Before you start playing any Solitaire game, you should familiarize yourself with its rules and terminology. It will help you understand the game mechanics better and enjoy the gameplay without misunderstandings.
To make this easier for you, we have prepared a glossary covering all the most important Solitaire . By learning them, you can master the game more efficiently and increase your chances of winning.
What is the stockpile in Solitaire? What is the correct tableau definition? Find the answers to these questions and more by taking a look at our Solitaire wiki below!
Most Significant Solitaire
A
Alternating Colors – Placing black on red cards or the other way round, used to build sequences and uncover the hidden cards in many Solitaire games.
Ascending Sequence – A way of building card combinations arranged in increasing rank, starting from the lowest (Ace) and moving up to the highest (King). This type of sequence is typically required when building foundation piles in Solitaire, where you place cards in order by suit (e.g., Ace, 2, 3, up to King).
Autoplay – In Spider Solitaire.
B
Base Card -The initial card that you use to start building your foundation pile (an Ace, in most variations). Some Solitaire games, such as Canfield, reveal one base card at the beginning of the game. It becomes the rank that every foundation needs to start with, and it can be different in every deal.
Blocked (Stuck)– When you are blocked or stuck, it means you can’t make any more moves in a particular Solitaire game, and you either lose it or use the undo button to reverse your last move.
Bottom Card – The lowest-ranking face-up card in a particular column.
Braiding (Laddering) – A Solitaire tactic where you try to limit a suit to one column as much as you can. For example, you place Diamonds in one column and Hearts in a different one (the same goes for the two black suits).
Build – Building is the process of creating a sequence within the tableau or foundation, either by rank, suit, or color, depending on the game’s rules. Effective building helps clear cards from the tableau and unlocks new moves.
C
Cascade – A method of organizing the initial layout where cards are placed on one another face-up. In this way, the player can see all the cards from the start, but they can play only with the top card in each column. This rule applies to such variants as FreeCell, Australian Solitaire.
Cells – In certain variants, such as FreeCell Solitaire, this special mechanic offers a space for maneuvering cards. The cells are displayed as a free space, typically above the tableau. You can place any card there, so they can be really significant when working on your strategy.
Columns – Vertical arrangements of cards in the tableau. They can include face-up, face-down cards or a combination of both. You can use the columns to create sequences and maneuver cards in the tableau.
Court Cards (Royalty) – The cards that traditionally have had characters printed on them, so the King, the Queen, and the Knave or Jack.
D
Deck – A set of cards used in the game. A standard deck, used in Klondike Solitaire and many other variants, consists of 52 cards, 13 of each suit, without the Jokers.
Descending Sequence – A way of building card combinations arranged in decreasing rank, starting from the highest (King) and moving down to the lowest (Ace). In the tableau, many Solitaire games require descending sequences to be built using alternating colors (e.g., black Queen, red Jack, black 10). This sequence helps organize cards and uncover face-down ones.
Draw One (or Turn 1) – Draw One is an accessible rule in Klondike Solitaire, where you draw one card at a time from the stock pile. Klondike Turn 1 provides frequent opportunities to play cards from the stock, and it is recommended for beginners.
Draw Three (or Turn 3) – Draw Three is a rule in Klondike solitaire where you draw three cards at a time from the stock pile. This increases difficulty compared to the Draw One version, as it limits your access to certain cards in the stock. Therefore, Klondike Turn 3 is recommended for more advanced players looking for a challenge.
E
Exposing – In order to expose a hidden card, you need to move a face-up card or sequence of cards to a different position in the tableau or play it to the foundation if possible. In this way, you will uncover new movement possibilities.
F
Face-Down Card – Face-down cards are those in the tableau that are not yet visible. Part of the challenge in many solitaire games is to uncover and use these face-down cards by making moves that free them up.
Face-Up Card – Face-up cards are visible and playable in the tableau. You can use these cards in sequences, move them to the foundation, or rearrange them to reveal additional face-down cards below.
Foundation – In many variants, you need to move all the cards to the Solitaire foundation pile to win. Depending on the number of decks in the game, the number of foundations can vary. Usually, there are four piles if you play with two decks and eight piles if you use two of them.
L
Layout (Setup) – It is the way you deal out the cards. In classic Klondike Solitaire, for example, the layout consists of a stockpile, a waste pile, four foundation piles, and seven columns of cards dealt in the tableau. On the other hand, such variants as TriPeaks Solitaire have a totally different layout, with cards arranged in triangles resembling pyramids or peaks.
