Solitaire Glossary: Every Term Explained

Every card game has its own vocabulary, and solitaire is no exception. Whether you are learning Klondike Solitaire for the first time, working through FreeCell, or tackling Spider, knowing the terminology makes rules, strategy guides, and tutorials far easier to follow. This glossary defines the terms you will actually meet at the table, grouped by theme — the layout, how cards move, the game modes, and the words used to describe how a game ends. Each entry gives a plain-language definition you can rely on.

The Basics

Solitaire

A family of single-player card games. The name comes from the French word for “alone.” In North America it is the standard term; in the UK and much of Europe the same games are called “Patience.” The best-known member of the family is Klondike.

Patience

The British and European name for solitaire card games. The games are identical — only the label differs. The word reflects the calm, methodical, one-player nature of the activity.

Deck (Pack)

The set of 52 playing cards used to deal a game. Klondike, FreeCell, Pyramid, and Golf use a single deck; Spider and other two-deck games use 104 cards.

Suit

One of the four categories of cards: hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades. Hearts and diamonds are red; clubs and spades are black. Many solitaire rules depend on whether two cards share a suit or merely a colour.

Rank

The value of a card, from Ace (low) through 2–10 and the court cards Jack, Queen, and King (high). Sequences in solitaire are built by rank, either ascending or descending.

Court Cards (Face Cards)

The Jack, Queen, and King of each suit. In most builders the King is the highest card and the Ace the lowest.

Piles & Layout

Tableau

The main playing area, made up of columns of cards. Klondike has 7 tableau columns, Spider has 10, and FreeCell has 8. Most of the game is played here, building and rearranging cards before sending them to the foundations.

Column (Pile)

A single vertical stack within the tableau. Face-up cards overlap so their rank and suit stay visible, while face-down cards sit hidden beneath them.

Foundation

The destination piles where each suit is built up from Ace to King. Most games have four foundations, one per suit. Filling every foundation completes the game and is how you win.

Stock (Talon / Hand)

The face-down pile of cards left over after the tableau is dealt. You draw from the stock when the tableau offers no useful move. In Klondike the stock holds 24 cards; in Spider it holds 50 and is dealt out a full row at a time.

Waste (Discard Pile)

The face-up pile that receives cards drawn from the stock. Only the top card of the waste is playable. When the stock runs out, the waste can usually be turned back over to form a fresh stock. Sometimes also called the talon.

Free Cell (Cell)

In FreeCell Solitaire, one of four single-card holding spaces. Any one card may rest in a cell temporarily, giving you room to unblock the tableau. The number of free cells and empty columns available determines how large a group you can move at once.

Reserve

In some variants, a separate holding area whose cards can be played to the tableau or foundation only under specific conditions. Unlike free cells, you usually cannot move cards back into a reserve.

Empty Column (King Column)

A tableau column with no cards in it. In Klondike, only a King — alone or at the head of a sequence — may be placed into an empty column, which is why an open space is often called a “King column.” In FreeCell and Spider any card may fill an empty column, making empty columns extremely valuable.

Deal (Layout)

The initial distribution of cards at the start of a game, and by extension the specific arrangement produced. Two games from the same shuffle are the “same deal.” In Klondike, 28 cards are dealt into the tableau to begin.

Seed (Deal Number)

A number that identifies a particular shuffle so the exact same deal can be reproduced. Daily challenges and shared puzzles rely on seeds so every player faces the identical layout.

Card Building & Movements

Build

To add a card to a pile according to the rules. Building up means ascending rank (Ace, 2, 3 … King); building down means descending rank (King, Queen, Jack … Ace). Foundations build up by suit; tableau columns build down.

Alternating Colour Build

The Klondike-style rule where each card placed on a tableau column must be the opposite colour to the card above it, for example a red 6 on a black 7. FreeCell uses the same rule.

In-Suit Build (Same-Suit)

Building a descending run within a single suit, as in Spider, where a complete King-to-Ace run of one suit is removed from the tableau. Colour is ignored; only matching suits form a movable sequence.

Sequence (Run)

A group of consecutive cards in the correct order for that game — descending and alternating in Klondike, descending and same-suit in Spider. A valid sequence can be picked up and moved as a unit.

Cascade (Stack)

Another name for a properly ordered group of face-up cards in a column. For example, black 7 → red 6 → black 5 is a valid cascade in Klondike that moves together.

Packing

The act of placing cards onto one another in the tableau to form or extend sequences. “Well-packed” columns are neatly ordered and easy to move.

