Medium Sudoku
Balanced Sudoku puzzles - 30 to 34 clues that reward pencil marks, naked pairs, and locked candidates.
How to play Medium Sudoku
- 1 Fill each row with the digits 1–9, with no repeats.
- 2 Fill each column with the digits 1–9, with no repeats.
- 3 Fill each 3×3 box with the digits 1–9, with no repeats.
- 4 Use scanning, pencil marks, and elimination - every medium puzzle has a single unique solution.
Why play Medium Sudoku?
Medium Sudoku is the level where real Sudoku thinking starts. You will learn to spot naked and hidden pairs, to eliminate candidates using locked candidates, and to move fluidly between scanning and pencil-marking. It is a strong daily workout for your working memory and an excellent bridge between easy casual play and the deeper logic of hard Sudoku.
Tips to solve Medium Sudoku
- Pencil in candidates for any cell where scanning does not give a direct answer.
- Look for naked pairs: two cells in a unit that share the same two candidates eliminate those digits from other cells in that unit.
- Hunt hidden singles after every few placements - each new digit reshapes the candidate grid.
- When a row, column, or box constrains a digit to one 3×3 block, remove that digit from the rest of the block (locked candidates).
- Step away for a few seconds when stuck - fresh eyes often reveal forced placements you missed.
Medium Sudoku - frequently asked questions
What is medium Sudoku?
Medium Sudoku refers to 9×9 Sudoku puzzles with roughly 30 to 34 starting clues. Most medium boards can be solved with scanning, hidden singles, naked pairs, and locked candidates - no guessing required.
How long does a medium Sudoku take?
Most players finish a medium Sudoku in ten to twenty-five minutes. Experienced solvers can finish in under ten minutes.
Do I need pencil marks on medium?
Usually yes. Medium Sudoku starts rewarding candidate tracking - press N or tap the notes button to toggle pencil-mark mode.
Is medium Sudoku free?
Yes. Every medium Sudoku puzzle is free, with no sign-up and no downloads. Play unlimited boards on any device.
Can I pause medium Sudoku?
Yes. The Pause button freezes the timer and hides the board so you can take a break without losing your spot.
What is the next step after medium?
Try hard Sudoku for puzzles that reward advanced techniques like X-Wings and XY-Wings, or play the daily challenge to compete on the same puzzle as everyone else.
Try other difficulty levels
Warm up with easy Sudoku, or step up to hard for advanced techniques.