Controls

Left-clickFill or unfill a cell
Right-clickMark cell as empty (×)
Ctrl+ZUndo last action

Solving Strategies

Overlap Method

For large clues, cells that overlap no matter where the block starts must be filled.

Edge Logic

If a block starts at an edge, you can determine its full extent immediately.

Full Lines

When clues plus minimum gaps equal line length, there's only one solution.

Mark Empty Cells

Use × marks to track cells you've determined are empty.