Easy Sudoku Printables for Beginners

A free nine-page PDF for new solvers: six Easy Sudoku puzzles in extra-large type, a plain-language how-to, and full solutions in the back.

Download the free PDF

What is in this pack

Sudoku looks mysterious until you try an Easy puzzle. This pack is made for that first try. You get six original puzzles, all at the Easy level, with one big grid on each page. There are no Medium or Hard puzzles mixed in, so you can build a little confidence before you move on. A short how-to explains the rules in plain language, and the last page has every solution.

Print the file on US Letter paper at 100 percent, or Actual size. That keeps the numbers large. If you choose Fit to page, the grid will shrink. Use a pencil, and keep an eraser handy. You may print copies for yourself, your family, a classroom, or an activity program. Please do not sell the file.

The rules, without the jargon

The grid has nine rows, nine columns, and nine boxes of 3 by 3 squares. Fill every empty square with a digit from 1 to 9. Each row, each column, and each box must contain every digit from 1 to 9 exactly once. The dark numbers are given at the start and cannot be changed. You do not add, subtract, or do any other math. You only decide where each digit belongs.

Every puzzle in this pack has exactly one solution. A computer program creates the grid, and a second program confirms that there is only one answer and that you can reach it by logic, without guessing. If you ever feel you have to guess, something nearby has been missed. Take a short break and look again, or check the solutions after you have had a fair try.

How to start an Easy puzzle

Begin with a row, column, or box that already has many given numbers. Ask two questions. First: is there a square that can hold only one digit? Second: is there a digit that can go in only one square of that row, column, or box? Write that digit in. Then look at the next crowded row, column, or box. Another helpful habit is to pick one number, such as 1, and walk from box to box asking where that number must go.

Write lightly. If two digits both seem possible, leave the square blank for a moment and work somewhere else. Many beginners fill a square too quickly and then have to unwind a chain of mistakes. There is no timer in this PDF, and there is no score. The aim is a quiet, finished grid.

When these six feel comfortable, you can try our mixed large-print Sudoku pack, which adds two Medium puzzles, or play today's Easy Sudoku online with pencil notes, undo, and a mistake highlighter. The how-to page explains each button. If you would rather keep going on paper, sign up below for a new large-print pack each week, or look for the bound books from Clear Grid Press later on this page.