Easy sudoku

What makes these puzzles easy

Every easy puzzle here can be solved from start to finish with just two techniques. A hidden single is a digit that has only one possible place in a row, column or box; a naked single is a cell where only one digit is still possible. Easy puzzles start with 36 to 40 givens (38 on average), so there is always plenty to work with, and there is always at least one single available at every step.

In practice, hidden singles do almost all of the work: our solver tries them first, and every easy puzzle in the bank can be finished with hidden singles alone. Naked singles are still worth learning, because they are the natural way to finish off a nearly full row or box.

How to solve an easy sudoku

1. Scan one digit at a time. Pick a digit that already appears often, say 5. For each box that is missing a 5, look at the rows and columns that already have a 5: they rule out cells in that box. If only one cell is left, that is where the 5 goes.
2. Look for crowded rows, columns and boxes. A row with seven numbers has two gaps; check which two digits are missing and which gap each can go in.
3. Repeat. Each digit you place gives new information, so go back to digits you have already scanned.

Easy puzzles do not need pencil marks, but if you want to practise using them, notes mode is one tap away. Turn on “Highlight mistakes” while you learn: it marks a wrong number straight away, so a slip never turns into a dead end ten moves later.

Learning with hints

The hint button is a small tutor. The first press tells you which technique to use and where to look (for example “Try a hidden single in box 4”); the second highlights the cells involved; the third places the digit and explains why. Hints are counted, so you can watch the number drop as you improve. When easy puzzles start to feel automatic, try medium sudoku, which adds the first pencil-mark patterns.

Easy sudoku for kids and beginners

Because an easy puzzle never needs more than “where can this number go?”, it is a good first puzzle for older children and adults new to sudoku. There is no maths involved, only placing digits. Read the how to play guide together, or print a sheet of easy puzzles to solve with a pencil.