Rules
Lollipops is a pairing puzzle. Each circle takes one stick on an adjacent cell. A horizontal stick sits only to the left or the right of its circle. A vertical stick sits only above or below. Empty cells are allowed, and they stay see-through. Two lollipops never share an edge. Their corners may touch. In a row or a column, skip the empty cells. The circles and sticks that remain have to alternate, so two circles, two vertical sticks, or two horizontal sticks never sit next to each other in that line. A horizontal stick and a vertical stick are different. Some circles and sticks are already on the board. They stay. Empty cells are never given. An X is your own note that a cell is empty. A cell you have not marked is not an X. While you play, a circle or a stick that can still be paired stays quiet. A clash is already visible: two lollipops that share an edge, a stick that faces the wrong way, a symbol with two partners, a symbol with nowhere left to pair, or two identical symbols that see each other through cells you have marked empty. The puzzle is finished when the marks match the one solution and no clash remains. Play and print are 5×5, 6×6, 7×7, 8×8, 9×9, 10×10, and 6×8, each at easy, medium, and hard. The daily puzzle is a 7×7 easy grid. People also look this up as a lollipops puzzle or a lollipops logic puzzle.
- One stick. Each circle takes one stick on an adjacent cell. A horizontal stick sits left or right. A vertical stick sits above or below.
- No shared edge. Two lollipops never share an edge. Corners may touch. Empty cells are allowed, and they stay see-through.
- Alternate in sight. Skip the empty cells in a row or a column. The circles and sticks that remain have to alternate.
The frame is the solved frame. Connectors are teal. Given circles and sticks stay ink. The horizontal stick at row 1 column 4, and the circle at row 4 column 5, are teal. Every empty cell is a muted X. No yellow. A printed puzzle page shows the given circles and sticks, with no X and no connector. A printed answer draws every circle and every stick. On screen, that answer fills the marks and draws the connectors. The PDF leaves each circle as an open ring and draws no connector.
- Circle
- Stick
- Empty
- Clash
Choose Candy, Stick, Mark empty, or Erase under the board. Candy starts selected. Tap or drag to place circles. Drag from a circle onto a neighbour to place the matching stick. Drag from any other cell to place a stick on the cell you started from, facing the way you dragged. A plain tap in Stick does nothing. The prompt under Stick is "pair the circle". Mark empty paints an X. Erase clears a mark you placed. Given circles and sticks stay. Arrow keys move the cell cursor and stop at the edge. The first arrow, when nothing is selected, selects the top-left cell and does not mark it.C places a circle. X marks the cell empty. Shift and an arrow, or S and an arrow, places a stick. Backspace or Delete clears the cell. The keys 1, 2,3, and 4 select Candy, Stick, Mark empty, and Erase.
Press Hint for one step the circles and sticks already force, with a sentence saying why. Hint lights the cells it uses and places the marks. One press can mark several cells, and undo takes that press back in one step. Press Check when you want the board checked. A legal unfinished board gets "No mistakes so far. Keep going!" A broken board gets "Something breaks the rules. Look for the marked circles or sticks." Hint on a broken board gets "This board has a mistake, so there is no hint yet." If Hint finds nothing on a legal board, it says "No forced mark from here. A circle or a stick may be wrong, so try Check or Undo." Undo and Redo step through the marks. Reset clears every mark you placed and leaves the givens. When the pairs match, the connectors turn teal, and the circles and sticks you placed turn teal. Given circles and sticks stay ink. The X marks stay as they are. The dialog title is "Solved!" The dialog body is "Each circle has one stick, and matching symbols never sit in sight." The line under the board is "Candy places a circle. Drag from a circle to pair it. Erase clears." Once the grid is solved, that line is "Each circle has one stick, and matching symbols never sit in sight." The Mistakes counter counts how many times Check found a broken board. It is not a score.
