Pyraminx beginner method
How to Solve a Pyraminx
The Pyraminx is a tetrahedron-shaped twisty puzzle with four tips and four faces. It is considered easier than a 3x3 Rubik's Cube because the four tips and four centres are essentially free — they only need a single twist each. Once the tips and centres are aligned, only the six edges remain, and the beginner method below resolves them with one short algorithm.
Solve from any scrambled state in 7 steps. Difficulty: Beginner. Estimated time: 15 minutes. Age: 8+.
Use the next and previous controls or the arrow keys to move through each step. Each step has the move sequence, a short explanation, and a common-mistake callout for the trap that most beginners hit at that point.
Notation legend
What the letters mean
U
Rotate the top face 120° clockwise — turns the top tip, the centre below it, and the 3 edges around the top face all together.
U'
Rotate the top face 120° counter-clockwise.
L
Rotate the left face 120° clockwise (tip + centre + 3 edges around it).
L'
Rotate the left face 120° counter-clockwise.
R
Rotate the right face 120° clockwise (tip + centre + 3 edges around it).
R'
Rotate the right face 120° counter-clockwise.
B
Rotate the back face 120° clockwise (tip + centre + 3 edges around it).
u
Rotate ONLY the top tip — the small corner piece — leaving the centre and edges in place.
l
Rotate only the left tip.
r
Rotate only the right tip.
b
Rotate only the back tip.
Hover or tap a move to confirm its axis. Capital letters rotate a single face / tip; lowercase letters (pyraminx only) rotate a tip plus the centre below it.
Step-by-step
Pyraminx solution walkthrough
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Step 1 of 7 Learn the pyraminx notation
Capital letters (U, L, R, B) rotate a full FACE — the small tip, the larger centre below it, and the 3 edges around that face all turn together as one layer. Lowercase letters (u, l, r, b) rotate ONLY the small tip on that face, leaving the centre and edges where they were. For the beginner method below, you use lowercase only in step 2 (to orient tips), and capital letters everywhere else.
Common mistake at this step
Mixing up the tip-only and full-face moves. If a 'U' you intended seems to undo itself when you reverse it, double-check whether you actually performed 'U' or only the tip-only 'u'.
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Step 2 of 7 Solve the four tips
Each tip is a tiny corner piece with three coloured stickers. Look at one tip; the three colours visible on it should match the three colours of the centres immediately below it. If they do not match, twist JUST the tip — use the lowercase moves u, l, r, or b (with or without prime) — until they do. Repeat for the other three tips. This step never affects edges or centres because lowercase moves only rotate the tip.
Common mistake at this step
Using a capital letter when you mean to twist only the tip. Capital U/L/R/B rotates the entire face including the edges, which scrambles the puzzle further. Use lowercase u/l/r/b for tip-only twists.
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Step 3 of 7 Align the centres
Each centre piece has three coloured stickers (one per visible face). Rotate each face — using the capital U, L, R, B moves — so the centre stickers line up with the matching tip colours you set in step 2. Each capital move also rotates the 3 edges around that face, so the edge positions will look scrambled at the end of this step; that is expected and you will fix it in steps 5-7. When this step is done, every face shows a centre-coloured triangle, even if the border edges look wrong.
Common mistake at this step
Worrying about scrambling edges in this step. Edges WILL move when you align the centres — that is what step 5-7 fixes. The centre alignment is the priority here.
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Step 4 of 7 Choose a top face and find its three edges
Pick a colour for your top face (yellow is conventional). An edge piece is a long piece on the border of a face with two coloured stickers. Find the three edges that have a yellow sticker on them; these are the three edges you will move into the top layer.
Common mistake at this step
Picking a colour that no longer has visible edges in the bottom layer. If all three target edges already appear to be in the top, double-check their orientation; they may be flipped.
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Step 5 of 7 Insert the three top edges
Hold the pyraminx with the yellow face up. Pick a yellow edge that currently sits in a bottom-layer slot (the three edges around the bottom tip). Rotate a side face — use a capital L or R move on whichever side opens the path — so the target edge moves to a position where it can be inserted into the top with the yellow sticker pointing outward. Then perform R U R' U' once: the edge will lift into the top layer in the correct orientation. If the edge enters with its yellow sticker facing the wrong way (yellow visible on a side rather than on top), apply R U R' U' two more times to re-orient it. Repeat for the second and third yellow edges, choosing the appropriate side move for each insertion.
Common mistake at this step
Using a tip-only lowercase move when you meant the full-face capital. Lowercase u/l/r/b only rotates the tip — it cannot move edges. Every move in this step must be a capital letter.
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Step 6 of 7 Inspect the last three edges
Look at the bottom layer of your pyraminx. There are three edge slots left, with three edges in them. Check whether they are: (a) already solved, (b) cycled clockwise (each edge is in the slot one step clockwise from where it belongs), or (c) cycled counter-clockwise. If (a), the puzzle is solved — skip step 7. If (b), use the clockwise 3-cycle in step 7. If (c), use the counter-clockwise 3-cycle in step 7.
Common mistake at this step
Looking at the wrong layer. If you see anything wrong in the TOP layer after step 5, undo step 5 and redo it; step 7 only fixes the bottom-layer 3-cycle.
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Step 7 of 7 Apply the 3-edge cycle
Clockwise cycle: R' U' R U' R' U' R. Counter-clockwise cycle: R' U R U R' U R. Apply once and the pyraminx is solved. Verify each of the four faces is a single colour. Both algorithms touch only the top layer; the bottom edges you already solved in step 5 will not move.
Common mistake at this step
Mixing up clockwise and counter-clockwise. If the algorithm makes the puzzle worse, you used the wrong direction; undo by applying the OTHER algorithm (they are exact inverses of each other).
Before you start
What you need
- One Pyraminx in any scrambled state.
- A flat surface and a few minutes of focused practice time.
- Prerequisites: None. A pyraminx in any scrambled state.
- Optional: print the algorithm cheat sheet so you can read it without unlocking your phone.
Algorithm summary
The full algorithm list
Edge insertion (top layer)
R U R' U'
Lift a side-layer edge into the top layer. Repeat to re-orient a flipped edge.
Clockwise 3-edge cycle
R' U' R U' R' U' R
Cycle the three top-layer edges clockwise to solve the last layer. Leaves the bottom layer unchanged.
Counter-clockwise 3-edge cycle
R' U R U R' U R
Cycle the three top-layer edges counter-clockwise. Inverse of the clockwise algorithm above.
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