How to play Tangram
Use all seven pieces to fill the silhouette exactly — no gaps, no overlaps.
The rules
- There are seven pieces: two large triangles, one medium triangle, two small triangles, a square and a parallelogram.
- All seven pieces must be used for every shape.
- Pieces may be moved, rotated and flipped, but may not overlap.
- The finished arrangement must match the silhouette exactly.
Playing Tangram on Puzzle Solvers
- Choose a silhouette from the list (filter by Easy, Medium or Hard and by category).
- Drag pieces into the outline. Rotate with the buttons or keys (arrows, Q/E, R) and flip with F.
- Hint and Solution help when you are stuck; Reset starts the shape again.
A worked example
For a square silhouette, the two large triangles make one half along a diagonal. The medium triangle, square, parallelogram and the two small triangles fill the other half.
Strategies
- Large triangles first. The two large triangles cover half the area. Find where they fit and the rest follows.
- Know the areas. Taking a small triangle as 1 unit: the square, the parallelogram and the medium triangle are 2 each, and each large triangle is 4 — 16 in all.
- Flip the parallelogram. It is the only piece that changes when flipped. If nothing fits, flip it.
- Use snap. Snap to grid keeps edges lined up; switch it off for fine adjustments.
Common mistakes
- Leaving a piece out — every tangram uses all seven.
- Forgetting to flip the parallelogram.
Where it comes from
Tangram came from China and reached Europe and America around 1815, when it became a craze. The earliest known Tangram book dates from 1813. This collection of 202 silhouettes draws on that historic catalogue.
Frequently asked questions
What are the keyboard controls?
Click to select a piece, drag to move. Arrow keys rotate 15° (left/right) or 45° (up/down), Q/E rotate 45°, R rotates 90°, F flips and the snap button toggles the grid.
How many shapes are there?
202 silhouettes — animals, people, letters and objects — sorted Easy, Medium and Hard.
How old is Tangram?
The earliest known Tangram book is from 1813; the puzzle probably dates from the late 1700s in China.
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