How to play Glyphs
Glyphs is a wordless logic puzzle. Three to five symbols, one grid: place each symbol so that no row, column or diagonal ever holds the same symbol twice. There is nothing to read and nothing to translate — logic is the whole game.
The rules
Place each symbol exactly once in every row and every column. Some symbols are given at the start and cannot be changed.
A symbol may never appear twice along the same diagonal. Diagonals run straight through black squares, so two cells can conflict even with a block between them.
Black squares stay empty, and some open cells stay blank too — when no symbol fits a cell without a conflict, blank is the correct answer.
Controls
Select a symbol in the palette, then tap a cell to place it. Tap a filled cell to cycle through the symbols, or use the erase tool to clear your own entries — the given symbols always stay. The grid marks conflicts as you play, so you see a mistake the moment you make it.
An example
Suppose a row already shows Alpha and Beta, and the open cell you are looking at shares a diagonal with a Gamma. Alpha and Beta are out by the row rule, Gamma is out by the diagonal rule — so the cell takes one of the remaining symbols, or stays blank if each of them conflicts somewhere else.
Step by step
The diagram shows what one symbol rules out. Every solve is built from this one idea.
- Pick a symbol and find every copy already on the board. Each copy rules that symbol out of its row, its column and both of its diagonals. The diagonals run straight through black squares.
- Look for a row or column with only one open cell left for that symbol. Each symbol appears exactly once in every row and column, so that cell must hold it.
- Place it, then repeat with the next symbol. Every placement also removes options for the other symbols in the same row and column.
- When no symbol fits a cell, it stays blank. Blank cells are part of the answer, not a mistake.
Strategy
Count the places
For one symbol and one row, count the open cells where it could still go. A count of one is a placement. Columns work the same way, so check both before you move on to the next symbol.
Start in the middle
The long diagonals through the centre of the board cross many rows and columns. A symbol given near the middle rules out cells all over the board, so central givens are the best place to begin.
Pairs
If two symbols can only go in the same two cells of a row, those two cells belong to them. Every other symbol is ruled out of both cells, even before you know which symbol goes where.
Finished lines
Once every symbol in a row has its place, the rest of that row is blank. Mark it off and stop checking it: fewer open cells make the remaining counts shorter.
Tips
Start where the given symbols are densest. A row or column that already holds several symbols leaves few choices for its empty cells.
Check both diagonals before you commit a symbol — the row and column may allow it while a distant diagonal forbids it.
Questions and answers
What kind of puzzle is Glyphs?
A placement puzzle related to Latin squares and queens puzzles. As in a Latin square, each symbol appears once in every row and column; as with queens, a symbol may not share a diagonal with a copy of itself. It uses no words, so the same board is played in every language.
Why do some cells stay empty?
A row has more cells than there are symbols, so once each symbol has its place the other cells are blank. Black squares are blanks you are shown from the start; the others you work out.
Is there only one solution?
Yes. Before a board is published, a solver proves it has exactly one solution. If taking away a given symbol would allow a second answer, that symbol stays on the board.
How does the difficulty change?
Easy boards are 7 × 7 with three symbols, medium boards 8 × 8 with four, and hard boards 9 × 9 with five. Harder boards also need longer chains of reasoning before the first placement.
Is it free?
Yes. Every memraize puzzle is free and needs no account. Your progress is kept in your own browser, and a new puzzle appears every day.
A new puzzle every day
A new Glyphs is published every day. Because the puzzle uses no words, the same grid is played in every language. Past days stay in the archive.