A coral circle, stick, or X is a clash that is already on the board. With error highlighting off, none of that coral is drawn. The connector between a real pair stays violet until the grid is solved, including on a cell that is coral. The picture of a finished grid in this article draws the solved pairs, the empty X marks, and the teal connectors. It does not draw a yellow hint. Print pages cannot show the yellow, the coral, or the teal.
Empty cells
A stick's sides cannot hold a symbol, and a cell that cannot be a circle or a stick is empty. Hint writes one X and stops. On a blank easy grid the first X is the side of a stick. The side-of-a-circle sentence is what removes the other symbols, and Hint announces the empty cell once nothing else remains.
Sides of a stick Easy
The sides of a stick are empty. A vertical stick pairs above or below, so the cells on its left and right are empty. A horizontal stick pairs left or right, so the cells above and below it are empty. On this blank grid the vertical stick at row 2 column 1 has no cell on its left. The cell on its right, row 2 column 2, is empty. The press marks that X.
The yellow wash sits on row 2 column 2 only. The new X is yellow. The grid is still unfinished. This is the opening press. The given stick stays ink. This press does not add a connector. The given stick already meets the circle under it, and that connector stays. The next press is the same sentence on another stick. That second X is not its own picture. Hint uses this sentence on easy, medium, and hard grids. The toast is "The sides of this stick are empty."
The right side of the vertical stick is empty. Yellow sits on row 2 column 2 only. The grid is still unfinished. Hint says "The sides of this stick are empty."
No symbol fits Easy
A cell that cannot be a circle or a stick is empty. On this grid, after the two side marks, row 2 column 5 sits under the given circle at row 1 column 5 and above the given vertical stick at row 3 column 5. The circle above can take a vertical stick or an empty cell below it. The stick below can take a circle or an empty cell above it. The only mark that satisfies both neighbours is empty. The press marks that X.
Hint can also say "This side of the circle cannot hold that symbol." That is the trim that removes one symbol and leaves the cell undecided. On these grids that sentence never writes a cell under its own name. When the last symbol goes and only empty remains, Hint says the empty-cell sentence. The yellow wash sits on row 2 column 5 only. The two earlier X marks have no wash. The grid is still unfinished. This is the third press, not the opening. Most grids in this set open on the side of a stick. Two 7×7 easy grids and one 9×9 medium grid open on this sentence instead. The toast is "This cell cannot be a circle or a stick, so it is empty." Some later presses finish the grid with this sentence, and the solved dialog replaces the toast. Those presses are not drawn.
The cell between a circle and a vertical stick is empty. Yellow sits on row 2 column 5 only. The earlier X marks have no wash. The grid is still unfinished.
One partner
A circle with one neighbour left takes the matching stick there, and a stick with one neighbour left takes its circle there. Hint writes that one cell. A finished pair would also empty the cells that touch it. That sentence never writes on these grids. Those cells show up later as the side of a stick or as a cell where no symbol fits. A blank grid in this set does not open here.
Only one stick Easy
A circle with only one cell left takes the matching stick there. On this grid the given circle at row 1 column 5 has an empty cell below it, and the board edge on its right and above it. The only neighbour left is row 1 column 4. The stick that matches a side-by-side pair is horizontal. The press places that stick.
On this same grid Hint marked the pocket cell, and several other empty cells, before it reached this circle. The article teaches the one partner first. The picture is the later state, so those X marks are already on the board. They have no yellow wash. The yellow wash sits on row 1 column 4 only. The new stick is yellow. The connector from row 1 column 5 to row 1 column 4 is violet, not yellow. The given circle stays ink. The pair at row 5 columns 2 and 3 is already given, so that connector is already violet and has no wash. The grid is still unfinished. This is not the opening. The opening on this grid was the side of the stick at row 2 column 1. The toast is "This circle has only one cell left that can complete it. Place the matching stick there." A later press on this grid places the last circle and finishes the puzzle. The solved dialog replaces that toast. That press is not drawn.
The top-right circle's only open neighbour takes a horizontal stick. Yellow sits on row 1 column 4 only. The new connector stays violet. The grid is still unfinished.
