Nonogram 5x5 puzzles for a quick start

Nonogram 5x5 puzzles are the smallest grids here: five rows, five columns and at most three runs per line, solved in a minute or two. Every one is verified solvable line by line. No app, no sign-up and nothing to click through first; it works offline and every cell can be filled or crossed from the keyboard.

How to play a 5×5 nonogram

1. Read the clues: each number is a run of filled cells in that row or column, in order.
2. Runs in the same line have at least one empty cell between them.
3. Tap to fill with Fill selected, or switch to Cross to mark cells you know are empty.
4. Drag along a row or column to paint several cells at once.
5. Finish when the filled cells match every clue. The dimmed clues show which lines are done.

Nonogram 5x5 tips for beginners

On a 5×5 grid, 55 to 65 percent of cells are filled, so most lines have big clues. That makes the key idea easy to see: add up a clue, add one gap between each pair of runs, and compare with 5.

• A clue of 5 fills the whole line.
• A clue of 2 2 or 1 3 or 3 1 needs exactly 5 cells, so the line is fully fixed: fill the runs and cross the gap.
• A clue of 1 1 1 is also exactly 5 cells: filled, empty, filled, empty, filled.
• A clue of 4 leaves one cell of slack; the middle three cells are filled wherever the run sits.
• A clue of 3 always fills the centre cell, because a run of three in five cells must cover it.
• A clue of 0 means the line is empty. There is at most one empty row and one empty column in a 5×5.

Then cross-check

After the sure lines, look at the columns. A column whose top cell you just filled against the edge must start its first run there. Cross cells that no run can reach. Two or three passes usually finish the grid, and if you stall, press H: the hint names one cell and gives the reason.

Daily, stats and printables

This page plays 5×5 grids up to 400 px wide with large cells for touch. When they feel easy, try 10×10.

The timer starts on your first stroke and pauses when you switch tabs. Stats per size stay in this browser: played, won, win rate, best and average time. Undo and Redo cover every stroke. The first two hints on a puzzle are free; if ads are switched on later, more hints offer a short ad or a 30-second wait. Wins come with share text, and random puzzles have a code such as A7K3Q that replays them.

Plays anywhere, no app, no account

The 5×5 nonogram fits a phone screen with no scrolling, and every cell can be filled with Space or crossed with X from the keyboard. Tidy Puzzles runs entirely in your browser: there is no app to install, no account to create and no interstitial before you can play. After the first visit the game also works offline, because each puzzle is generated on your device from a seed. Every board can be played with the keyboard alone, on a phone or a desktop, and your stats and unfinished puzzles stay in this browser rather than on a server.