Solitaire guides are full of shorthand — "build down onto the tableau," "clear the waste," "a same-suit run" — and if the words are unfamiliar the instructions can feel impenetrable. This glossary collects the terms you will meet across the whole solitaire family and defines each one in plain language, so you can read any rule set with confidence.

The definitions apply broadly, but the examples lean on the games you can play here, from Klondike to FreeCell. Skim the whole list once, then come back to it as a reference whenever a guide uses a word you are not sure about.

The zones of the board

Tableau

The main playing area where most of the action happens: the columns of cards you rearrange during the game. In Klondike the tableau is seven columns; other games use different counts. You typically build down here, stacking cards in descending rank.

Column (or pile)

A single vertical stack within the tableau. Cards are added to the exposed end and revealed as the cards above them are cleared.

Foundation

The goal piles, usually four, that you build up by suit from Ace to King. Filling all foundations wins games like Klondike and FreeCell. Foundations are the destination for every card by the end.

Stock

The face-down reserve of cards left after the tableau is dealt. When you are out of moves, you draw from the stock to bring new cards into play. In Spider the stock deals a whole row at once; in Klondike it feeds the waste.

Waste (or talon)

The face-up pile beside the stock in Klondike-style games. Cards you turn over from the stock land here, and only the top card of the waste is available to play.

Cell (free cell)

A single-card holding space, most famously the four cells in FreeCell. Each cell can store exactly one card temporarily, giving you room to manoeuvre. The number of cards you can move as a group depends on how many cells are free.

Cards and how they relate

Rank

A card's number or value — Ace, 2 through 10, Jack, Queen, King. "Build down" means each card is one rank lower than the one it sits on; "build up" means one rank higher.

Suit

The category of a card: hearts, diamonds, clubs, or spades. Hearts and diamonds are red; clubs and spades are black. Many rules care about suit or colour when deciding what can stack where.

Build

The act of placing cards in a legal order. To build down in alternating colours (as in the Klondike tableau) means each card is one rank lower and the opposite colour to the one beneath it. To build up in suit (the foundations) means one rank higher in the same suit.

Run (or sequence)

A group of cards already in correct consecutive order. A same-suit run in Spider, such as spades 8-7-6, can be moved as a single unit; a mixed run often cannot. Completing a full King-to-Ace run is how you clear a suit in Spider.

Ordered sequence versus movable group

Some games let you move any tidy descending sequence together, while others only let you move a group if it is all one suit. Always check which rule applies before relying on a big group move.

Actions during play

Deal

The initial distribution of cards into the tableau, and also the act of turning fresh cards from the stock. "Deal a new row" in Spider means laying one card on every column at once.

Draw

Turning a card (or three) from the stock onto the waste in Klondike. Whether you draw one or three at a time is a key difficulty setting, explored in our draw-1 versus draw-3 guide.

Redeal (or recycle)

Passing through the stock again after it is exhausted. In Klondike the waste is flipped back to reform the stock so you can take another pass. Some rule sets limit how many redeals you get.

Turn over / flip

Revealing a face-down card. In the tableau, clearing the exposed card automatically flips the face-down card behind it, making it playable.

Auto-complete (or auto-play)

A convenience feature that finishes a game for you once the outcome is certain. When every remaining card can legally reach the foundations, auto-complete sends them all up so you do not have to click each one.

Undo

Reversing your last move (or several), offered by most digital solitaire so you can recover from a misstep or explore a line safely.

Describing a game's state

Face up / face down

Whether a card's value is visible. Face-up cards are in play; face-down cards are unknowns you must uncover by clearing the cards above them.

Blocked

A position where no legal moves remain and no stock is left to draw — the game is stuck and cannot be won from here.

Empty column

A tableau column with no cards. Empty columns are valuable free space; in Klondike only a King may fill one, while in Spider and FreeCell any card can go there.

Winnable (or solvable) deal

A starting layout that can be won with perfect play. Not every deal is winnable, particularly in draw-3 Klondike, which is why even flawless play sometimes ends in a loss.

Hint

A digital aid that highlights a legal move you could make right now. Hints are handy for learning, though leaning on them too heavily can stop you from spotting moves yourself.

Score and moves

Common metrics a game tracks: points awarded for cards sent to the foundations, and the running count of moves you have made. Some variants reward finishing in fewer moves or less time.

Same-colour and off-suit

Shorthand for how a card relates to another. "Off-suit" simply means a different suit, and "same-colour" means both red or both black — distinctions that decide legal moves in games built on alternating colours.

Keep this list handy

You do not need to memorise these terms — just knowing where to look is enough. With the vocabulary in hand, rule sets read much more smoothly, and guides like our Klondike walkthrough or the wider selection at 247solitaire.my will make immediate sense. Bookmark this page, then go deal a hand and put the words to work.