How to solve Nonogram
Paint the hidden picture
Nonogram — known as Picross, Hanjie or Griddler and adored across Japan and Korea — has you paint a hidden picture from the number clues on each row and column. Play unlimited free nonograms here, from 5×5 up to 10×10, every one uniquely solvable.
How to play Nonogram
- Each number is one unbroken block of filled cells in that row or column, and gives its length: a "3" means 3 filled cells in a row.
- Several numbers mean several separate blocks, in that order, with at least one empty cell between them: "2 1" means a block of 2, a gap, then a single cell.
- Tap to fill a cell; switch to the ✕ tool to mark cells you know are empty. Drag to paint several.
- The puzzle is solved when the filled cells match every clue.
How to solve nonograms: techniques that work
The overlap technique solves most cells and never guesses. Take a clue and imagine its block pushed as far left as possible, then as far right as possible: every cell covered in both scenarios is certainly filled. A 4-clue in a 5-wide row overlaps on three cells; an 8-clue in a 10-wide row overlaps on six. Do this for every long clue before anything else.
Mark empties as aggressively as you mark fills. When a clue is satisfied, ✕ out the rest of its line — those ✕ marks are what unlock the crossing lines. A nonogram is solved by bouncing between rows and columns, each pass feeding the next; a line you "finished" still helps perpendicular lines through its ✕ marks.
Anchor from the edges. A filled cell touching the border pins its whole block: if the first row clue is 3 and the corner cell is filled, cells two and three follow immediately and cell four is empty. Edge anchors plus overlaps typically crack the border, and the interior follows.
Common mistakes
Reading "2 1" as one block: it's two separate blocks — a pair, at least one empty cell, then a single — in that exact order. Order matters; blocks never swap.
Guessing on a 50/50 cell. Unlike print nonograms of dubious provenance, every board here has a unique solution reachable by logic, so an apparent coin-flip always means an overlap or a cross-reference you haven't used yet.
From easy to hard
5×5 boards teach the vocabulary; 10×10 boards demand disciplined ✕ marking and multi-line bookkeeping. The picture emerging is your progress bar — nonograms (also known as Picross, Hanjie or Griddlers) reward slow, certain play over fast guesses.
FAQ
- Is Nonogram free and unlimited on LinkMyPzzl?
- Yes. Every Nonogram board is generated on demand in your browser — play as many as you want, for free, with no account.
- How is this different from the daily Nonogram puzzle?
- The daily version made popular by LinkedIn offers one grid per day. LinkMyPzzl generates unlimited boards and lets you choose the difficulty, so you can actually train.
- Does every Nonogram board have a unique solution?
- Yes. A solver verifies every generated board before you see it: there is always exactly one solution.
- What does a clue like "2 1" mean?
- Two separate blocks in that order: two filled cells together, then — after at least one empty cell — a single filled cell. Numbers never merge and never swap order.
- Do I have to use the ✕ marks?
- They're optional but transformative: marking cells you know are empty is how finished rows unlock the crossing columns. Strong players place as many ✕ as fills.