Free logic puzzles to play and print

Tangram Puzzles

Fill the dark shape with all seven tangram pieces. Drag a piece, turn it, flip the parallelogram, and the puzzle tells you when it is solved.

Tangram puzzles are free to play here: you get seven flat pieces and a dark shape, and you must fill the shape with every piece without overlapping. This online tangram runs in your browser with no sign-up and nothing to install. It opens on the classic square, and a button creates a new random shape whenever you want one.

A tangram has five triangles, one square and one parallelogram. Together they make a square of side 4 units, and every shape in this tool uses all seven. Each random shape is built from the seven pieces first, so a solution always exists. If you get stuck, ask for a hint or show the solution, and print the shape with a cut-out set of pieces for use away from the screen.

Tangram puzzles example

How to play tangram puzzles

  1. Look at the dark shape on the board. It is the shape you must fill, and the seven loose pieces start in the area beside it, or below it on a phone.
  2. Drag a piece with a mouse, finger or stylus. A piece that you let go near a corner of the shape or of another piece snaps into place.
  3. Tap a piece to select it, then use Turn left or Turn right to rotate it by 45 degrees, or double-tap a piece to turn it. With the keyboard, move the selected piece with the arrow keys (hold Shift for bigger steps) and turn it with R.
  4. Use Flip over on the parallelogram when it will not fit. It is the only piece whose mirror image is different.
  5. Keep going until the shape has no gaps and no pieces overlap. The board turns green and the message says Solved.
  6. Press Hint to see a dashed outline for one piece that is not yet in place. Press Show solution to see the outlines of all seven pieces, and Put pieces back to start again.

Use Classic square for the traditional puzzle, or New random shape for another. The link you copy keeps the shape, so a friend sees the same puzzle. Print shape and piece template makes two pages: the shape to solve and the seven pieces to cut out, both at the same scale.

What are the seven tangram pieces?

The seven pieces come from cutting one square. There are two large right triangles, one medium right triangle, two small right triangles, one square and one parallelogram. Measured in units where the whole square is 4 by 4, the areas are 4 and 4 for the large triangles, 2 for the medium triangle, 1 and 1 for the small triangles, and 2 each for the square and the parallelogram. They add up to 16, the area of the 4 by 4 square.

How do you solve a tangram puzzle?

Start with the biggest pieces, because they have the fewest places to go. Look for corners and edges of the shape that match a corner of a piece: the two large triangles and the 45-degree angles of every triangle fit the points of most shapes. Place the large triangles first, then the medium triangle, and keep the small pieces for the gaps at the end.

Many pieces share edge lengths. The short side of a large triangle equals the long side of the medium triangle, and two small triangles together make the square or the medium triangle. These matches show where pieces can swap. If one place does not work, try the other large triangle, or flip the parallelogram.

How are the random shapes made?

Each random puzzle starts with one piece and lays the others edge to edge against it, with edges of equal length lining up. The tool chooses placements that touch more of the figure so the shapes look compact, and it throws away any shape wider or taller than 8.5 units. The silhouette is the union of the seven pieces, so every random puzzle can be solved. The tool counts the puzzle as solved when at least 95 percent of the shape is covered, at most 4 percent of it is covered twice and at most 4 percent of a piece sticks out.

Are there tangram puzzles for adults?

All the puzzles are the same seven pieces, so the difficulty comes from the shape. Random shapes vary from easy to hard. If you want a challenge, avoid the hint and the solution and try to solve a few shapes in a row.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to use all seven pieces?

Yes. A tangram puzzle only counts as solved when all seven pieces are used, none overlap, and they cover the shape with no gaps.

Can I rotate and flip the pieces?

You can rotate every piece in steps of 45 degrees. Flipping is only needed for the parallelogram, because flipping any other piece gives the same shape back. The Flip over button is switched off for the other pieces.

Is there only one solution?

Not always. Some shapes can be filled in more than one way, and the tool accepts any arrangement that fills the shape. The solution outline shows just one of them. The two large triangles, and the two small triangles, can also trade places.

Can I print a tangram puzzle?

Yes. Press Print shape and piece template. The first page has the shape and the second page has the seven pieces at the same scale. Both are drawn at 15 mm per unit, so the full square is 60 mm wide. The printouts are free to use for any purpose, including classroom packs and KDP or Etsy printables.

Does it work on a phone?

Yes. On a phone the board becomes tall, with the shape above the loose pieces, so the pieces stay large enough to drag with a finger. Tap a piece, then use the turn buttons.

Can a friend get the same puzzle?

Yes. Press Copy link. The address contains the puzzle number, so anyone who opens it sees the same shape.