Start with every 0 clue
A row or column with a clue of 0 contains no cloud cells, so the entire line is clear sky.
Example: If a column is labelled 0, mark every editable cell in that column as clear sky.
☁️ Clouds: How to Play
How to play
Shade cells to form clouds.
A number beside a row or column tells you exactly how many cells in that line are part of a cloud.
Every cloud is a solid rectangle at least two cells wide and two cells tall. The number and sizes of the clouds are hidden.
Clouds cannot touch one another, even diagonally at a corner.
Mark a cell as clear sky when you know it cannot contain a cloud.
A row or column number turns green when its target is met and red when it contains too many cloud cells.
The puzzle is solved when every clue is satisfied and all clouds are valid rectangles. Cells that break a rule turn red.
Solving tips
Close a satisfied line
Once a row or column contains its full number of cloud cells, every other unknown cell in that line is clear sky.
Example: A row has clue 4 and already contains four cloud cells. Mark every other cell in the row as clear sky.
Fill an exact fit
Count how many cloud cells a line still needs, then count its unknown cells. If the numbers match, every unknown cell is part of a cloud.
Example: A row needs 3 more cloud cells and has exactly 3 cells that are not marked clear sky. Shade all three.
Complete a rectangle corner
A cloud cannot bend or contain a hole. If three cells of a 2×2 area belong to the same cloud, the fourth cell must also be cloud.
Example: Three cloud cells form an L shape inside a 2×2 block. Shade the missing corner to complete the rectangle.
Respect the minimum size
Every cloud must be at least two cells wide and two cells tall. A cloud cell can never remain alone or in a one-cell-wide line.
Example: A cloud cell in the top-left corner forces the other three cells of that corner’s 2×2 block to be cloud.
Seal a finished cloud
Once a cloud’s rectangle is complete, every cell touching its outer edge or corners must be clear sky.
Example: After finishing a 2×3 cloud, mark the one-cell border around the rectangle as clear sky wherever it is on the board.
Use rectangle boundaries
Clear-sky cells and completed line clues limit how far a cloud can extend. Use those boundaries to determine its width and height.
Example: Two side-by-side cloud cells cannot extend upward because the cells above are clear sky, so they must extend downward to become at least 2 cells tall.
Cross-check rows and columns
Every cloud cell contributes to both a row clue and a column clue. A deduction in one direction often completes the other.
Example: Finishing a column may add clear sky to a row, leaving that row with an exact fit for its remaining cloud cells.