Nonograms review: number clues, no guessing and a picture at the end
Nonograms swaps letters for numbers. The clues beside each row and above each column tell you which squares to fill, and if you get them all right a small picture appears. It is the quietest game in our daily rotation and one of the most satisfying, because every square can be worked out without a single guess.
- Every puzzle has one solution, reachable by logic
- Fast drag-to-fill and cross-out tools
- Unlimited mode in 5×5, 10×10 and 15×15
- Optional mistake highlighting, off by default
- No statistics or streaks
- The daily puzzle is always 10×10
- No hints when you are stuck
What is Nonograms?
A nonogram, also sold as Picross, Griddlers, Hanjie or paint by numbers, is a grid with a hidden picture. Each number in a clue is a run of filled squares in that row or column, in order. A clue of 3 1 means three filled squares together, at least one gap, then a single square. Fill every line so that it matches its clue and the picture is complete.
Nonograms gives you one free daily puzzle, a 10×10 picture that is the same for every player, and an unlimited mode for when one is not enough. The site is available in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and Dutch. The language changes the text around the grid; the puzzles themselves are shared. The pictures are based on the Noto Emoji set, and the title reads “Mystery picture” until you finish, so you do not know what you are drawing until it is done.
How a puzzle plays
You tap a square to fill it, or drag to fill several in a straight line. A second tool, Mark empty, puts a cross in squares you know are blank; right-click does the same on a computer, and the X key switches between the tools. Undo steps back one move (Ctrl+Z works too) and Clear empties the board.
The game tracks your progress line by line. When a row or column matches its clue its numbers fade out, and a counter shows how many lines are done, out of twenty on the daily grid. The puzzle counts as solved when every line matches. At that point the filled squares sweep into colour and the picture’s name appears. The timer starts with your first move and pauses when the tab is in the background, and your board and time are saved as you go, so you can close the page and pick up later.
Daily or Unlimited?
The daily picture is always 10×10 and changes at midnight in your local time. When you finish, the result screen shows your time and a countdown to the next puzzle, and the share button produces a short text with the puzzle number, grid size and your time. On a phone it opens the share sheet; on a computer it copies to the clipboard.
Unlimited lets you choose the size: Easy is 5×5, Medium 10×10 and Hard 15×15. A new picture is ready whenever you finish one, the game avoids repeating pictures you have just played, and past daily puzzles join the pool once their day has gone. Settings let you switch on dark mode (it follows your device by default), hide the timer, or turn on Show mistakes, which paints wrongly filled squares red. A small counter shows how many players have solved a puzzle today, and you can rate the game out of five stars.
Difficulty and strategy
Easy 5×5 grids are small enough to read at a glance and make a good introduction. The daily 10×10 is where the real puzzle starts: a handful of lines can be filled straight away, and the rest open up one deduction at a time. Hard 15×15 grids ask for the same techniques over far more lines, and the satisfaction of the reveal grows with the size. Because each puzzle is built to be solvable by logic alone, if you are stuck there is always a line you have not read carefully enough.
What could be better
There are no statistics. You get a time for each puzzle and a share text, but no record of how many you have solved, no average time and no streak. For a daily game that is the feature we miss most, especially next to word games such as Dordle that track all of it.
The daily is also fixed at 10×10, so experienced solvers who want a daily 15×15 have to go to Unlimited for it, where the time is not comparable with friends. And there is no hint button. The logic-only design makes hints less necessary, but a nudge towards the next solvable line would help beginners on the larger grids.
Verdict
Nonograms is the best pure logic puzzle in the network and a lovely change of pace from the word games. The controls are quick on a phone and precise with a mouse, the mistake highlighting is there when you want it and out of the way when you do not, and no puzzle ever leaves you guessing. If you like the idea of placement logic on a smaller grid, Star Battle is the natural next stop.
Nonograms FAQ
Yes. Every puzzle, size and setting is free to play in the browser, with no account.
The daily puzzle is always 10×10. Unlimited mode offers Easy 5×5, Medium 10×10 and Hard 15×15.
No. Every puzzle has exactly one solution and can be solved with logic alone, one row or column at a time.
At midnight in your local time. Everyone gets the same picture on the same day.