Easy Sudoku for beginners

The rules in one paragraph

Fill the 9×9 grid so every row, every column and every 3×3 box contains the digits 1 to 9 exactly once. That's the whole game — no maths, no adding up. Tap a cell and pick a number, or type it on a keyboard. Backspace erases, arrow keys move around, and any digit that clashes with one you've already placed turns red straight away.

Beginner walkthrough: solving your first grid

1. 1. Count the digits you already have. Pick the number that appears most often on the board — say there are six 5s. Only three are missing, so it's the quickest digit to finish.
2. 2. Cross-hatch one box at a time. Choose a 3×3 box without that digit. Mentally draw a line through every row and column that already contains it. If only one empty cell in the box survives, that's where it goes.
3. 3. Repeat for each digit, 1 through 9. On an easy grid this alone fills most of the board, because easy puzzles are built so a placement is always available without guessing.
4. 4. Switch to "last cell standing". When a row, column or box has just one empty cell left, the missing digit is forced — fill it in immediately, then re-scan the boxes it touches.
5. 5. Use notes only when you're stuck. Turn on Notes and pencil the possible digits into a cell. A cell that ends up with a single candidate is a free move, and so is a digit that can only sit in one cell of a row.
6. 6. Never guess. Every puzzle here has one solution reachable by logic. If nothing looks placeable, re-scan the most common digit rather than trying a number to see what happens — or tap Hint to unstick one cell.

Common beginner mistakes

• Filling a cell because a digit "feels right" — every placement should have a reason.
• Forgetting the 3×3 box rule and only checking the row and column.
• Noting candidates everywhere too early; it clutters the grid on an easy puzzle.
• Rushing the last few cells, where one wrong digit quietly breaks two boxes at once.

Once easy grids feel routine, step up on the main Sudoku page, which offers medium, hard and expert with the same notes, hints and timer.