Pixel Picross — 5x5 Nonogram Puzzle
Solve a 5x5 nonogram: fill cells using row and column number clues.
How to play
- Numbers beside each row tell you the consecutive filled groups for that row.
- Numbers above each column tell you the filled groups for that column.
- Click a cell to fill it dark; click again to clear it.
- Right-click (or long-press) to mark a cell as empty (X).
- Use logic: if a row has clue '5', all 5 cells must be filled.
Solve a 5x5 nonogram (picross) puzzle. The numbers beside each row and above each column tell you the lengths of consecutive filled-cell groups. Click to fill a cell, right-click to mark it as definitely empty (X).
How it works
Pixel Picross presents a 5x5 grid with number clues along each row and column. The numbers describe the lengths of consecutive filled-cell runs in that line, in order from left to right or top to bottom. Your task is to determine which cells to fill and which to leave empty so that every row and column matches its clue exactly.
For example, a row clue of '3 1' means there is a run of three filled cells, at least one empty cell, and then one filled cell, in that order. A clue of '5' means the entire row is filled. Begin by identifying cells that must be filled regardless of how the runs are shifted — these are cells that every possible arrangement of the clues shares.
When a run is long relative to the line length, the leftmost and rightmost possible placements overlap, and the overlapping cells are certain fills. Also, if a clue accounts for the full line length including mandatory gaps, the arrangement is completely determined. Cross-check rows against columns after each fill to propagate new information.
Nonogram/Picross puzzles always have a unique solution solvable by logic alone. The revealed picture is the reward for a correct solve.
Worked example
Filling in overlapping cells for a long run
- Take a row clue of '4' on a 5-cell row.
- The run can start at cell 1 (filling 1-4) or cell 2 (filling 2-5).
- Cells 2, 3, and 4 appear filled in both possible placements — they are definite fills.
- Fill cells 2, 3, 4 with certainty; cells 1 and 5 remain unknown for now.
- Cross-check column clues for columns 2, 3, 4 to see if those certain fills resolve anything vertically.
Three cells filled with certainty using the overlap technique, reducing ambiguity in the puzzle.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Placing runs without checking whether they are compatible with the perpendicular column or row clues.
- Forgetting the mandatory minimum gap of one empty cell between separate runs in the same line.
- Treating an ambiguous cell as determined too early and locking in a fill that a later deduction would contradict.
Key terms
- Run
- A consecutive sequence of filled cells in a row or column, separated from other runs by at least one empty cell.
- Clue
- The sequence of numbers alongside a row or column that describes the lengths of runs in order.
- Overlap technique
- A solving method that identifies cells common to every possible valid placement of a run within its line.
Frequently asked questions
- What do the clue numbers mean?
- Each number is the length of a consecutive run of filled cells. Multiple numbers mean multiple separate groups, in order.
- What does the X mark do?
- Right-click a cell to mark it as definitely empty — useful for eliminating cells without accidentally filling them.