Pentominoes
Print the 12 pentominoes and 13 boards to fill with them. A pentomino is a shape made of 5 equal squares joined edge to edge; there are exactly 12 of them, named after the letters they look like: F, I, L, N, P, T, U, V, W, X, Y and Z. Choose the square size (1/2 in to 20 mm), coloured or outline pieces, and one board or all of them: the classic 6 × 10, 5 × 12, 4 × 15 and 3 × 20 rectangles, the 8 × 8 square with a 2 × 2 hole in the centre, other 8 × 8 boards and our own shapes. Each board prints at the same square size as your pieces whenever it fits the page, so the pieces fit on it. The answer pages show one solution for every board, found by our own solver and checked to cover each square once. Nothing is uploaded.
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Print at 100% (Actual size). First the 12 pieces to cut out, then one board per page at the same square size (when it fits), then the answers.
Pieces
Boards
Runs in your browser with our own code: nothing is uploaded or saved. The boards and answers are our own; the answers come from our own solver. You may use what you make here, including commercially, with no credit needed.
How to print and play pentomino puzzles
- Choose the square size and coloured or outline pieces.
- Choose one board or all of them.
- Download the PDF and print at 100% (Actual size), on card stock for the pieces if you can.
- Cut out the 12 pieces along the black lines.
- Fill each board with all 12 pieces, then check the answer pages.
What you can use it for
- Maths lessons on area, perimeter and symmetry
- Logic and spatial reasoning practice
- Early finishers and puzzle clubs
- Family puzzle nights
- Printing a set instead of buying one
- Making your own board challenges
The 12 pentominoes
| Letter | Shape | Different ways it can lie | Changes when flipped |
|---|---|---|---|
| F | like a lower-case f | 8 | yes (flipped it is a different shape on the grid) |
| I | a straight line | 2 | no |
| L | like an L | 8 | yes (flipped it is a different shape on the grid) |
| N | like an N (a step in a line) | 8 | yes (flipped it is a different shape on the grid) |
| P | like a P | 8 | yes (flipped it is a different shape on the grid) |
| T | like a T | 4 | no |
| U | like a U | 4 | no |
| V | like a V (a corner of 3 and 3) | 4 | no |
| W | like a W (a staircase) | 4 | no |
| X | a plus sign | 1 | no |
| Y | like a Y (a line with a bump) | 8 | yes (flipped it is a different shape on the grid) |
| Z | like a Z | 4 | yes (flipped it is a different shape on the grid) |
Ways it can lie counts turns and flips that give a different position on the grid (1 for X, 2 for I, 8 for the pieces with no symmetry: 63 in all). Our tests check there are exactly 12 pieces, 5 squares each, and that no two are the same after turning or flipping.
The 13 boards
| # | Board | Width × height | Squares |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 × 10 rectangle | 10 × 6 | 60 |
| 2 | 5 × 12 rectangle | 12 × 5 | 60 |
| 3 | 4 × 15 rectangle | 15 × 4 | 60 |
| 4 | 3 × 20 rectangle | 20 × 3 | 60 |
| 5 | 8 × 8, centre 2 × 2 open | 8 × 8 | 60 |
| 6 | 8 × 8, four corners open | 8 × 8 | 60 |
| 7 | 8 × 8, corner 2 × 2 open | 8 × 8 | 60 |
| 8 | 8 × 8, four scattered holes | 8 × 8 | 60 |
| 9 | 8 × 8, two edge notches | 8 × 8 | 60 |
| 10 | 7 × 9 with three holes | 9 × 7 | 60 |
| 11 | Plus sign (own shape) | 10 × 9 | 60 |
| 12 | House (own shape) | 10 × 8 | 60 |
| 13 | Staircase (own shape) | 10 × 8 | 60 |
Every board has 60 squares to fill, the area of the 12 pieces.
Square sizes and pages
| Square size | Pages of pieces (Letter) | Boards at real size, Letter | Boards at real size, A4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12.7 mm | 1 | 12 of 13 | 12 of 13 |
| 15 mm | 2 | 12 of 13 | 12 of 13 |
| 19.05 mm | 2 | 10 of 13 | 8 of 13 |
| 20 mm | 2 | 7 of 13 | 8 of 13 |
For your own grids, the Graph Paper tool prints squares at any size.
Which tool to use
| You want | Use |
|---|---|
| Pentomino pieces and board puzzles | Pentominoes (this page) |
| Tangram pieces and silhouette puzzles | Tangram |
| Square grid paper to design your own boards | Graph Paper |
| A maze to print | Maze Generator |
Also handy: the Maze Generator and the Dot Grid Paper for sketching shapes.
More free tools
Puzzles, paper crafts and printables?
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Frequently asked questions
What are pentominoes?
Shapes made of 5 equal squares joined along whole edges. Counting turned and flipped copies as the same shape, there are exactly 12. Together they cover 60 squares, so they can fill boards of 60 squares such as 6 × 10.
Why are they named with letters?
Each piece looks a little like a letter: F, I, L, N, P, T, U, V, W, X, Y and Z. These names come from Solomon W. Golomb, who wrote the first book on polyominoes, and are the ones used in most puzzle books and classrooms.
What are the rules?
Use all 12 pieces once each to fill the board with no gaps and no overlaps. You may turn pieces and flip them over.
Which board is easiest?
The 6 × 10 rectangle has the most solutions (2,339, not counting turned or mirrored copies), so it is the best one to start with. The 3 × 20 rectangle is the hardest of the four rectangles: it has only 2 solutions.
Do the boards print at the size of the pieces?
Yes, whenever the board fits the page. Long boards are turned to fit; a board that still does not fit is scaled down and says so, with the square size that would fit it.
Are the answers checked?
Yes. Our own solver finds one answer for each of the 13 boards, and our tests check that every answer uses each of the 12 pieces once (in one of its turned or flipped forms) and covers every square of the board exactly once.
How is this different from tangram?
A tangram has 7 pieces of different shapes (triangles, a square and a parallelogram) and you make silhouettes. Pentominoes are 12 pieces, all made of 5 squares, and you fill boards on a square grid.
Is it free?
Yes. There is no sign-up, no watermark and no limit.
Is anything uploaded?
No. Everything is drawn by JavaScript in your browser and nothing is sent anywhere.