How to play nonograms: clues, gaps and overlap
A nonogram is a grid puzzle in which the numbers beside each row and column describe runs of filled squares. Your job is to find their positions. The order of the clues and the empty spaces between runs are just as important as the numbers.
Read a clue as a run, not a total
A clue of 3 means three consecutive filled squares. Clues 1, 2 mean a group of one, at least one empty square, and then a group of two, in that order. They do not mean any three filled squares scattered along the line.
Read row clues from left to right and column clues from top to bottom. A run can touch an edge. The mandatory gap belongs between two groups, not necessarily at the start or end.
An exact fit in five squares
Take a row of five squares with clues 2, 2. The first group needs two squares, the separating gap needs one, and the second group needs two. That uses all five: filled, filled, empty, filled, filled. There is only one arrangement.
A clue of 5 in a five-square row fills the entire row. A clue of 0 leaves the entire row empty. These are useful starting points because you do not have to guess where a run begins.
Find an overlap when a run can move
For a five-square row with a single clue of 3, the run could occupy positions 1–3, 2–4 or 3–5. Position 3 is included in all three possibilities. Fill that center square; leave the other four undecided for now.
You have proved only the overlap. Filling the whole run in the middle would be a guess. Look at the column crossing the confirmed square: its clues may decide which side the row must extend toward.
Turn one deduction into the next
After filling a square, recheck both its row and its column. Once a run has reached its required length, mark its immediate neighbors empty when they are inside the grid. These marks can prevent another run from extending too far.
For multiple clues, preserve their order and allow a separator between them. If your proposed placement leaves no room for the later runs, it cannot be right. Count the needed squares before committing.
Mark, inspect and correct your puzzle
In FoolFish Nonograms, left-click fills and right-click places an X. Use the visible erase control to clear an entry. The current approved release is for desktop; check the game page for supported devices before loading it.
An X helps distinguish a confirmed empty square from an unknown one. The game requires all necessary filled squares and no extra filled squares; placing an X in every leftover square is optional.
Use an explained hint when you need help identifying the next deduction. Check, Undo and Redo let you inspect or correct your work. If the board seems contradictory, revisit the latest uncertain placement instead of trying to force a picture you recognize.