Easy Sudoku

Free, gentle Sudoku puzzles for beginners and anyone who wants a relaxed solve. More numbers are given, so the logic stays friendly from the first move to the last.

What makes a Sudoku easy

Difficulty in Sudoku is not about bigger grids or harder arithmetic, because there is no arithmetic at all. It is about how many numbers you are given to start and how much reasoning it takes to place the rest. An easy Sudoku begins with more of its cells already filled, which means most of the board can be finished with the single simplest technique. You rarely reach a dead end, and you almost never need advanced methods. That makes this the ideal place to learn how the puzzle flows and to build the habits that carry into harder levels.

The rules, briefly

Fill every empty cell with a number from 1 to 9 so that each row, each column and each 3×3 box contains all nine numbers with none repeated. That is the entire game. Every board here has exactly one solution and can be completed by logic alone, so you never have to guess. It is the friendliest possible introduction to the puzzle, and nothing you learn will go to waste as you move up.

The logic for beginners

Start with what is called scanning. Pick a number, say 5, and look across the board for boxes that do not yet contain it. Within each such box, the rows and columns that already hold a 5 elsewhere are ruled out, and often only one cell is left where the 5 can go. Place it and move on. This single idea, repeated for each number, will carry you through most of an easy puzzle.

The other core move is the naked single: a cell where every number except one already appears in its row, column or box. That one survivor must go there. As you fill the board, more and more cells become naked singles, so the puzzle tends to accelerate toward the end. Turning on pencil notes makes both techniques easier, because you can see each cell's remaining options at a glance.

A worked first move

Suppose the top-left box is missing a 1. Look along the box's rows and columns: if a 1 already sits somewhere in the box's top row on the far side of the board, and another 1 sits in its left column, both of those lines are now closed to a 1 inside your box. If that leaves only a single empty cell in the box, the 1 must go there. That is scanning in action, and it is the move you will make most often on an easy board. Try it with a different number and a different box; each success removes a candidate somewhere and sets up the next placement.

Learn as you play

This game is built to teach, not just to test. Pencil notes, a hint button and a Training mode that explains the next logical step are all a tap away. Undo and redo let you experiment without fear, and the Stats screen tracks your times so you can watch yourself improve. Every board is generated fresh, so you always get a new puzzle at a comfortable level, and it saves automatically if you need to step away.

Ready for more?

Once easy puzzles feel quick, step up to Medium Sudoku, where pencil notes start to earn their keep, and then test yourself with Expert Sudoku. If you would rather change the flavour than the difficulty, Color Sudoku and Flower Sudoku teach the same logic with a fresh look, and the full classic game lives at Sudoku AZ.