How to play nonograms
A nonogram is a picture hidden in a grid. The numbers beside each row and above each column tell you which cells to fill. Fill the right ones and the picture appears. This page has the full rules, what the buttons do, and the techniques that solve any puzzle on this site without guessing.
The goal
Fill every cell that belongs to the picture and leave the rest empty. You win the moment every row and every column matches its numbers. Every puzzle here has been checked by a solver: it has exactly one solution, and you can always reach it by logic alone.
Reading the clues
- Each number is a run of filled cells in that row or column, in the order shown. Rows read left to right, columns top to bottom.
- Between two runs there is at least one empty cell. The clue 3 1 means three filled cells, one or more empty cells, then one filled cell.
- A 0 means the whole line is empty.
- The clue does not say where the runs start, only their lengths and order. Working that out is the puzzle.
When a line matches its clue, its numbers turn grey so you can see what is left.
Controls
- Tap or click a cell to fill it. Tap it again to clear it.
- Drag along a row or column to fill several cells at once. The drag stays on the line where it started.
- Mark empty (✕): switch to the ✕ tool, or right-click on a computer, to mark cells you know are empty. Marks are only notes for you; they do not count toward the solution.
- Undo and Redo take back or repeat your last moves, a whole drag at a time.
- Hint (light bulb): fills in the cells one row or column can settle right now, and says which clue settles them. If some cells are wrong, the hint marks them in red first. You have 3 hints per puzzle.
- Zoom (phones, 15×15 and 20×20): makes the cells bigger and keeps the clues in view while you scroll.
- New game starts a fresh puzzle. If you have already started, it asks first.
On a computer you can also use the keyboard: arrow keys move, Space or Enter fills, X marks empty, Z undoes, Shift+Z or Y redoes and H gives a hint.
Sizes and the daily challenge
| Size | Level | Typical time |
|---|---|---|
| 5×5 | Mini | about 1 minute |
| 10×10 | Easy | 3 to 5 minutes |
| 15×15 | Medium | 8 to 12 minutes |
| 20×20 | Hard | 15 to 25 minutes |
The Daily Challenge is one 15×15 puzzle a day, the same for everyone. It changes at midnight in your time zone. Use the calendar to play days you missed, and solve it on consecutive days to build a streak. Your times are kept on the Stats page, in your own browser.
Solving techniques
- Start with the big numbers. A run that is longer than half the line always covers its middle. In a 10-cell row, a 7 starts somewhere in the first four cells, so cells 4 to 7 are filled whatever happens. The same works for a whole clue: add the runs plus one gap between each, and compare with the line length.
- Use full and empty lines. A clue that fills the line exactly (like 10 in a 10-cell row, or 4 5 in ten cells) has only one layout. A 0 line is all empty: mark it straight away.
- Work from the edges. A filled cell next to the border must belong to the first run. If the first run is 3 and the first cell is filled, the first three cells are filled and the fourth is empty.
- Cross out what can’t be reached. When the runs in a line are already placed, mark every other cell empty. Cells too far from any run that could cover them are empty too.
- Switch between rows and columns. Every cell you settle in a row is new information for its column. Most puzzles are solved by going back and forth until the picture appears.
- Don’t guess. If you are stuck, there is always a line where one more cell can be settled. A hint shows you which one, and why.
Also known as
Nonograms are also called Hanjie, Paint by Numbers, Griddlers, Picross, Pic-a-Pix and, in Japan, Oekaki Logic (お絵かきロジック). They are all the same kind of puzzle. Nonogramo is an independent site and not affiliated with any of those names.