Nonogram online

Play or print a nonogram

This nonogram online page gives you puzzles of 5 × 5, 10 × 10, 15 × 15 and 20 × 20 squares, plus ten hidden pictures. Every puzzle can be finished by logic alone, one row or column at a time, with no guessing at any point, which also means it has exactly one solution. Play with a mouse, a finger or the keyboard, or print the empty grid with its answer key.

How the puzzle works

The grid hides a picture made of filled squares. The numbers beside each row and above each column give, in order, the lengths of the runs of filled squares in that line. Two runs are always separated by at least one empty square. A 0 means the whole line is empty.

Example: a row of 5 squares with the clues "2 1" holds a run of 2, then at least one gap, then a single filled square. There are three ways to place them: ■■□■□, ■■□□■ and □■■□■. The columns will tell you which one is right. The puzzle is solved once every filled square is in place; crosses are optional.

How to use it

1. Pick a size ("5 × 5" to "20 × 20") and a level, or one of the "Hidden pictures" numbered 1 to 10.
2. Click a square to fill it. Right-click, long press or "Cross mode" puts a cross on a square you know is empty.
3. Hold the button down and drag along a row or column to fill several squares in one go. Starting the drag on a filled square clears instead.
4. On the keyboard: arrows to move, Space to fill, X for a cross, Ctrl+Z to undo.
5. A line's clues are struck through as soon as it matches its numbers.

"Undo" and "Redo" step through your moves one at a time. "Hint" first clears a wrong square if there is one; otherwise it fills a square that follows from what you have already placed. "Show mistakes" turns wrongly marked squares red. When you finish, the timer stops, the crosses and grid lines fade and only the picture remains.

Levels and puzzle numbers

The level sets how much of the grid is filled: about 60% on "Easy", 52% on "Medium" and 45% on "Hard". Longer runs give you easier first moves, so Hard really does start slower. Each puzzle has a "Puzzle number" from 1 to 999,999. Same size, same level and same number always give the same puzzle, which is handy for setting one challenge for a whole class or racing a friend.

Solving techniques

Overlap

Take a row of 10 squares with the clue 6. The run starts at square 1 at the earliest (covering 1 to 6) and at square 5 at the latest (covering 5 to 10). Squares 5 and 6 are filled either way, so fill them now. The quick rule: the free space is 10 − 6 = 4, and any run longer than that has its middle squares fixed, here 6 − 4 = 2 squares. With "2 3 1" on 10 squares you need 2 + 3 + 1 + 2 gaps = 8 squares, so the slack is 2: the 3 always covers square 6, and nothing else is certain yet.

Edges

A filled square against the edge pins its run in place. On a row of 10 with the clue 3, if square 1 is filled, the run must be squares 1 to 3, and square 4 gets a cross.

Crosses

As soon as a line has all its runs, cross out everything else. Example: the clue 2 on 8 squares with squares 4 and 5 filled; squares 1 to 3 and 6 to 8 are empty. Those crosses then help the columns: an empty square stops a run just like the edge of the grid does.

Printing

"Print (puzzle and solution)" lays out two A4 pages: the empty grid with its clues and number, then the solution. Print only the first page if the answer should stay hidden.

What the puzzle is called around the world

These puzzles first appeared in Japan in the late 1980s. In English you will see nonogram, and in the UK also hanjie or griddlers. The French say logimage, Germans say Nonogramm, Spanish speakers nonograma and Italians nonogramma. The rules are the same everywhere.

Frequently asked questions

Can a puzzle have two solutions?

Not here. Before showing a puzzle, the tool solves it line by line, trying every possible position of every run. If any square is left undecided, the puzzle is adjusted and checked again. A puzzle that can be finished this way has only one solution.

What does a 0 clue mean?

That row or column has no filled squares at all. You can cross it out right away.

Is my game saved if I close the page?

Yes. The puzzle in progress and your time stay on this device and nothing is sent anywhere. The timer picks up again on your next move.

Do I need crosses to win?

No. Only filled squares count: once they are all correct, the puzzle is solved, even if some empty squares have no cross.