• Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Delightful Paths

Christian Coloring Crafts for Adults

  • Resource Library
    • Get your free password
    • Go straight to the Resource Library
  • Shop
    • Coloring Books
    • Coloring Cards
    • Nonogram Puzzles
  • Blog
    • Paper Crafts
    • Coloring Tips
    • Color Palettes
    • Christian Topics
    • Fun Puzzles
  • About
    • About Jeanette
    • Contact
    • Bible Translations
    • Disclosures

Nonograms

What are Nonograms or Griddlers?

May 27, 2020 by Jeanette Leave a Comment

Nonograms or griddlers are addictive types of logic puzzles where you use the number clues around the sides to color in boxes to reveal a picture. If you like doing sudoku puzzles, then you will love nonograms or griddlers!

I do enjoy sudoku puzzles, but I really love the reward of revealing a picture in a nonogram puzzle.

what are nonograms or griddlers

Other names for nonograms

I usually call these types of puzzles nonograms but they are actually known by several different names depending on where you find them. Here are some of the variations:

  • Griddler (UK newspaper)
  • Picross (Nintendo game)
  • Paint by number (which makes me think of a different type of picture I used to do as a child!)
  • Oekaki puzzle (Japanese for doodle)
  • Hanjie

You can get can be multi-colored nonograms, but I confess to just enjoying the type that just requires an ordinary gray pencil to complete.

How to play nonograms or griddlers

In a black and white nonogram or griddler puzzle, the numbers in rows or columns represent blocks of black in that row or column. If there are two numbers in a row/column, it means there are two blocks of black in that row/column separated by at least one white cell.

For example you could fill in this row with the clue 3,2 like this:

nonogram example row1

or this:

nonogram example row2

or this:

nonogram example row3

or this:

nonogram example row4

but not this:

nonogram example row5

(there must be at least one white cell in between the blocks)

nor this:

nonogram example row7

(you must keep the blocks in the same order as the number clues ie the block of 3 first then the block of 2)

and not this:

nonogram example row6

(you can’t split the blocks).

I only like the types of nonograms where no guessing is involved, the ones where you have to use logic to figure out which cells are black and which are white. So in the above example of the row with 3,2, you would not be able figure out where to put the blocks. You would need to look at the other rows and columns to start solving the puzzle.

Example of solved nonogram

So here’s a completed puzzle showing how the blocks work.

car nonogram showing how blocks work DelightfulPaths

There is a yellow highlighted block of 10 cells across in a row and a vertical green highlighted block of 3 cells in a column.

I have highlighted in pink a block of 3 followed by a block of 1 (horizontal).

I also highlighted in bue a column with a block of 1 followed by a block of 5.

But if you check every other row and column in this puzzle, you will see that every number clue is satisfied. And that’s your goal 🙂

How to solve a nonogram

There are quite a few methods and tactics for solving a nonogram puzzle.

See an example of how to solve a nonogram.

Nonogram puzzles – fun for adults and teens

what are nonograms or griddlers - vintage telephone picture delightfulpaths
Nonogram or griddler puzzle of a vintage phone

Nonograms are great if you are looking for a new hobby or something fun to fill in some time. Nonogram puzzles are a great boredom buster and are suitable for both adults and teens and both males and females. You can easily carry a book of puzzles with you when you are traveling, if you have to wait in a waiting room somewhere, or if you are stuck at home. It’s also easy to just work on a puzzle when you have a few minutes of spare time.

Last Christmas I gave nonogram books to several members of my family. Some who didn’t receive a book asked if I had any spare when they saw how much enjoyment the others were having with the puzzles. Fortunately I had a few spare to give 🙂

Free nonogram puzzle book

If you’d like to try some nonogram / griddler puzzles for free, you can sign up for my puzzle newsletter. You must be over 13 years old to sign up. Then I’ll send you the link to download a book of 25 puzzles with instructions and answers.

Let me know how you go! 🙂

Do you call them nongrams, griddlers or something else?

download free logic puzzle book: nonogram - griddler puzzles

Filed Under: Puzzles Tagged With: Griddlers, Nonograms

How to solve a nonogram

March 21, 2020 by Jeanette 2 Comments

This post shows step by step how to solve a nonogram puzzle with pictures and by video. Download the free puzzle so you can work through it with me. 🙂

At the bottom of the page you can also sign up to download a free nonogram puzzle book containing 25 puzzles for beginners.

But wait! Have you heard of nonograms?

They’re logic puzzles that you solve by coloring in squares in a grid according to the instructions. When you’ve finished, you end up with a picture.

