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Printable Slitherlink Puzzles
Free Slitherlink puzzles you can download and print. Each puzzle is a single page PDF with plenty of room to work. Solutions are provided separately so you won't accidentally see the answer.
Click any puzzle link to open the PDF in a new tab, then print or save. All puzzles are free for personal and organizational use.
Slitherlink (also called "Fences" or "Loop the Loop") is one of the most popular logic puzzles after Sudoku. You draw a single continuous loop on a grid of dots, using the numbers as clues. No math required, just pure deduction.
Jump to: Easy (50) • Medium (50) • Hard (50) • Slitherlink Rules • Terms of Use
50 Easy Slitherlink (7×7)
Smaller grids with more given numbers. A good starting point if you're new to Slitherlink. Most can be solved using basic patterns.
50 Medium Slitherlink (11×11)
Standard-sized grids that require more careful deduction. You'll need to recognize common patterns and track possibilities across the grid.
50 Hard Slitherlink (15×15)
Larger grids with fewer given numbers. These require patience and familiarity with advanced solving techniques.
How to Solve Slitherlink
Slitherlink is played on a grid of dots. Some squares contain numbers from 0 to 3. Your goal is to connect the dots with horizontal and vertical lines to form a single continuous loop.
The rules:
1. Draw lines between adjacent dots to create one closed loop.
2. The loop cannot branch or cross itself.
3. Each number indicates exactly how many of its four surrounding edges are part of the loop.
4. Squares without numbers may have any number of edges (0 to 4) as part of the loop.
Basic strategies:
Start with 0s and 3s. A "0" means none of its edges are part of the loop, so you can mentally mark all four edges as excluded. A "3" in a corner must have exactly those three available edges as part of the loop. These are the easiest starting points.
Adjacent 3s are powerful. Two 3s that share an edge must both use that shared edge. The loop passes straight through between them. This pattern lets you immediately draw several segments.
Watch the corners. If a line enters a corner dot, it must exit. Since lines can't dead-end, corners often force specific paths. A "3" in a corner of the grid, for instance, has a very limited solution.
Use X marks for excluded edges. Just as important as drawing lines is marking edges that definitely aren't part of the loop. If a dot already has two lines meeting it (forming part of the loop), its other edges can be marked as excluded.
Prevent early closure. The loop can't close until it includes all required segments. If drawing a line would create a small closed loop that leaves other numbers unsatisfied, that line is wrong.
Why Slitherlink?
Slitherlink exercises spatial reasoning and pattern recognition in ways that number-placement puzzles don't. You're constantly thinking about connectivity: how segments relate to each other across the grid, where the loop can and can't go.
The puzzle also rewards learning visual patterns. Experienced solvers recognize common configurations instantly, the same way chess players recognize board positions. This pattern library builds over time and transfers to other spatial reasoning tasks.
Many solvers find Slitherlink more relaxing than Sudoku. There's something satisfying about watching the loop gradually take shape, filling in segment by segment until it closes.
For more about the cognitive aspects of puzzles, see my Brain Games overview.
More Printable Puzzles
This page is part of my Printable Puzzles collection. I'm adding new puzzle types regularly.
You might also enjoy my Printable Sudoku, Printable Kakuro, or Printable Futoshiki.
Terms of Use
These puzzles are free for personal and organizational use, including classrooms, senior centers, memory care facilities, homeschool groups, clubs, churches, and workplaces. You may print as many copies as you need. Please don't sell them or remove the copyright notice.
Publishers: You may include one or two puzzles in each newsletter or bulletin with attribution to Memory-Improvement-Tips.com.
Published: 01/29/2026
Last Updated: 02/15/2026
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