A COMPLETE LESSON FROM LEARN NONOGRAMS
How to solve
nonograms
Shade the squares that the numbers require, and a picture appears. Follow this small puzzle one certain move at a time. You can go back whenever you want to see how a mark became possible.
Three kinds of square: shaded, crossed for known empty, and blank for still unknown. A blank square is a question, not an answer.
- Shaded
- Known empty
- Still unknown
Before you begin
Find a line that fills itself
Each clue gives the length of one shaded block. This small puzzle has just one block in each row and column. Look at row 3: it has five squares and clue 5. Which squares can you shade with certainty?
Every square belongs to a row and a column. Use what one direction tells you to help with the other.
Read the complete eight-move route
Count rows from top to bottom and columns from left to right. Both sets of clues are 1, 3, 5, 3, 1. Start with all 25 squares blank.
1. Start with a full row
Row 3 has clue 5 and exactly five squares. A single block of five has only one place to go: across the whole row.
Shade row 3, columns 1–5.
2. Let a crossing finish a column
Column 1 has clue 1. Its square in row 3 is already shaded, so that uses the entire clue. Every other square in this column must be empty.
Cross column 1, rows 1, 2, 4 and 5.
3. Fill the other complete line
Column 3 has clue 5. Its middle square is already shaded; the other four must be shaded too, making one continuous block down the column.
Shade column 3, rows 1, 2, 4 and 5.
4. Close the opposite edge
Column 5 also has clue 1, and its square in row 3 is already shaded. Cross the remaining four squares in that column.
Cross column 5, rows 1, 2, 4 and 5.
5. Use the shaded square at the top
Row 1 has clue 1 and its square in column 3 is shaded. The ends are already crossed. The two remaining blank squares must be empty as well.
Cross row 1, columns 2 and 4.
6. Fit a block between two crosses
Row 2 has clue 3. Crosses at columns 1 and 5 leave exactly three squares between them. The middle is already shaded, so shade the two squares beside it.
Shade row 2, columns 2 and 4.
7. Check where the block can start
Column 2 has clue 3. Row 1 is crossed, and rows 2 and 3 are shaded. The three-square block must run from row 2 through row 4. Row 5 is outside it.
Shade column 2, row 4. Cross column 2, row 5.
8. Complete the last column
Column 4 has the same clue and marks: row 1 is crossed, while rows 2 and 3 are shaded. Its block also runs from row 2 through row 4. The completed picture is a diamond.
Shade column 4, row 4. Cross column 4, row 5.
This is the same solving order as lesson 1 in the paperback. Other valid orders are possible.
What do several numbers mean?
Read row clues from left to right and column clues from top to bottom. Each number gives a separate continuous block, in that order.
A clue of 2 1 means two shaded squares together, then at least one empty square, then one shaded square. The gap can be longer when the line has room. There may also be empty squares before the first block or after the last.
A clue of 0 means the whole line is empty. Mark it with crosses so you can use that information in the crossing direction.
When a block can slide
Before any marks are made, a block of three has three possible positions in a five-square row. All three include the middle square, so you can shade that square. The other four are still uncertain.
This is called overlap. It gives another possible opening move in row 2 of the lesson above.
If you get stuck
- Recheck lines affected by your last mark. A cross can narrow a block’s position just as a shaded square can.
- Keep unknown squares blank. Cross a square only when you know it cannot be shaded.
- Compare the possible positions. Mark only what they all agree on. Do not fill a square just because it would make the picture look right.
- Revisit an uncertain move if a clue stops fitting. Check block order and required gaps before trying again. A separate hint can help you restart.
KEEP GOING WITH A PENCIL
Six puzzles to try for yourself.
The free 21-page sample includes this complete lesson with its printed diagrams, then two 5×5, two 10×10 and two 15×15 practice puzzles. Optional hints and picture answers are included.
No sign-up. Print at actual size on US Letter, or fit to A4.