Nonogram

What the clues mean

Every row and every column has a clue: the lengths of the runs of painted squares in that line, in order. A clue of 3 1 means a run of three, then at least one empty square, then a run of one — somewhere in that line, in that order.

A line with nothing painted shows 0.

• You win when every row and every column matches its clue. Nothing else is checked.
• There is no mistake counter, no lives and no game over. A wrong mark costs you nothing but the time to change it.

Controls

• Tap to paint a square, and tap again to clear it.
• Long press to mark a square with × — your note that it stays empty.
• × mode swaps the two, for one-handed play or if long pressing is awkward.
• Painting over an × replaces it, and marking a painted square replaces the paint. The two never stack.
• When a line’s painted squares satisfy its clue, that clue is dimmed and struck through. That is a fact derived from the board, not the game checking your answer.

× marks never affect whether you win. They exist purely so you can record what you have ruled out.

Sizes, levels and the Daily

• There are two sizes: 5×5 to get started, and 10×10 for everything after. Grids of 15×15 and up put each square below the size of a fingertip, so they are not offered.
• Difficulty comes from how full the solution is rather than how big it is. A fuller grid means longer runs, which pin down quickly; a sparser one leaves the clues looser and the deductions longer.
• Levels unlock in order and can be replayed; a level is always the same puzzle, for everyone.
• The Daily puzzle is one per day, always 10×10. Past days can be played and finished days are recorded — no streak is counted.

The no-guess promise, and Hint

Every puzzle here can be finished by looking at one line at a time. The only reasoning needed is this: for a single row or column, consider every arrangement that fits its clue and does not contradict what you already know. Squares painted in all of them are certainly painted; squares empty in all of them are certainly empty.

A puzzle is only used if repeating that, row by row and column by column, settles the whole grid. So the solution is unique and reachable without ever guessing.

• Hint is unlimited and free. It shows one square that line logic can settle right now, and highlights the row or column that proves it.
• If a line currently contradicts its clue, the hint points at that line first. Building more deductions on top of a broken line would not be help.
• There is no Undo, because every action is already reversible: paint and × marks toggle off with a tap. Adding Undo would be the same operation twice.

Minesweeper has no Undo because taking a move back would break the game. Nonogram has no Undo for the opposite reason — taking a move back is already the whole interface.

Tips

• Start with the longest clues. In a line of ten, a run of eight can only sit two ways, and the six squares in the middle are painted either way — that is the overlap technique, and it opens most puzzles.
• A clue equal to the line length fills it completely; work outward from there.
• Once a run is finished, mark an × on the square at each end. Those squares must stay empty, and the marks stop you from mis-counting later.
• Alternate between rows and columns constantly. Almost every deduction becomes available because of something you settled in the other direction.
• When you are stuck, take a Hint — it will show you which line still has something to give.

Questions people ask