Nonogram is a free picture logic puzzle that runs in your browser with no download or sign up. Use the number clues beside each row and column to fill in squares and reveal a hidden pixel picture. It works on phones and computers and keeps working offline once loaded.
Inspired by: Nonograms and Picross puzzles (1987 onwards).
How to play Nonogram
- Choose Easy 5x5, Picture 10x10 or a Random 10x10 puzzle.
- Each number tells you the length of a run of filled squares in that row or column. Several numbers mean several runs, in order, with gaps between them.
- Click or drag to fill squares. Switch to Mark X mode, or right click, to mark squares you know are empty.
- Numbers fade when a row or column matches its clue.
- When every clue is satisfied the picture is revealed in colour.
Controls
- Keyboard: Arrow keys move the cursor. Space fills, X marks empty, H gives a hint.
- Mouse: Click or drag to fill. Right click to mark X. Use the Fill and Mark X buttons to switch tools.
- Touch screen: Tap or drag to fill. Choose Mark X to place crosses. Tap Hint if you are stuck.
Tips to score higher
- Start with the biggest numbers. A clue of 8 in a row of 10 means the middle 6 squares are surely filled.
- A row with a 10 or with clues that add up to the full row length can be filled at once.
- Mark X on squares you know are empty. It stops you from guessing twice.
- Work back and forth between rows and columns. Each new square gives the other direction fresh information.
- Every puzzle can be solved by logic alone, so you never need to guess.
The story behind Nonogram
Nonograms were invented in Japan in the late 1980s. Non Ishida created the first picture grids in 1987, and a puzzle editor named Tetsuya Nishio came up with the same idea at about the same time. Newspapers and magazines began printing them in the 1990s, and Nintendo released Picross for the Game Boy in 1995, which brought them to a huge new audience. The puzzles also go by names such as Griddlers and Hanjie. If you grew up solving puzzle magazines on long train journeys, you will feel right at home with the slow, satisfying click of each picture coming together.
Questions players ask
Is Nonogram free to play?
Yes. It is completely free, with no sign up and no download.
What is a nonogram?
It is a logic puzzle where number clues beside a grid tell you which squares to fill. When you fill them correctly a picture appears.
Do I have to guess?
No. The handmade pictures and the random puzzles are built so that logic alone can solve them.
Can I play on my phone?
Yes. Tap or drag to fill squares and use the Mark X button for empty squares.
How many puzzles are there?
There are ten 5x5 pictures and twelve 10x10 pictures made by hand, plus endless random 10x10 puzzles.