Only one circle Easy
A stick with only one cell left takes its circle there. On this grid the given vertical stick at row 2 column 5 has an empty cell below it, and the board edge on its right. A vertical stick pairs above or below, so the only cell left is row 1 column 5. The press places the circle there.
The yellow wash sits on row 1 column 5 only. The new circle is yellow. The connector from row 2 column 5 to row 1 column 5 is violet. The given stick stays ink. The grid is still unfinished. This is not the opening. The opening on this grid was the side of a stick. The toast is "This stick has only one cell left that can complete it. Place the circle there." On an easy grid Hint uses this sentence and the stick sentence. It does not use a later sentence. The cells that touch a finished pair are empty. Hint can say "These two cells are a pair, so the cells that touch them are empty." That sentence never writes on these grids. There is no picture of it.
The vertical stick's only open neighbour takes the circle. Yellow sits on row 1 column 5 only. The new connector stays violet. The grid is still unfinished.
In sight
Matching symbols cannot see each other once the empty cells are skipped. A cell that looks through empty cells at the same symbol cannot be that symbol. That sentence never writes as a hint on these grids. Hint does write a cell that is empty because every pairing would see a match, and, on a medium grid, the one cell that can break a line. A blank grid in this set does not open on either of those.
Every pair sees a match Easy
A cell can be empty because every way to pair it would see a matching symbol. On this grid row 1 column 2 has the board edge above it, an empty cell on its left, and an empty cell below it. The only open neighbour is on its right. A circle there, or a horizontal stick there, is a pair that is not allowed to touch the cell beside it, and the given circle at row 1 column 5 then sees the same symbol. A vertical stick has no partner left above or below. Nothing fits, so the cell is empty. The press marks that X.
Hint can also say "Every other mark would see a matching symbol, so this cell keeps the mark that still fits." That is the same idea when one mark survives. On these grids that sentence never writes. Every pocket press marks an X. There is no second picture. A cell that already looks through empty cells at the same symbol cannot be that symbol. Hint can say "This cell looks through empty cells at the same symbol. It cannot be that symbol." On these grids that sentence never writes a cell. The bit can still be removed inside the search. There is no picture of it. The yellow wash sits on row 1 column 2 only. The grid is still unfinished. This is not the opening. On the first grid it comes before the stick in the one-partner section. The article keeps this order. The toast is "Every way to pair this cell sees a matching symbol, so this cell is empty." Two of the three 5×5 easy grids in this set never say this sentence. They still finish from the sides, the empty cell, and the one partner.
The cell with one open neighbour is empty, because every pairing sees the given circle. Yellow sits on row 1 column 2 only. The grid is still unfinished.
One cell between Medium
Two identical symbols that see each other need one different symbol between them, when only one cell can still break the line. On this grid row 3 is a circle, an X, an unknown cell, an X, and a given circle. The empty cells drop out of the line, so the two circles see each other through row 3 column 3 alone. That cell cannot stay empty, and it cannot be a circle. It also cannot be a horizontal stick: both sides are already empty, so a horizontal stick would have no partner. The press places a vertical stick.
The yellow wash sits on row 3 column 3 only. The new stick is yellow. It does not gain a connector yet, because the circle it pairs with is not on the board. The grid is still unfinished. This is not the opening. The opening on this grid was the side of a stick. The next press places a circle and finishes the puzzle. That press is not drawn. The toast is "Two identical symbols see each other. Only one cell between them can break the line, so that cell is a different symbol." On an easy grid Hint does not use this sentence. On a medium or hard grid, it does. The 5×5, 6×6, and 9×9 hard grids in this set do not say this sentence. They do say the earlier sentences, and they do say a later split.
The one cell between two circles is a vertical stick. Yellow sits on row 3 column 3 only. No connector yet. The grid is still unfinished. An easy grid does not offer this step.
Both ways
A symbol can still have two partners, or a cell can still have two marks. Hint tries the cases and writes what they force. On the grids below, the two partners come as one X that both pairings leave empty. The two marks come next, on a different grid, as one X after the vertical case fails. The sentence about a second split never writes. A hard grid in this set still opens on the side of a stick. An easy grid does not return these sentences, and a medium grid does not return them either.
