Nonogram Rules: How to Play (With a Printable Example)

The nonogram rules fit in two sentences: the numbers beside each row and above each column tell you the lengths of the runs of shaded squares in that line, and the runs must appear in the same order with at least one empty square between them. Colour the right squares and a picture appears. This page explains how to read the numbers, solves a 5 x 5 grid step by step and shows what a real LogikLand puzzle looks like.

What a nonogram is

A nonogram is a grid puzzle with number clues on the left and at the top. You start with a blank grid and decide, square by square, whether it is shaded or empty. There is no arithmetic beyond adding small numbers, and no word to know. It suits people who like Sudoku but want a puzzle that ends with a drawing.

Reading the numbers

Each number is the length of one run (also called a block) of shaded squares in its line. Read rows from left to right and columns from top to bottom.

• One number. A "3" means exactly one run of three shaded squares, placed somewhere in the line.
• Several numbers. A "3 1" means a run of 3, then later a run of 1. The order matters: the 3 comes first.
• A gap between runs. Two runs are never touching. "3 1" needs at least 3 + 1 + 1 = 5 squares.
• Zero. A "0" means the line has no shaded square.

The rules

1. Shade squares so that every row and every column shows runs of exactly the lengths written, in the same order.
2. Two runs in the same line are separated by at least one empty square.
3. Squares you know are empty can be marked with a dot. The dot is only a note to yourself: a dot-marked square is simply not shaded.
4. The finished grid shows a picture. When all the rows and all the columns are right, you are finished.

A worked 5 x 5 example

This small grid hides a boat. Its rows read 1, 2, 5, 3 and 0 from the top, and its columns read 1, 3, 4, 2 and 1.

Solving it

1. A run as long as the line. Row 3 says 5 and the row has 5 squares. Shade the whole row.
2. Zero. Row 5 says 0, so it stays empty. Put a dot in all five squares.
3. One shaded square settles a column. Column 1 says 1, and its row 3 square is already shaded. That is the one run, so the other four squares of the column are empty. Column 5 says 1 as well, with the same result.
4. The longest number fills what is left. Column 3 says 4. Row 5 is empty, so the run of 4 must use rows 1 to 4. All four squares are shaded.
5. Finish with the columns and rows together. Column 2 says 3 and its row 5 square is empty, so the run sits in rows 1 to 4 and always covers rows 2 and 3. Row 2 says 2: columns 2 and 3 are shaded, which is the whole run, and the rest of row 2 is empty. Row 1 says 1 and its column 3 square is shaded, so that is its run. Row 4 says 3: with column 1 empty, it is columns 2, 3 and 4.

A real 10 x 10 puzzle

This Easy puzzle comes from the LogikLand generator. It follows the same rules, with more lines, and it can be solved line by line without guessing. Shade a block of the right length in each line, row by row and column by column, until the pattern appears.

Sizes and pictures

The Nonogram assistant has four levels, set by the size of the grid.

The picture can be a symmetric pattern, a silhouette, or a mix. Silhouettes include a heart, a cat, a house, a tree, an apple, a bone, a car, a fish and a circle, and the bigger grids can also use a star or a dog. A silhouette needs a minimum size to stay recognisable, so a small grid does not offer every shape.

Every grid is checked by a solver that works one line at a time, the same way you do. A grid that the solver cannot finish is thrown away, which is why each puzzle has exactly one solution and none needs a guess.

Making a nonogram book

LogikLand has no free single-puzzle tool for nonograms. Create a free account and open the Nonogram assistant to make a book: pick the levels, the number of grids, the picture type and a "How to play" page. The solution pages show only the finished picture. Our suggestion, not a rule: start the book with 10 x 10 grids, then add 15 x 15 grids, so readers meet the longer numbers once they are used to the rules.

Questions