M
Move Limit – Some solitaire variants have a limit on the number of moves or redeals you can make. Once you reach it, the game ends, which increases the challenge and requires players to make more strategic choices.
Multiple – A situation where you can see more than one of the same rank of card. Keep in mind that multiples can leave you blocked, so analyze the tableau carefully to identify them and think about how to use them best.
P
Pairing – In certain variants, you are not expected to sequence cards in order but to pair them. For instance, in TriPeaks and Pyramid Solitaire rules say that you need to match the waste pile card with one of the tableau cards to achieve an overall value of 13.
– The act of going through the whole stock once. Certain Solitaire variants allow you to the whole stock multiple times (or even without limits), while more challenging ones restrict it to one .
Patience – Another name for Solitaire, particularly in the UK and other parts of Europe. The term “patience” emphasizes the game’s nature, where success often requires careful strategy, planning, and patiently looking for the right card sequences.
Peeking – Checking the next card in the stock before deciding on the next move.
R
Random Deal – By enabling this feature in an online Solitaire game, you will never know whether the cards will be dealt in a winnable way or not, as they will be arranged 100% randomly. It makes the experience very realistic and similar to playing Solitaire with physical cards.
Rank – It refers to the value of a card: Ace, 2, 3, up to King. Solitaire games rely on rank for building sequences in both the tableau and foundation piles.
S
Sequence – A sequence is a continuous order of cards, either in ascending or descending rank. In most Solitaire games, sequences are built in the tableau by alternating colors, while foundation sequences are arranged by suit from Ace to King.
Single-Suit Stack – In games like Spider Solitaire, a single-suit stack refers to a sequence of cards from King down to Ace in the same suit. Building them is essential for completing the game, and once formed, these stacks are typically removed from the tableau.
Stack – A method of arranging the initial layout in the tableau, where the player can only see the top card of every column. To uncover the hidden cards, they need to move the face-up card (or cards) to a foundation pile or use it to make a sequence in another column. This rule is used in such variants as Klondike and Spider Solitaire.
Stockpile – The remaining cards that haven’t been dealt to the tableau yet are stored in the stockpile. There is typically just one stockpile, with all the cards face-down.
Stock Recycle (Redeal) – Some players wonder, “What is a stock recycle in solitaire?” as it is not present in every Solitaire game. In certain variants (such as Klondike Turn 3 Solitaire), you are allowed to go through the stockpile multiple times after reaching the end. Each time you finish drawing all the cards in the stock, you can “recycle” it back into a full, face-down pile to start drawing from it again.
Suit – A suit is one of the four categories of cards in a deck: Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs, and Spades. Many solitaire games require you to build foundations by suit, which means the cards must be arranged in order within their suit group.
Supermove – A very beneficial movement that allows you to perform a few additional moves easily. It is especially useful in difficult Solitaire games, such as Forty Thieves or Yukon, so plan your movements in advance to be able to perform an extremely helpful supermove.
T
Tableau – The simplest tableau definition in Solitaire is the space where most of the gameplay happens. These are the piles you work with to build sequences – typically, between 7 and 10 piles. However, in some variants like Canfield Solitaire, there are just 4 piles in the tableau.
Top Card – The highest ranking face-up card in a particular column, no matter how far up or down it is placed.
U
Undo – The undo feature, available in digital versions of Solitaire, lets you reverse your last move. It’s helpful for beginners or when trying out different strategies, but it’s usually disabled in competitive settings.
W
Waste pile(Discard, Talon) – The waste pile is where cards go after you’ve drawn from the stock but can’t immediately place them in the tableau or foundation. These cards are often available to play, depending on the rules of the specific solitaire variant.
Winnable Deal – In certain online Solitaire games, you can choose a winnable deal, making sure that the cards will be dealt in such a way that the round can be beaten. In this way, you avoid losing just because of being unlucky, and you can fully rely on your strategic skills.
Win Rate – It is the statistic that tells you what percentage of the particular variant’s game variant can be won. These most difficult Solitaire games like Quadruple Yukon, it is less than 2.5%!
Wrapping – Building a sequence of rank by putting an Ace on a King (when the game requires an ascending order, or a King on an Ace (in the case of a descending order rule).
The Final Note
Hopefully, our Solitaire wiki will help you better understand the vocabulary used in the game and follow the rules more easily, avoiding mistakes and misunderstandings. If you are a beginner, keep the Solitaire right at hand so that you can check up on anything that you don’t understand in the game.
When you feel ready, visit Solitaire.com to play the game for free straight from your browser without registration, or our app on your mobile device!