Easy Sudoku Online
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All-TimeThe easy sudoku above is fresh, free, and ready to play — just tap a cell and place your first number. Every grid is newly generated, so you'll never solve the same puzzle twice. Easy is the friendliest way in: perfect for your first sudoku, a relaxed coffee-break solve, or a quick daily warm-up before the harder tiers. If you're brand new, scroll down for a short step-by-step walkthrough that teaches the only two moves an easy grid ever needs. And when the board gets busy, candidate mode and pencil marks keep track of which numbers each cell can still take.
What is easy sudoku — and why is it the best start for beginners?
Easy sudoku is a normal 9×9 puzzle with a generous head start. Each grid here begins with about 36 to 45 of the 81 cells already filled in — far more clues than the harder tiers give you — so there's always a next move you can actually see. Better still, we build every easy puzzle so that scanning and singles are all it takes: no advanced technique, no pencil-mark bookkeeping, no guessing, and always exactly one solution waiting at the end. That combination is what makes easy the right first tier. Beginners get to practise real sudoku logic without ever hitting a wall, kids and casual players get a relaxed solve that ends in a win, and experienced players get a gentle warm-up before the tougher grids. If you can spot where one number belongs, you can finish an easy sudoku.
How to solve easy sudoku: a step-by-step walkthrough
Every easy sudoku falls to just two moves, and the three steps below teach you both with real examples. The first move is scanning — tracking a number across rows, columns, and 3×3 boxes to see where it must go. The second is placing singles, like the naked single: a cell with only one number left that fits. That's the whole toolkit. (Never played before? The rules of sudoku take about a minute to learn.)
Step 1: scanning — sweep rows, columns, and boxes
Pick a number that already appears several times on the board — say a 5 — and sweep the grid. Every row, column, and 3×3 box needs exactly one of it, and each 5 already placed blocks its entire row and column. Follow those lines into a box that's still missing its 5: often they cross out every free cell but one. That one cell is your answer. Place it, pick another number, and sweep again.
Step 2: the naked single — one cell, one possible number
A naked single is a cell with only one number left that can fit. The row below shows the idea at its cleanest: eight of the nine cells are already filled with 5, 3, 7, 9, 1, 2, 8, and 4. Run through the digits 1 to 9 and cross off everything you can see — the only one missing is 6. The highlighted cell can't be anything else, so you write 6 with total certainty. On a real board you check the cell's row, column, and 3×3 box together, but the logic never changes: when eight numbers are spoken for, the ninth places itself.
Step 3: the hidden single — only one place it can go
A hidden single flips the question: instead of asking what fits in a cell, you ask where a number can go inside a box. In the example, the box holds 1, 4, 8, and 5 — no 7 yet. But look at the lines crossing it: a 7 in the row through the top, a 7 in the row through the middle, and a 7 in the column down the left side. Those three block every empty cell except the highlighted one, so the box's 7 must land there. Now alternate: scan, place singles, scan again — and an easy grid falls square by square until it's done.
From easy to medium: when to step up
Here's a simple test: time your next few easy solves. When they start finishing in under about five minutes — when you're placing numbers almost as fast as you can spot them — easy has taught you what it can, and you're ready for the next rung. Medium sudoku deals fewer starting clues (about 27 to 35 instead of easy's generous hand), which means scanning alone stops being enough and you start using pencil marks and simple pairs — the first real techniques. Don't rush the jump, and don't feel you have to make it permanent either: plenty of solvers step up for the challenge and still come back to easy for a relaxed warm-up. The ladder works in both directions.
Easy sudoku questions
Is easy sudoku good for beginners?
Yes — start here. Easy deals the most generous boards of any tier — 36 to 45 of the 81 cells come pre-filled — and never needs more than scanning and singles, so you learn real solving logic without getting stuck. It's the right entry point for first-time players, kids, and anyone who wants a relaxed puzzle that reliably ends in a win.
Do I need pencil marks for easy sudoku?
No — and that's by design. An easy sudoku always has enough clues that scanning and singles carry you from the first number to the last, so there's nothing to track that your eyes can't hold. Pencil marks earn their keep from medium difficulty upward, where fewer starting clues mean you need to note candidates. If you'd like to practise the habit early, though, using them on easy does no harm.
What are the rules of easy sudoku?
Easy sudoku follows the exact same rules as every sudoku: fill the 9×9 grid so that each row, each column, and each of the nine 3×3 boxes contains the numbers 1 to 9 exactly once — no repeats anywhere. The only thing that makes it easy is that more cells are filled in for you to start with, so you can solve it by simple scanning. The rules never change between difficulty levels; only the number of starting clues does.
How long does an easy sudoku take?
Most new solvers finish an easy 9×9 in about 5 to 12 minutes. As you get faster at scanning and spotting singles, that drops to 3 to 5 minutes — which is the moment many players step up to medium for a little more challenge. Either way, an easy puzzle is meant to be a relaxed, satisfying solve rather than a long grind.
Are these easy sudoku puzzles free — do I need an account?
They're free, and there's no sign-up wall in front of them. Open the page and a fresh easy grid is already waiting — start as a guest in seconds, with nothing to download and no email to hand over. Every puzzle gives you three hints if you get stuck. Sign in free and hints become unlimited on Easy, so a beginner never hits a dead end.
What's the difference between easy sudoku and mini sudoku (4×4/6×6)?
Easy sudoku is the full 9×9 game with plenty of starting clues — the standard puzzle, made welcoming. Mini sudoku shrinks the grid itself: 4×4 boards use only four numbers and 6×6 boards use six, so there's far less to track. Minis are gentler still — ideal for kids, very short breaks, or an absolute first game — while easy 9×9 is the classic experience most people mean when they say sudoku.
Where next after easy sudoku?
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