Nonogram Glossary: Terms Every Solver Uses
Plain, short definitions of the words Nonogram players use, from clue and block to slack, reach and contradiction.
Latest articles
How to Solve 10×10 Nonograms
Measure slack, take the full lines and the overlap, then work the crossings. One method, shown on a real 10×10 Spring Forest puzzle.
What Does an X Mean in a Nonogram?
An × is a cell you have proven empty, not a guess and not part of the picture. Here is when you are allowed to place one.
Nonogram techniques beyond overlap — keep solving without guessing
Nonogram techniques for when overlap runs out: simple spaces, edge forcing, joining and splitting, clue ownership and counting — worked examples, no guessing.
Do Nonograms Require Guessing?
One solution means you never have to guess, but it does not mean every cell falls to row-by-row logic. Here is the difference, shown on a small stalled board.
The Nonogram Contradiction Technique
Stuck with every line exhausted? Suppose one cell, follow only forced moves, and let a broken clue prove the opposite, without guessing.
How to solve 15×15 Nonograms without guessing
Intermediate Nonogram strategy for 15×15 boards: start with the biggest clues, use overlap and edge logic, mark empties, and rescan after every deduction — no guessing.
Nonogram overlap technique — find guaranteed cells without guessing
Learn the Nonogram (Picross) overlap technique: place blocks leftmost and rightmost to prove forced cells without guessing, with worked 5×5 and 10×10 examples.