How to solve Sudoku faster

If you can finish puzzles and want fewer pauses, practise the parts where you lose your place. Use the routine below on a difficulty you can usually complete, with accuracy as the first goal.

1. Decide what to practise

Choose one focus for the session: following a scan order, keeping notes current or recognising a familiar move. Use the daily puzzle and select your difficulty before starting.

2. Make one organised pass

Check rows, columns and boxes in an order you can remember. After placing a digit, inspect its affected groups before resuming the pass. This gives you a clear place to return to instead of repeatedly checking the same cells.

3. Separate solving from repairing

If you notice a duplicate or an empty candidate set, pause the speed exercise and find the error. The mistake checklist helps identify what needs checking. Continuing from a contradiction makes the final time less useful as a measure of your solving.

4. Record the delay, not just the time

After finishing, write down the difficulty, whether you used help and one moment that interrupted your progress. “Rechecked the same box” or “forgot to update notes” gives you a specific focus for the next session.

5. Compare similar attempts

Compare several puzzles from the same source and level, keeping your use of notes, hints and pauses consistent. A single slow solve does not establish a trend. Replaying a familiar grid can be useful practice, but record it separately from a first attempt.

What is a good Sudoku time?

There is no single target for every puzzle or player. Difficulty labels differ between publishers, and puzzles within a level can challenge different skills. Choose a personal goal that leaves room to explain your moves. Timing is optional.

Practise on paper

Use the site's generated packs with solutions and keep the answer page aside while solving. If you cannot find a move, switch to the stuck guide. Find other practice options in Sudoku tips.

For a longer learning routine, try the four-week practice plan. Read how to compare solving times before setting a target.