Lawndle
Mow the day's lawn in as few steps as possible, then park back in the shed.
Every day: One numbered lawn a day, the same for every player: mow every grass tile and park in the shed in as few steps as you can, without spraying clippings into ponds or wrecking balls. New puzzle: 4am UTC.
Lawndle is a daily route-planning puzzle by James O'Halloran. Each day brings one numbered lawn to mow: cover every grass tile and finish in the shed in the fewest steps, while the mower's side chute throws clippings that cost you penalty steps if they land in a pond.
About Lawndle
Lawndle turns mowing the lawn into a small grid puzzle. Each day there is one lawn, numbered and dated, with grass tiles, ponds, rocks, balls and sometimes bare patches. You start at a spawn point, have to cut every grass tile, and finish by driving into the shed. Your score is the number of steps taken, and the result screen tells you how far you were from the best route.
The twist is the mower's chute. Every tile you cut throws clippings two tiles out of the right-hand side of the mower, so the direction you drive matters as much as the route. Spray clippings into a pond and you pay a two-step penalty; push a ball into a fence or a pond and you pay the same again. Bare patches of earth can be crossed without throwing anything, which makes them useful gaps between ponds.
The game is made by James O'Halloran. A new lawn appears at 4am UTC, and every past lawn stays playable in the archive, with your best result shown beside each one. Finishing gives you a shareable colour map of your round, where green means a clean single pass and yellow or red show repeats and penalties.
It suits players who like route-optimisation puzzles in the vein of a travelling-salesman problem, but in a few relaxed minutes rather than with pen and paper.
How to play Lawndle
- Open the day's lawn and find the mower's start tile and the shed.
- Click or tap any tile in a straight line from the mower to drive there, or nudge one tile at a time with the arrow keys or WASD. Every tile travelled costs a step; turning is free.
- Cut every grass tile, keeping in mind that clippings fly two tiles out of the mower's right side: landing them in a pond adds two steps.
- Avoid pushing balls into fences or ponds, which also adds two steps, then drive into the shed to finish and compare your total with the best route.
Tips
- Plan your lanes so the right-hand chute faces away from ponds; driving the same lane in the other direction can avoid a penalty.
- Use bare patches between ponds as safe crossings, since nothing is cut there and nothing is thrown.
- Use the Back button to rewind a move rather than accepting a penalty you did not intend.
- Leave the run nearest the shed for last so you do not waste steps getting back.
Questions
When does a new Lawndle lawn appear?
Every day at 4am UTC.
Can I play past Lawndle puzzles?
Yes, every past lawn is kept in the archive and can be played, with your best on each shown.
Does turning cost steps in Lawndle?
No. Only tiles travelled count as steps, and turning is free.
What do the colours in the Lawndle share grid mean?
Green is a tile cut in one clean pass, yellow was driven over more than once, and red cost a penalty. Other colours mark the spawn, shed, ponds, rocks and bare earth.
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