Puzzle Glossary

This glossary explains terms used throughout the Crafty Puzzles archive.

Assembly puzzle

A puzzle solved by arranging separate components into a target shape or container.

Burr puzzle

An interlocking puzzle made from notched bars or related pieces that meet around a central space.

Canonical orientation

A consistent reference position used when describing turns or piece movements.

Coordinate motion

A movement in which two or more puzzle pieces must move at the same time.

Disassembly

The process of taking a puzzle apart. It is not automatically the reverse of an easy reassembly.

Disentanglement puzzle

A puzzle in which a ring, loop, cord or object must be freed without cutting or permanently deforming the parts.

Dissection puzzle

A flat shape cut into pieces that are rearranged to make one or more new figures.

Himitsu-bako

Japanese for personal secret box; commonly used for traditional sliding-panel puzzle boxes associated with Hakone.

Interlocking puzzle

A puzzle whose pieces mutually block one another when correctly assembled.

Key piece

The first removable or final inserted component that unlocks the rest of an assembly.

Level

In burr analysis, a shorthand for the number of movements needed before the first piece or group can be removed.

Move count

The number of defined movements required to reach a goal, often used to describe puzzle boxes or sequential puzzles.

Packing puzzle

A puzzle in which pieces must fit inside a boundary or container with no overlap.

Pentomino

One of twelve shapes formed from five equal squares connected edge to edge, counting rotations and reflections as the same shape.

Polycube

A solid piece constructed by joining equal cubes face to face.

Polyomino

A flat shape constructed by joining equal squares edge to edge.

Progressive hint

A clue that reveals only part of a solution, allowing the solver to ask for more help gradually.

Reassembly

Returning a dismantled puzzle to its original or target form.

Sequential discovery

A puzzle that reveals tools, compartments or new challenges in stages.

Sequential-movement puzzle

A puzzle solved by moving parts through an ordered sequence of allowed positions.

Solution diagram

An illustration showing piece labels, orientations and assembly stages.

Tangram

A seven-piece Chinese dissection puzzle made from five triangles, a square and a parallelogram.

Twisty puzzle

A puzzle with connected layers or sections that rotate, such as the Rubik’s Cube.

Whimsy piece

A specially shaped jigsaw piece cut to resemble an object, animal or feature related to the picture.

Yosegi-zaiku

A Japanese decorative woodcraft using natural wood colours to form geometric marquetry patterns.