How to play GLYPH
The daily nonogram / picross logic puzzle
GLYPH is a daily nonogram — also called picross. You start with an empty grid edged with number clues, and you deduce which cells are filled purely from logic. Get it right and the filled squares light up into a hidden piece of pixel art. No guessing, no luck: every cell can be proven, and the same picture waits for everyone in the world each day.
Play GLYPH →The goal
The numbers along the top and left edge of the grid are your only information. Each number is the length of an unbroken run of filled cells in that line. When a row or column carries several numbers, they describe separate runs in the order shown, with at least one empty cell between each. A clue of 3 1, for instance, means a run of three filled cells, then a gap, then a single filled cell, somewhere along that line. Your task is to satisfy every row clue and every column clue at once — when you do, the picture is complete.
How to play
You work the grid with two cell states. Fill a cell once you have proven it belongs to the picture. Switch to Mark (✕) to flag a cell you have ruled out — marks are aids for your own bookkeeping and never affect whether the puzzle is solved. The controls are quick on any device:
- Tap a cell to toggle it on the current tool.
- Drag across a row or column to paint a whole line at once — the stroke is axis-locked, so it stays straight while you sweep.
- Keyboard (desktop): arrow keys move the cursor, Space fills, X marks, and F swaps between Fill and Mark.
GLYPH is forgiving by default — there is no mistake limit, so you can explore freely. If you get stuck, optional Reveal (turns on one correct cell) and Check (flags any wrong fills) hints are available; they cost Prisms on the daily or a rewarded ad in practice. Your finishing time is what gets ranked, so a clean deductive run beats trial and error.
A worked example
Picture a 5×5 grid where the centre column's clue is 5 and the middle row's clue is 5, while every other line reads 1. A clue of 5 in a 5-cell line is decisive: the run has nowhere to go, so the entire centre column and the entire middle row must be filled. Now look at the remaining lines: each carries a single 1, and the only filled cell consistent with the crossing column or row is the one already on the central cross. Every other cell can be confidently marked empty. The result is a tidy plus sign (➕) — a small but complete demonstration that a full-length clue and careful cross-referencing leave no room for doubt.
Strategy tips
- Hunt the big clues first. A clue equal to (or close to) the line length is forced — fill what must overlap before touching anything ambiguous.
- Use the overlap method. Slide a run to its far-left and far-right positions in a line; any cell covered in both extremes is always filled, even when you don't yet know the exact placement.
- Cross-reference relentlessly. A cell you fill from a row clue often completes or constrains a column clue — bounce between the two until the line locks.
- Mark ruled-out cells. The ✕ marks aren't decoration; flagging known empties shrinks where remaining runs can sit and prevents you re-checking dead cells.
- Close completed lines. The moment a line's clue is fully satisfied, mark every other cell in it empty so it stops feeding you false possibilities.
Daily puzzle, streaks & sharing
A fresh picture drops every day, generated deterministically from the date so the whole world solves the identical board. Difficulty scales across the week — Monday is the gentlest 5×5 and the grids grow toward a tougher 15×15 by Sunday. Solving keeps your daily streak alive, earns Prisms (the currency for themes and hints), and posts your time to a global leaderboard with Today, This Week and All-Time tabs. Shares are spoiler-free: they report how fast you cracked it without ever revealing the picture. Want more? Practice mode offers endless random puzzles at 5×5, 10×10 or 15×15.
Accessibility
GLYPH plays fully from the keyboard and supports a reduced-motion mode that calms the background and animations. The clue and cell states carry clear labels for screen readers, and because the puzzle is logic-driven rather than colour-dependent, you never have to distinguish hues to solve — the reveal's colours are a celebration, not a requirement. It's free, installable as an app, and works offline.
What does a clue with more than one number mean?
Each number is a separate run of filled cells, listed in order along the line, with at least one empty cell between consecutive runs. So "2 1" means two filled, a gap, then one filled.
Do the ✕ marks count toward solving?
No. Marks are purely an aid to track cells you've ruled out — only filled cells matter for completing the picture, and you can clear or change marks freely.
Is there a penalty for mistakes?
Not by default — GLYPH is forgiving, so there's no mistake limit. Your solve time is what's ranked, and optional Reveal and Check hints can help if you stall.
Is the daily puzzle the same for everyone?
Yes. It's seeded from the date, so every player gets the same picture each day — and the difficulty ramps from an easy Monday to a harder Sunday.