Puzzle makers keep pushing big cubes to new extremes, with 22x22x22 and even 33x33x33 record puzzles. At the other end of the scale sits the 1x1x1 cube: a single piece with six colored faces. You can't make a smaller cube, and you can't really scramble it, which is exactly what makes it fun.
How to use the 1x1x1 solver
Press Scramble to tumble the cube into a random orientation, then press Solve and the cube spins back to where it started. On a 1x1x1, "solved" simply means the cube is back in its starting orientation, with the same colors facing you as before.
What the buttons really do
A 1x1x1 has no layers, so there is nothing to turn. The only thing that changes is which way the whole cube points. That makes this page more of a toy than a solver. 😄
- Scramble tumbles the cube through a few random poses. It stops on one of five tilted positions.
- Solve spins it back to the start, with the green face toward you.
- The cube is drawn with CSS 3D right in your browser. There's nothing to download.
Why a 1x1x1 is always solved
You can set a cube down in 24 ways. Pick one of the 6 faces to point up, then turn it so one of its 4 sides faces you. 6 times 4 is 24.
On a real puzzle, all 24 of these count as the same position. You only turned the whole thing in your hand, and nothing inside moved. So a 1x1x1 has exactly one position, and it's the solved one. 🎲
How it compares to bigger cubes
Each size up adds more pieces, and the number of positions grows very fast.
| Puzzle | Moving pieces | Positions | Most moves needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1x1x1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2x2x2 | 8 corners | 3,674,160 | 11 |
| 3x3x3 | 8 corners, 12 edges | about 43 quintillion | 20 |
"Most moves needed" is the longest any scramble can take to solve, counting a half turn as one move. For the 3x3x3 this number is called God's Number. It was proven in 2010.
Ready for a real challenge?
The 1x1x1 is a joke, but the next sizes up are real puzzles. Try the 2x2 cube solver, solve the classic cube with the Rubik's Cube solver, or learn to solve it yourself with our beginner's guide.