If you’re just starting out with nonogram puzzles, you may be finding all those numbers a little bit daunting! On this page I will show you how to solve a nonogram puzzle.

You can either see a video (see the heading “Video showing solving a nonogram puzzle” near the bottom of the page) or see a walkthrough step by step of solving a simple puzzle just below.

Step by step instructions for how to solve a nonogram puzzle

If you’d like to solve along with me, you can click on the puzzle below then save and print it. Any guesses what it might be yet?

Nonogram puzzle to print and solve DelightfulPaths

To begin with all cells are unknown. I will mark a known black cell with a black square (no surprises there!) and any known white cells with a dot.

Complete lines

1. First find any solid lines. The 0 means there are no black cells in that row, so we mark every cell in the row with a dot (they are known white cells).

How to solve a nonogram step by step

2. The 5 means that every cell in the row is black, so we color them all in.

How to solve a nonogram step by step

3. Next we can look for any lines that can only be filled one way (ie those with only one white cell between blocks). The 2 / 2 row will be a complete row. There is only one possible way of filling it in – a block of 2 black followed by one white and then another block of two black.

How to solve a nonogram step by step

4. After completing this row we can see that the first column has completed its block of two black. That means every other cell in this column must be white. So we can fill in the remaining cells with a dot. It’s important to mark any known white cells as this helps as you continue the puzzle.

How to solve a nonogram step by step

Overlaps

5. Now I will show you another very important tactic – overlaps. In the 3 / 2 / 2 column, I use temporary marks to show the uppermost this set of blocks could go.

How to solve a nonogram step by step

Then I start from the bottom to see the bottom-most these blocks can go.

How to solve a nonogram step by step

Where the same blocks overlap, we know that must be a black cell, so we color those overlaps black.

How to solve a nonogram step by step

6. We can use the overlap tactic again on the next column:

How to solve a nonogram step by step

7. In the next column, we can use the overlap method again but the block of 5 must include the two black cells already known.

How to solve a nonogram step by step
How to solve a nonogram step by step
How to solve a nonogram step by step

Out of range

8. Now we’re going to check for cells that are out of range. I have numbered the column with the block of 5 so you can see the furthest that the 5-block will extend.

How to solve a nonogram step by step

Any cells beyond that will be out of range of the 5-block. They must be white so we mark those cells with a dot.

How to solve a nonogram step by step

Can you guess what the picture is yet?

9. Use the out of range tactic for the last column.

How to solve a nonogram step by step

Repeat nonogram solving tactics

10. Use the overlap technique in the top row.

How to solve a nonogram step by step

11. Use the out of range technique on the 2-block row a bit further down:

How to solve a nonogram step by step

The picture is really beginning to take shape now!

12. On the next row down, you can see that the 2-block is complete, so all the rest of the cells in this row will be white – so we’ll put dots there.

How to solve a nonogram step by step

13. And also the very next row has a complete block of 2, so fill in the rest of the row with dots:

How to solve a nonogram step by step

14. As we keep going down, we can see there needs to be a block of 2 in the next row. There is only one place it can go:

How to solve a nonogram step by step

Nearly there!

15. Look at the 2 / 3 / 2 column. The second block is a 3-block. So it is complete and there needs to be a space around it. So we should place a dot above that 3-block.

How to solve a nonogram step by step

16. In the row where we just placed that dot, we can see that there is only one way to finish the block of 2.

How to solve a nonogram step by step

17. Looking at the column where we just placed the dot, we can see that the 3-block is complete, so we can place a dot above it.

How to solve a nonogram step by step

18. And finally we can make that last remaining cell black to satisfy the 3-block across and also the verticle 3-block.

Ta da!

How to solve a nonogram step by step
Nonogram of a question mark

Here it is sped up:

how to solve a nonogram puzzle step by step DelightfulPaths

Video showing solving a nonogram puzzle

If you’d prefer, here’s a video so you can see a puzzle being solved.

Free Nonogram Puzzle Book

If you’d like to try out some more of these puzzles on your own, here is a free nonogram puzzle book for you to download.

Download free nonogram puzzles to print out

You can also get my booklet of 25 free nonogram puzzles for beginners if you are over 13 years of age by signing up for my nonogram puzzle newsletter. This book contains instructions, hints, and tips to help you to see how to solve nonogram puzzles.

Let me know if you have any questions 🙂

Filed Under: Puzzles Tagged With: Nonograms

Footer

Terms and Conditions

Privacy Policy

© 2021 · Delightful Paths

Facebook
fb-share-icon
Twitter
Tweet
Pinterest
fb-share-icon