KenKen

About KenKen

KenKen is a number puzzle that mixes Sudoku with mental arithmetic. Every row and column uses each number exactly once, and the grid is divided into outlined cages — each cage shows a target and an operation, and the numbers inside it must make that target. Twelve puzzles, from a gentle 3×3 up to a 6×6 that will take real thinking. Every one has exactly one solution, checked by a solver before it shipped.

KenKen is one of our numbers & maths games for kids. This one plays in the iPhone and iPad app rather than in the browser, but 33 of our games are free to play right here — browse the full library to find them. It is also in our logic games for kids collection.

How to Play

• Tap a square, then tap a number to place it.
• Each row and each column must use every number once.
• A cage's corner shows a target and a sign — the numbers in that cage must make it.
• A cage turns green once it's filled in correctly.

Tips & Tricks

• Start with single-square cages — those numbers are given to you.
• A cage of ‘12×’ in a 3×3 grid can only be certain pairs. List them in your head.
• Repeated numbers in a row or column turn red straight away.

What Kids Learn

KenKen is built to teach. Playing it, children work on:

• Mental arithmetic under constraints
• Deductive reasoning
• Factor and multiple awareness

Curriculum links

For teachers and homeschooling parents, here is where KenKen lines up with what children are taught at school:

• Common Core 2.OA.B.2: Fluently add and subtract within 20 using mental strategies
• Common Core 3.OA.C.7: Fluently multiply and divide within 100

KenKen — Frequently Asked Questions