Nonogram blog

Solving techniques, tips, and guides for nonograms (also known as picross). Start with how to solve nonograms, then dig into the techniques. Prefer to just play? Jump in below.

• Nonogram vs Picross vs Griddler: What's the Difference?

  Nonogram, picross, griddler, hanjie: are they the same puzzle? Yes. Here's what each name means, where it came from, and why people spell it nanogram or nonagram.

• How to Make Your Own Nonogram

  How to make your own nonogram step by step: design a picture on a grid, generate the row and column clues, and test that it has a single logical solution.

• Are Nonograms Good for Your Brain? The Benefits of Picross

  Are nonograms good for your brain? How solving picross puzzles exercises logic, focus, working memory and spatial reasoning, plus an honest look at what they can't do.

• Nonogram Solving Techniques: Strategies for Every Grid

  A complete guide to nonogram solving techniques and strategy: overlap, edge logic, gap analysis, cross-referencing, and the deduction chains that crack expert grids.

• Nonogram Tips and Tricks to Solve Puzzles Faster

  Practical nonogram tips and tricks to solve picross puzzles faster: smart scanning order, X-marking habits, counting shortcuts, and how to get unstuck without guessing.

• The History of Nonograms: From Japanese Crosswords to Picross

  The history of nonograms: who invented them, how Japanese crosswords spread to newspapers worldwide, and how Nintendo's Picross made the puzzle a global hit.

• How to Solve Nonograms: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners

  Learn how to play nonograms from scratch. A beginner's guide to the rules, your first moves, and a worked example, with the overlap trick that solves most easy grids.

• How to Solve a 5x5 Nonogram (Step-by-Step Example)

  How to solve a 5x5 nonogram step by step. A complete worked example with every deduction explained, plus the overlap and X-marking habits that solve any small grid.

• The Overlap Technique in Nonograms Explained

  The overlap technique is the most important nonogram method. Learn the left-right slide, the (2 x clue - line length) shortcut, and how to use overlap with multiple runs.