Two partners Hard
A symbol can still pair in two ways. Hint tries both, and it marks a cell only when both pairings leave that cell decided. On this grid the given circle at row 4 column 5 has an empty cell above it and an empty cell on its right. It can still take a horizontal stick on its left, at row 4 column 4, or a vertical stick below it, at row 5 column 5. Both pairings are still possible. Both of them leave row 5 column 4 empty. The press marks that one X. It does not place either partner.
The yellow wash sits on row 5 column 4 only. The new X is yellow. No new connector. The grid is still unfinished. This is not the opening. The first presses on this grid are the early sentences. This board is 10×10. The picture is the whole grid. The deduction uses every cell. The toast is "This symbol has two possible partners. Erase a mark only when both cases rule it out." Easy and medium grids do not use this sentence. A hard grid does. It does not finish this picture. Other presses in the set finish the grid with this sentence, including the 5×5 hard presses, and the solved dialog replaces the toast. Those presses are not drawn. On some of those presses one of the two pairings contradicts itself, and Hint still says this sentence. This figure is the press where both pairings live. Hint can also say "One case was not enough. Erase a mark only when every remaining case rules it out." That is how a grid that needed a second split is labelled. On these grids that sentence never writes. Hint on this grid still says the two-partners sentence. There is no picture for that second-split name.
Both partners of the circle at row 4 column 5 leave row 5 column 4 empty. Yellow sits on that cell only. Neither partner is placed. The grid is still unfinished. Easy and medium grids do not offer this step.
Two marks Hard
A cell can still be two different marks. Hint tries both. On this grid row 3 column 1 can still be a vertical stick or empty. The cell above it is already empty, so a vertical stick would have to pair with the given circle below it. That case contradicts the pairs already on the board. The empty case remains. The press marks X.
Both cases did not agree. One case dies. The toast is still "This cell has two possible marks. Erase a mark only when both cases rule it out." The yellow wash sits on row 3 column 1 only. The grid is still unfinished. This is the press after a two-partners write on the same grid. That earlier press is not a picture: one of its pairings died, and the two-partners picture is the grid where both pairings live. The name for this whole grid, when a second split was needed, is not what Hint says. Hint says the two-marks sentence here. Easy and medium grids do not use this sentence. A hard grid does. The other two presses of this sentence in the set finish the grid, one on a 7×7 and one on a 6×8, and the solved dialog replaces the toast. Those presses are not drawn. There is no 5×5 picture of this sentence.
Row 3 column 1 cannot be the vertical stick, so it is empty. Yellow sits on that cell only. The grid is still unfinished. Easy and medium grids do not offer this step.
Common mistakes
Check paints a broken rule. Hint will not explain a board that is already broken. The toast is "This board has a mistake, so there is no hint yet." Check says "Something breaks the rules. Look for the marked circles or sticks." even when the mark is a line of sight or a circle with nowhere to pair. A wrong mark can also sit there with no coral at all. Then Check says "No mistakes so far. Keep going!" If that mark removed the next step, Hint says "No forced mark from here. A circle or a stick may be wrong, so try Check or Undo." If the mark is an X on a cell that really is empty, Hint still offers the next step. Hint does not run on a broken board. The figures of a broken board do not draw yellow. With error highlighting off, the same clashes paint nothing coral.
A circle at row 2 column 2 sits beside the given vertical stick. That circle, the stick, and the given circle below the stick are one group of three. Coral sits on row 2 column 1, row 2 column 2, and row 3 column 1. The middle cell is also the symbol with two partners. The given pair still has its violet connector. The extra circle does not add a connector. No yellow. Hint says "This board has a mistake, so there is no hint yet."
A vertical stick at row 1 column 4 sits beside the given circle at row 1 column 5. The stick does not face the circle. A horizontal stick would. Coral sits on those two cells. That pair draws no connector. No yellow. Check still says "Something breaks the rules. Look for the marked circles or sticks."
