PLAY SMARTER, NOT FASTER

Nonogram tips for beginners.

A well-made nonogram can be solved through deduction, not luck. These are the habits that make the next square reveal itself.

Start with the lines that cannot move

A clue equal to the line length fills the entire line. A clue of 9 in a 10-square line has only two possible positions, so its eight middle squares overlap and must be filled. Look first for large groups in short lines: they create the most certain squares.

Use overlap instead of imagining every option

Take a 10-square line with a clue of 7. The group could begin in positions 1 through 4, but squares 4 through 7 appear in every possibility. Fill the overlap. This same idea works for any large clue: slide the group as far left and right as it can go, then fill the shared middle.

Let an edge constrain a group

If a filled square touches the left edge and the first clue is 3, that group must occupy the first three squares. Once a group is complete, mark the square immediately after it as empty. An X is evidence, not decoration—it prevents you from accidentally extending the group later.

Read clue order as well as clue size

In a clue like 2 4, the group of two must come before the group of four. A confirmed mark can split the line into smaller spaces; then ask which group can still fit in each space, with the required empty square between groups.

Switch between rows and columns often

Every certain fill changes two clues: its row and its column. After solving part of a row, inspect the affected columns before continuing. The fastest progress usually comes from this back-and-forth, not from trying to finish one line in isolation.

Mark uncertainty carefully

Use Xs only when a square is known empty. If you are merely unsure, leave it blank. On Nondle, when a line contains all of its required filled squares, the remaining spaces are automatically marked—one less thing to track.

Put the ideas to work on today’s Nondle, or review the basics in How to play.