Large print sudoku: easy

Solving tips

Start with the digit that already appears most often and look for the one cell in each box where it can go. When a cell is down to two or three possible digits, pencil them small in a corner. Find the one place a digit fits in a row, column or box.

What makes these easy

An easy puzzle can be finished with two kinds of step. The first is a cell with only one digit left: its row, column and box already hold the other eight. The second, which is what makes these Easy rather than Gentle, works the other way around: pick a box, row or column and a digit it still needs, and find the one empty cell where that digit can go. This is called a hidden single, because the cell may still have room for several digits until you notice it is the only home for one of them.

A good habit is to sweep one digit at a time. Take the 1s, look at each box that has no 1 yet, and cross off in your head the rows and columns that already have one. When only one cell is left in the box, write the 1 in. Then do the 2s, and so on. Each digit you place opens up more.

Where to start on puzzle 1

These are the first moves the easiest-first method finds in puzzle 1, the same steps the hint button in Sprout Sudoku would give you:

1. Naked single. Row 2, column 4 can only be a 4: its row, column and box already hold every other digit.
2. Naked single. Row 3, column 5 can only be an 8: its row, column and box already hold every other digit.
3. Naked single. Row 1, column 6 can only be a 9: its row, column and box already hold every other digit.

Stuck? The key step in each puzzle

Each puzzle below has one moment where the easy steps run out and the easy technique is needed. The digit count tells you roughly where it comes: if your grid has about that many digits filled and nothing else fits, this is the step to look for. It is written out in full, so read it only when you want the help.

Show the key steps

• Puzzle 1, with 47 of 81 digits filled (Hidden single): The middle-left box needs a 3, and row 6, column 1 is the only place in that box where a 3 fits.
• Puzzle 2, with 43 of 81 digits filled (Hidden single): The top-left box needs a 3, and row 3, column 1 is the only place in that box where a 3 fits.
• Puzzle 3, with 30 of 81 digits filled (Hidden single): The top-left box needs a 4, and row 3, column 2 is the only place in that box where a 4 fits.
• Puzzle 4, with 39 of 81 digits filled (Hidden single): The top-left box needs a 6, and row 1, column 1 is the only place in that box where a 6 fits.
• Puzzle 5, with 41 of 81 digits filled (Hidden single): The top-left box needs a 2, and row 1, column 3 is the only place in that box where a 2 fits.
• Puzzle 6, with 55 of 81 digits filled (Hidden single): The top-middle box needs a 3, and row 3, column 5 is the only place in that box where a 3 fits.

Prefer a screen? Sprout Sudoku is the same kind of puzzle to play free in your browser, with hints and saved progress.

More printable puzzles

• Large print sudoku: medium
• Large print sudoku: hard
• Large print sudoku: expert
• Large print winter word search
• All free printable puzzles