How to Play Nonograms
A nonogram is a picture puzzle hidden behind numbers. The clues beside each row and above each column tell you the runs of filled squares in that line, in order, with at least one gap between them.
Fill the right squares and a picture appears. They are also known as picross, griddlers and paint by numbers.
Play NonogramHow to play
- Read a clue like 4 1 as a run of four filled squares, then a gap, then one filled square, in that order.
- Start with the longest clues. On a ten wide grid a clue of 8 has only three positions, and the squares every position shares must be filled.
- Mark squares you have ruled out with a cross. Knowing where something cannot go is worth as much as knowing where it can.
- Work rows and columns alternately. Every square you fill in a row gives the crossing column new information.
- The puzzle is done when every clue is satisfied and the picture is complete.
The overlap trick
This is the technique that unlocks big puzzles. Push a run as far left as it will go, then as far right, and fill whatever squares are covered both times. A clue of 7 in a ten wide row always fills the middle four squares, whatever else happens.
Once a line has a cross in it, treat the segments either side as shorter lines and apply the same trick to each.
Frequently asked questions
What do the numbers on a nonogram mean?
Each number is a run of filled squares, listed in the order they appear in that line, with at least one empty square between runs.
Do I need to guess?
No. Every puzzle here can be solved by logic alone, which is why marking impossible squares matters so much.
What is the difference between nonograms and picross?
Nothing. Picross, griddlers and paint by numbers are all names for the same puzzle.