A circle at row 1 column 3 sees the given circle at row 1 column 5 through the X at row 1 column 4. Coral sits on the two circles. The X stays muted. No yellow.
A circle at row 4 column 4 has an X on every side. Coral sits on that circle only. The four X marks are not coral. No yellow.
Row 1 column 4 is the horizontal stick in the solution, and it is marked X. No clash yet. No coral. No yellow. The X is ordinary muted ink. Check says "No mistakes so far. Keep going!" Hint says "No forced mark from here. A circle or a stick may be wrong, so try Check or Undo."
A circle at row 1 column 3 does not yet see the given circle at row 1 column 5, because row 1 column 4 is still unknown. No coral. No yellow. Check says "No mistakes so far. Keep going!" Hint says the same none sentence. The sight picture is this same circle with the gap marked X.
Row 1 column 1 is empty in the solution. The X stays, muted, with no wash. Hint still marks the side of the stick: yellow on row 2 column 2. No coral. Check, before or after that press, says "No mistakes so far. Keep going!"
What to play next
Easy grids follow from the sides of a stick, a cell where no symbol fits, and the one partner left for a circle or a stick. Some of them also mark a cell that is empty because every pairing would see a match. Hint uses a separate sentence for each of those. Start on a 5×5 easy grid, or on the daily 7×7 easy grid. Medium grids add the one cell between two identical symbols. A medium grid still opens on an early sentence. Hard grids add a symbol with two partners, and on some sizes a cell with two marks. A hard grid still opens on the side of a stick, and it can come back to an early sentence. The 5×5, 6×6, and 9×9 hard grids in this set do not say the sight line. The sentence about a second split does not come up as its own hint. The sentence about the cells that touch a finished pair does not come up. The sentence that only removes one symbol, and the sentence that only forbids a matching symbol, do not come up as their own hints.
A printed puzzle page shows the given circles and sticks. A printed answer draws every circle and every stick. Four 5×5, 6×6, or 7×7 grids share a sheet. Two 8×8, 9×9, 10×10, or 6×8 grids share a sheet. Large print is one grid on the sheet. The printable page isLollipops packs.
- Easy5×5The sides, the empty cell, and the one partner. One of these grids also says the pocket sentence. The other two finish without it.Play 5×5 →
- Easy6×6Those sentences on a larger grid. One of these grids never says the pocket sentence.Play 6×6 →
- Easy7×7Those sentences on a larger grid. This is the daily size. Two of these grids open on a cell where no symbol fits.Play 7×7 →Today's daily →
- Medium5×5The early sentences, then the one cell between two identical symbols. Two of these grids never say the pocket sentence. They open on the side of a stick.Play 5×5 →
- Medium9×9Those sentences. One of these grids opens on a cell where no symbol fits, and that grid never says the pocket sentence.Play 9×9 →
- Hard5×5The early sentences, then two partners. These grids do not say the sight line. The two-partners press finishes them. Two of them never say the pocket sentence.Play 5×5 →
- Hard6×6The early sentences and two partners. One of these grids also says the two marks, and that is the picture in this article. These grids do not say the sight line.Play 6×6 →
- Hard7×7Two partners, or two marks. One of these grids says the sight line and finishes on the two marks. Another says the sight line and two partners. The third says two partners and does not say the sight line.Play 7×7 →
- Hard8×8Two partners. One of these grids also says the sight line. These grids do not say the two marks.Play 8×8 →
- Hard9×9The early sentences and two partners. These grids do not say the sight line, and they do not say the two marks.Play 9×9 →
- Hard10×10Two partners. The picture in this article is one of these grids. One of them also says the sight line. These grids do not say the two marks.Play 10×10 →
- Hard6×8Two partners. One of these grids finishes on the two marks. These grids do not say the sight line. One of them never says the pocket sentence.Play 6×8 →
There is no guide-sized seed to open. The boards above are teaching boards.