sudoku
Definition
- Noun:
- A logic-based number-placement puzzle. The objective is to fill a 9x9 grid with digits so that each column, each row, and each of the nine 3x3 subgrids that compose the grid contains all of the digits from 1 to 9 exactly once.
Usage
- Sudoku is an uncountable noun when referring to the puzzle type or activity in general.
- She enjoys doing sudoku in the newspaper every morning.
- It is a countable noun when referring to a specific puzzle grid.
- This sudoku is particularly challenging.
- I've completed three sudokus today.
Examples
Advanced Usage
- "To do/solve a sudoku": The standard collocation for the activity of working on the puzzle.
- I like to do a sudoku with my coffee.
- "A sudoku grid": Refers to the 9x9 playing board itself.
- The sudoku grid was partially filled with "given" numbers.
Variants and Related Words
- Killer Sudoku (n): A variant where the grid is also divided into cages, each with a target sum that the numbers within must add up to, without repeating digits within a cage.
- Samurai Sudoku (n): A variant consisting of five overlapping 9x9 grids.
- Sudoku Solver (n): A person or, more commonly, a computer program designed to solve sudoku puzzles.
Synonyms
- Number puzzle: A general term for puzzles based on digits and logic.
- Logic puzzle: A broader category of puzzles solved by deductive reasoning, which includes sudoku.
Related Idioms & Phrases
- Like a sudoku: Used informally to describe a complex situation that requires careful, logical steps to resolve.
- Figuring out the new tax code is like a sudoku; you have to fit all the pieces together correctly.
Noun
-
a number puzzle in which the numbers 1 through 9 must be placed into a grid of cells so that each row or column contains only one of each number
