How to Play Nonogram

What is Nonogram?

Nonogram — also called Picross, Griddlers, or Hanjie — is a logic puzzle invented in Japan in the 1980s where number clues along every row and column tell you exactly which cells to fill, revealing a hidden pixel-art picture when solved correctly. Play nonogram online free in your browser with grid sizes from 5x5 for beginners all the way to challenging 20x20 puzzles. Pure deductive logic: no guessing required.

Rules

The numbers next to each row and column show the lengths of consecutive filled groups in order. Groups are separated by at least one empty cell. Solve the puzzle by filling in exactly the correct pattern.

How do I play Nonogram?

Tips & Strategies

• 1Overlap technique: if a line is 10 cells wide and has a clue of 7, the middle 4 cells (positions 4 through 7) must be filled regardless of where the run starts — shade them immediately.
• 2Mark cells you know are empty with an X right away; empty-cell certainty is just as valuable as fill certainty and prevents costly errors later.
• 3When a row's clues sum to the full line width (accounting for mandatory gaps), every cell is determined — solve these fully-constrained lines first.
• 4Alternate between rows and columns constantly — a single new filled cell in one direction often resolves multiple cells in the crossing direction.
• 5Enable Error Detect mode so the game flags incorrect cells immediately; catching one wrong fill early prevents it from invalidating dozens of subsequent deductions.

Achievements

Why Play Nonogram on Akousa?

Platform Features

When you play Nonogram on Akousa, you get access to a full suite of gaming features built into the platform.

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