Easy Consecutive Sudoku

Marked cell pairs must contain consecutive digits. Unmarked pairs must not. Every dot or bar carries strategic weight.

Easy Medium Hard Expert

New to Consecutive Sudoku? White bars show neighbors that differ by 1 — and the absence of a bar means they are NOT consecutive. Start here.

6
9
2
1
4
1
8
6
4
7
4
2
8
7
9
2
6
7
9
8
2
7
9
1
2
1
7
4
4
2
5
3
1
7
4
8
6
5
Mistakes
0/3
Score
-
Time
00:00
Try Medium Consecutive Sudoku →
Progress0%

What is Consecutive Sudoku?

Difficulty
★★★☆☆
3/5
Constraint Type
Cell Relationships
Typical Givens
18–24
Avg. Solve (Easy)
7 min

Solving Techniques for Easy Level

Technique Description Level
Negative Constraint Power Where no bar appears, the two cells are guaranteed non-consecutive. Every unmarked adjacent edge tells you something — treat absent bars as constraints. Beginner
Bar Pair Enumeration A bar means the digits differ by exactly 1. List all valid pairs: (1,2), (2,3), …, (8,9). Use row/column context to narrow which pair fits. Beginner

Ready to go deeper? Try Medium Consecutive Sudoku to unlock Intermediate techniques.

Techniques to Master at Easy

  • Last Possible Number technique — Every unmarked edge bans the consecutive partners of a neighbouring digit — a cell beside an unbarred 5 loses both 4 and 6, and cells beside two givens collapse fast.
  • Notes in Sudoku — Update neighbours after every placement: a bar means exactly ±1, no bar means never ±1 — both rules must hit your pencil marks immediately or the grid lies to you.

Average Solve Time by Difficulty

Easy
7 min
Medium
16 min
Hard
32 min
Expert
58 min
Want a full walkthrough of rules, strategies, and solving steps? How to Play Consecutive Sudoku →

Related Variants

Non-Consecutive Sudoku

The exact inverse rule — adjacent cells must never differ by 1 — so your bar logic flips into a global elimination engine.

Kropki Sudoku

Adds a second marker type (the doubling black dot) to the consecutive logic you already read fluently.

Anti-Consecutive Sudoku

Takes the no-bar half of this puzzle and applies it everywhere: no neighbouring cells may be consecutive, no markers given.

Frequently Asked Questions — Easy Consecutive Sudoku

What is Consecutive Sudoku?
Consecutive Sudoku is a variant where white bars appear between adjacent cells whose values differ by exactly 1. The key rule is negative: where there is no bar between two neighbors, their values are NOT consecutive. Standard row, column, and box rules still apply.
What does the white bar between cells mean?
A white bar placed on the border between two horizontally or vertically adjacent cells means those two cells must contain consecutive digits — that is, one digit is exactly 1 more than the other. For example, 3 and 4 are consecutive; 3 and 5 are not.
Does the absence of a bar tell me anything in Consecutive Sudoku?
Yes — and this is crucial. If two neighbors have no bar between them, their values must NOT be consecutive. This negative information is just as useful as the bars themselves, often eliminating a large number of candidates.
How do I start solving an easy Consecutive Sudoku?
Look for cells with bars on multiple sides. A cell with bars on all four sides is heavily restricted — it must be consecutive with all its neighbors. Also look for 1 and 9: these can only be consecutive with 2 and 8 respectively, so they have the fewest valid neighbors.
Can consecutive bars create a chain of forced digits?
Yes. If cell A has a bar to B and B has a bar to C, then A, B, and C form a consecutive chain. Combined with row and column constraints, such chains often produce forced digit sequences very quickly on easy puzzles.

More questions? See the full Consecutive Sudoku guide.