How to play Sudoku
Fill every row, column and thick-bordered box with 1–9.
Rules for the Solve Meadow edition. Examples are constructed lessons, not today's answers. How these guides are made.
Make your first move
Select an empty cell, then type a number or use the number buttons.
Select a cell, then type 1–9 or tap a number. Arrow keys move between cells; Backspace, Delete or 0 erases. Use Notes for pencil marks and Erase to clear. Red numbers conflict with another number in a row, column or box. Hints explain a deduction where possible; answer checks and reveals are labelled. Each hint costs 15 points. Each generated puzzle has one solution.
A quick example
If a row already contains 1–8, its last cell must be 9.
Find a number by elimination, not by guessing
In a constructed Sudoku example, an empty cell belongs to a row missing 2, 5 and 8. Its column already contains 2, and its 3 by 3 box already contains 8.
- Start with the row candidates: 2, 5 and 8.
- Remove 2 because the column already uses it. Remove 8 because the box already uses it.
- Only 5 remains. Enter 5 as an answer, rather than leaving it as a pencil note.
A naked single leaves one candidate in a cell. A hidden single is different: one digit has only one possible cell within a row, column or box. Notes help you keep these possibilities separate.
Is a number safe just because it fits the row?
No. It must also fit the column and the outlined box. Check all three groups before entering it.
Common mistake
Grey starting numbers cannot change. Notes are pencil marks, not answers.
Strategy to try
- Scan a nearly complete row, column or box. For an empty cell, rule out digits already present in all three groups. If only one digit remains, you have a single.
- A hidden single is a digit that fits in only one cell of a row, column or box, even when that cell has several candidates. Use Notes to keep candidate digits separate from answers.
- Choose Easy, Medium or Hard and press Start practice. These are approximate generator settings, not guarantees about your experience. Daily puzzles keep the same shared board. Hints cost 15 score points; deduction hints explain why a digit fits, while answer checks and reveals are labelled.
Daily play and practice
The daily board changes at midnight UTC. Your first completed daily score is saved in this browser. Practice starts a separate round without replacing that result. There is no account or subscription required; JavaScript is needed to play. Progress is device-local and clearing browser data removes it.
Try the idea in a real game
Practice lets you explore the controls before attempting the shared daily round.