Sudoku Terminology: Terms and Explanations

Cells

A cell is 1 of 81 areas in any Sudoku board that could hold exactly 1 value between 1 and 9. Cells are the building blocks of rows, columns, and boxes. You can see the cell in the explanation outlined in yellow at location “B2” on the sudoku grid.

Houses

Houses are rows, columns, or boxes within a sudoku puzzle. Each house should contain 9 unique values with each cell holding exactly 1 value between 1 and 9. There are 27 houses in each Sudoku puzzle. These 27 houses are comprised of 9 rows, 9 columns, and 9 boxes (or squares).

Rows

A row is a horizontal “house” that stretches across a Sudoku board from left to right. Each row in a properly solved Sudoku row will have exactly 9 different digits with each cell in the row holding 1 unique value. You can see the row in the illustration outlined in blue (row “E”). Each number between 1 and 9 appears exactly once in each row. There will be 9 rows in every classic sudoku puzzle.

Columns

A column is a vertical “house” made up of 9 cells that stretches from the top to the bottom of the Sudoku board. Each properly solved Sudoku column will have exactly 9 different digits with each cell in the column holding 1 unique value. You can see the column in the illustration outlined in green (row “2”). Each number between 1 and 9 should appear exactly once in each column. There will be 9 rows in every classic sudoku puzzle.

Boxes/Squares

A box is a “house” made up of 9 cells in a 3x3 cell pattern. Each box in a properly solved Sudoku row will have exactly 9 different digits with each cell in the box holding 1 unique value. You can see the box in the illustration outlined in black. Just like with rows and columns, each number between 1 and 9 should appear exactly once in each box. There will be 9 boxes in every classic sudoku puzzle.

Chutes

A chute is generally used in higher level solving and is made up of 3 vertically stacked or 3 horizontally positioned boxes. Often times horizontal chutes are called “bands” while vertical chutes are called “stacks”. You can see the chute in the illustration outlined in red (columns “1”, “2”, and “3”).

Candidates

Candidates are the 9 possible values for any given cell in a sudoku puzzle. Candidates are not shown on printed puzzles and are not a default note given in most online sudoku applications. Sometimes candidates are referred to as “notes” or “scratches”. Novices to experts will need to “eliminate” candidates (logically reduce the number of possible values for any given cell) to completely solve a puzzle. You can see a candidate in cell "B2" outlined in grey.