Easy Difficulty

Pyraminx The Pyramid That Started It All

The Pyraminx is a tetrahedral twisty puzzle and one of the easiest WCA competition events to learn. Its pyramid shape and limited piece count make it perfect for beginners, yet speedcubers can achieve sub-2 second solves with advanced methods.

Pieces 14 (4 axial pieces, 6 edge pieces, 4 trivial tips)

Permutations 933,120 (75,582,720 with tips)

God's Number 11

World Record 0.73s (Dominik Górny)

Inventor Uwe Mèffert

Year 1981

Interactive 3D Pyraminx

Interactive 3D Pyraminx Solver — scramble the puzzle and let the BFS solver find the optimal solution.

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History & Background

Invented by Uwe Mèffert in 1970 — actually before the Rubik's Cube! It was patented and mass-produced starting in 1981. The Pyraminx has been a WCA competition event since 2003 and remains one of the most popular beginner-friendly puzzles.

Notation Guide

Pyraminx notation: UPPERCASE (U, R, L, B) = full layer turn (tip + edges). lowercase (u, r, l, b) = trivial tip twist only. Prime (') = counter-clockwise.

U Upper layer clockwise (tip + adjacent edges)

U' Upper layer counter-clockwise

R Right layer clockwise (tip + adjacent edges)

R' Right layer counter-clockwise

L Left layer clockwise (tip + adjacent edges)

L' Left layer counter-clockwise

B Back layer clockwise (tip + adjacent edges)

B' Back layer counter-clockwise

u Upper tip only — trivial twist clockwise

u' Upper tip only — trivial twist counter-clockwise

l Left tip only — trivial twist clockwise

l' Left tip only — trivial twist counter-clockwise

r Right tip only — trivial twist clockwise

r' Right tip only — trivial twist counter-clockwise

b Back tip only — trivial twist clockwise

b' Back tip only — trivial twist counter-clockwise

Visual Guide & Cheat Sheet

A complete visual guide illustrating the puzzle's structure, standard layer movements, and key solving stages.

Step-by-Step Solving Guide

Step 1: Fix the Tips

The 4 tips of the pyramid can always be solved independently with a single twist each. Just rotate each tip to match the color of its adjacent center. This is trivial and takes under a second.


                                                Intuitive — just twist each tip

Always start here. Tips don't affect any other pieces, so they're free moves.

Step 2: Solve the First Layer

Choose a face as the base and solve all 3 edge pieces of that face. Hold the solved face at the bottom and use intuitive moves to place each edge correctly.


                                                R U R'


                                                L' U' L

Try to plan this step during inspection for faster solves. With practice, you can plan the entire first layer in seconds.

Step 3: Solve the Last Layer

The last 3 edges need to be oriented and permuted into their correct positions. There are only 5 possible cases to learn — making this one of the simplest last-layer steps of any puzzle.


                                                R U' R' U' R U' R'


                                                L R' L' R U L' U' L

The 3-edge cycle is the most common case. Learn this one first!

Key Algorithms

Name	Algorithm	Use Case
3-Edge Cycle (CW)	`R U' R' U' R U' R'`	Cycle 3 last layer edges clockwise
3-Edge Cycle (CCW)	`L' U L U L' U L`	Cycle 3 last layer edges counter-clockwise
Edge Flip	`L R' L' R U L' U' L`	Flip 2 edges in place
L4E Setup	`R' L R L'`	Setup move for top layer

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Forgetting to fix tips first — this wastes moves later in the solve.

Over-thinking the first layer — it should be mostly intuitive. Don't memorize algorithms for this step.

Applying 3-edge cycle in the wrong direction — check the cycle direction before executing.

Not practicing inspection planning — the Pyraminx is short enough to plan most or all of the solve in advance.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Pyraminx the easiest WCA puzzle?

It's one of the easiest! The Skewb is similarly easy. Both can be learned in under 30 minutes.

How can the world record be under 1 second?

Lucky scrambles combined with planned inspection. In WCA, solvers get 15 seconds to inspect, and some Pyraminx scrambles require only 2-3 moves — including tip fixes.

What is the best method for Pyraminx speedsolving?

Top solvers use L4E (Last 4 Edges), Oka, or the 1-Flip method. Beginners should start with the layer-by-layer method described above.

Can I solve the Pyraminx blindfolded?

Yes! Because it has so few pieces and states, the Pyraminx is one of the easier puzzles to learn blindfolded. It's a great introduction to BLD solving.

Pro Tips & Tricks

The Pyraminx has only 933,120 possible states — compare that to the 3×3's 43 quintillion!
For speedsolving, learn the L4E (Last 4 Edges) method or the 1-Flip method for sub-3 second averages.
Tips can be solved during inspection in WCA competitions — use this 15-second window wisely.
Keyhole method is great for intermediate solvers: solve one layer using an empty slot, then finish the last layer.
The MoYu RS Pyraminx M and QiYi MS Pyraminx are excellent budget speedcubes.
Top solvers can solve the entire puzzle during inspection and just execute moves — aim for full plan-ahead!

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