Play Nonogram
The numbers describe the picture. Work out which squares to fill.
Time
0
Best
—
Loading…
Controls
- Click a square to fill it
- Right-click or long-press to mark it empty
- R deals a new puzzle
About Nonogram
Nonograms — also sold as griddlers, picross or paint-by-numbers — were invented independently by two Japanese puzzle designers in the late 1980s and reached the wider world through a British newspaper shortly after. The premise is that a picture can be reconstructed from nothing but the lengths of its runs.
The solving technique is entirely mechanical once it clicks. For any line, consider every arrangement of its clues that fits; any square that is filled in all of them is certainly filled, and any square empty in all of them is certainly empty. Repeat across rows and columns until the grid closes. Human players do this by eye with the overlap trick rather than by enumeration, but it is the same algorithm.
Every puzzle on this page is verified before you see it. The generator runs exactly that line-by-line reduction on its own candidate grid and throws the grid away unless pure logic finishes it, so no puzzle here ever requires a guess or has two answers.
The grid is ten by ten with heavier rules every five squares, which is the standard sizing and makes counting long runs much easier.
Tips for a higher score
- Start with the biggest clues. A run of eight in a ten-wide line has only three possible positions, and the overlap between them is certain.
- That overlap trick is the core technique: slide the run to the far left, then the far right, and any square filled in both cases is definitely filled.
- Mark empty squares aggressively. Knowing where something cannot go is usually more useful than knowing where it can.
- When a line is finished, mark every remaining square in it as empty — it often unlocks the crossing lines.
- Never guess. Every puzzle here is solvable by logic alone, so if you are stuck the information is somewhere you have not looked.
Frequently asked questions
What do the numbers mean?
Each number is the length of a run of consecutive filled squares in that line, in order, with at least one empty square between runs.
Do I have to mark the empty squares?
No, marks are only for you — the puzzle checks the filled squares. But marking is how most people avoid losing their place.
Is every puzzle solvable without guessing?
Yes. The generator discards any grid that its own logic solver cannot finish by line reduction alone.
More games like this
2048
PuzzleSlide the tiles, merge the numbers, chase that 2048.
Play free →Block Drop
PuzzleStack the falling blocks and clear line after line.
Play free →Minesweeper
PuzzleRead the numbers, flag the mines, clear the field.
Play free →Sudoku
PuzzleNine rows, nine columns, nine boxes, one answer.
Play free →