How to play Nounogram

Nounogram is a nonogram and a crossword in one grid. Here are the rules as the app teaches them. If you’d rather learn by doing, you can play a small tutorial puzzle one step at a time.

Play the tutorial

The puzzle

Nounogram is part nonogram, part crossword. Every square in the grid is either solid or holds a letter. The numbers around the edge tell you which squares are solid, and the letters spell words across and down. Every square starts out unknown, and your job is to work out what each one is.

Read the edge numbers

Each number counts a run of solid squares in its row or column, in order from left to right or top to bottom. A line that reads 2 1 has a run of two solids, then at least one letter square, then one more solid. Letter squares can also come before the first run and after the last. A 0 means the line has no solids at all, so every square in it holds a letter.

Some puzzles count the runs of letter squares instead. The rule icons next to the clock show which kind a puzzle uses, and the Rules tab explains each one.

	3	1	2	0
0
1 1
3
1

KNEW
WORD
BED
NO

Spell the words

Every run of two or more letter squares, across or down, spells a word. Where an across word and a down word cross, they share that letter, as in a crossword. When a puzzle lists its words, each one is used exactly once.

You can type a word, write it with a finger or stylus, or drag it from the list onto the board. The Controls tab shows how.

	3	1	2	0
0	K	N	E	W
1 1		O		O
3				R
1		B	E	D

KNEW
WORD
BED
NO

Always fair

Every puzzle has exactly one answer, and logic alone gets you there. You never need to guess.

When you get stuck

Tap the hint button at the top of the puzzle. It first tells you where to look, then why, and only shows the answer if you ask for it.

Make your own

In Design you can build a puzzle square by square. A status line tells you whether it has exactly one answer, and Autofill can complete a half-built one for you. Then print it or share it with friends. For a fresh puzzle to play instead, tap New puzzle on Home.

The rules a puzzle can use

In each puzzle the numbers count either solids or letters, and you get the words in one of a few ways. In the app, you can see which rules a puzzle uses from the icons next to the clock. Here is each one, on the same small puzzle.

Solid counts

The edge numbers count the runs of solid squares in each line. A 0 means the line is all letters.

	3	1	2	0
0	K	N	E	W
1 1		O		O
3				R
1		B	E	D

KNEW
WORD
BED
NO

Letter counts

The edge numbers count the runs of letter squares in each line. A 0 means the line is all solid.

	1	21	11	4
4	K	N	E	W
1 1		O		O
1				R
3		B	E	D

KNEW
WORD
BED
NO

Word list

Every word in the puzzle is given. Drag or type each one into the run where it fits.

	1	21	11	4
4	K	N	E	W
1 1		O		O
1				R
3		B	E	D

KNEW
WORD
BED
NO

Scrambled list

The word list is there, but each word's letters are shuffled. Use the crossings and run lengths to unscramble them. Hold a word to arrange its letters in a pane.

	1	21	11	4
4	K	N	E	W
1 1		O		O
1				R
3		B	E	D

WENK
DROW
DEB
ON

Edge letters

The letters beside each row and column are the letters in that line, in alphabetical order. Work out the words from them and the crossings.

	K	BNO	EE	DORW
E K N W	K	N	E	W
O O		O		O
R				R
B D E		B	E	D

Distinct letters

The edge letters show each letter once per line, even when the line uses it more than once.

	K	BNO	E	DORW
E K N W	K	N	E	W
O		O		O
R				R
B D E		B	E	D

Hidden clues

Some edge numbers are hidden and show as ?. You must work them out from where the words go.

	3	?	2	0
0	K	N	E	W
1 1		O		O
?				R
1		B	E	D

KNEW
WORD
BED
NO

Ready? Today’s three puzzles are free. Have fun!

Easy 5×5 Medium 8×8 Hard 12×12