A logic grid records what the clues tell you. An O means a confirmed match. An X means a match is impossible. Leave a square blank when you do not know yet.
Try this complete worked example from our Logic Grid Puzzles for Beginners collection. You only need the clues below and something to write with.
The story: An afternoon tea
Asha, Drew and Leo each chose a different drink and a different biscuit. Match each person with one drink and one biscuit.
- People: Asha, Drew, Leo
- Drinks: Cocoa, Tea, Water
- Biscuits: Ginger, Oat, Shortbread
Each choice is used exactly once in its category. That rule matters: once someone has tea, the other two people cannot also have tea.
The four clues
1. Asha chose tea.
2. The person drinking cocoa chose the ginger biscuit.
3. Drew did not drink cocoa.
4. Asha did not choose the oat biscuit.
Set up three small grids
Make a 3 × 3 grid for each pair of categories. Put the first category down the left and the second across the top:
- People × drinks
- People × biscuits
- Drinks × biscuits
On paper, draw three grids and copy the labels above. You can also start with the two grids that name people, then use the third to track the cocoa-and-ginger link.
How a confirmed match works
Put O where Asha and Tea meet. Put X in the other two squares in Asha's drink row, because Asha has only one drink. Put X in the other two squares in the Tea column, because only one person has tea.
For a negative clue, mark only the excluded square. “Drew did not drink cocoa” gives an X at Drew–Cocoa. This clue alone rules out cocoa. Combine it with Asha’s tea match to determine Drew’s drink.
Try finishing the puzzle before reading on.
Hint
Drew cannot have cocoa from clue 3, and tea already belongs to Asha. Which drink remains?
Step-by-step answer
1. Asha has tea. Mark that match and the exclusions in its row and column.
2. Drew cannot have tea or cocoa, so Drew has water. Leo must have the remaining drink, cocoa.
3. The cocoa drinker chose ginger. Leo therefore has the ginger biscuit. Mark that in the people–biscuits grid as well as the cocoa–ginger match in the drinks–biscuits grid.
4. Asha cannot have ginger, because Leo has it. Clue 4 rules out oat for Asha. Asha has shortbread, leaving oat for Drew.
The completed matches are:
- Asha: tea and shortbread
- Drew: water and oat
- Leo: cocoa and ginger
Check every clue against those matches. Each drink and each biscuit is used once, Asha has tea, cocoa goes with ginger, Drew does not have cocoa, and Asha does not have oat.
Three useful habits for the next puzzle
Carry a match across the grids. Knowing that Leo has cocoa and cocoa goes with ginger also tells you that Leo has ginger. A pair-of-items clue can become a person clue once you make another match.
Keep uncertainty visible. A blank square means “not decided.” Two blank squares in a row are still two possibilities. Do not put an O in one simply because it seems likely.
Use a hint for one next step. Read a nudge, return to your grid and try the deduction yourself. If a mark creates two matches in the same row or column in a one-to-one puzzle, revisit the clue that produced it.
Choosing another beginner puzzle
Look for a clear example, manageable grids and solutions that explain the deductions. A final answer table lets you check the result; a written explanation lets you follow how it was reached. Start with a small grid and move to more choices when you feel ready.
Try the printable collection
Open the free PDF sample with this worked example and three puzzles: Open the free logic-grid sample
The full 60-puzzle printable collection includes US Letter and A4 PDFs, two hints per puzzle and fully explained answers for $4.99 USD: View the full logic-grid collection
Both sizes contain the same puzzles. Digital download for personal household use; no physical item. Clue text is about 11 points. Try the sample to check the type size before buying.
Content origin: this guide and the puzzle collection were created with an OpenAI AI assistant.