Supermove (Sequence Move)

Moving several cards at once as though they were a single unit. In FreeCell the game only truly moves one card at a time, so the largest legal supermove is limited by how many free cells and empty columns are open — digital versions calculate and animate this for you.

Turn (Flip)

Revealing a face-down card. When the last card covering a face-down tableau card is removed, that card is automatically turned face-up.

Draw

Taking one or more cards from the stock and placing them on the waste. In Draw 1 mode you flip a single card; in Draw 3 you flip three at a time and only the top one is immediately playable.

Recycle (Redeal)

Turning the exhausted waste pile face-down to form a new stock so you can go through it again. Some rule sets allow unlimited recycles; Draw 3 and scored variants often limit them.

Undo

Taking back your most recent move. It is not part of the traditional pen-and-paper rules, but nearly every digital version — including Solitaires.gg — offers it to encourage experimentation.

Hint

A suggested legal move offered by the game when you are unsure what to play next. Hints point to an available move, not necessarily the best one.

Auto-Move (Auto-Play)

A convenience feature that sends an obvious card — often with a double-click — straight to its foundation without dragging it.

Auto-Complete

When every remaining card can reach the foundations with no further decisions, the game finishes the sequence for you automatically. This usually becomes possible once all cards are face-up and correctly ordered.

Game Modes

Draw 1 / Draw 3 (Turn 1 / Turn 3)

The two ways of dealing from the Klondike stock. Draw 1 flips one card per tap and is the easier setting; Draw 3 flips three at a time, restricting access and lowering the win rate. Compare them in our Draw 1 vs Draw 3 guide.

Suit Count (1, 2, or 4 Suits)

Spider's difficulty setting. One-suit Spider uses only spades and is the gentlest; four-suit Spider uses a full deck and is the hardest, because building same-suit runs is far more demanding.

Thoughtful (Open) Solitaire

A version in which every card is dealt face-up from the start, removing hidden information. It measures pure skill, since you can plan with complete knowledge of the deal.

Vegas Scoring

A Klondike scoring style modelled on casino play: you notionally “buy” the deck and earn money for each card sent to a foundation, with limited or no recycling of the stock.

Timed Mode

A mode that tracks how long you take, often adjusting the score based on speed. It rewards quick, confident play over long deliberation.

Daily Deal (Daily Challenge)

A single shared deal offered to every player on a given day, usually with a leaderboard. Because everyone plays the same seed, results are directly comparable.

Scoring & Outcomes

Winnable (Solvable) Deal

A deal that can be completed with at least one line of perfect play. Solvability describes the deal itself, independent of whether a given player actually finds the winning line.

Unwinnable (Dead Deal)

A deal that cannot be won no matter how well it is played. Roughly a fifth of Klondike deals fall into this category, whereas almost every FreeCell deal is solvable.

Blocked (Stuck)

The situation where no legal move remains and the stock cannot help. A game can be blocked even on a winnable deal if earlier moves closed off the solution — which is where the undo button earns its keep.

Win Rate

The percentage of games a player completes. Typical Klondike win rates sit near 30% for Draw 1 and 10–15% for Draw 3; FreeCell can exceed 99%. See our solitaire statistics for detail.

Move Count

The number of individual moves taken to finish a game. Many scoring systems reward fewer moves, since an efficient solution reflects better planning.

Streak

A run of consecutive games won without a loss. Streak tracking is a common feature that adds a light competitive edge to casual play.

Common Variants

Klondike

The classic game: one deck, seven tableau columns, four foundations, alternating-colour builds. The world's most played solitaire. Full rules.

FreeCell

One deck, eight columns, four free cells, all cards face-up. Almost every deal is winnable, making it the most skill-driven mainstream variant. Full rules.

Spider

Two decks, ten columns; build descending same-suit runs and clear complete King-to-Ace sequences. Offered in one-, two-, and four-suit difficulty. Full rules.

Pyramid

Cards arranged in a pyramid; remove pairs that add up to 13 (King counts as 13, Queen 12, Jack 11, and so on).

TriPeaks

Three overlapping peaks; clear cards one rank higher or lower than the current waste card to sweep across the board in chains.

Golf

Seven columns of face-up cards; remove any card one rank higher or lower than the top of the waste, regardless of suit, aiming to empty the tableau in as few “strokes” as possible.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does tableau mean in Solitaire?

The tableau is the main playing area, made up of columns of cards — seven in Klondike. Cards there are stacked in descending order, alternating red and black in Klondike and FreeCell, or by matching suit in Spider. New to the game? Start with our beginner's guide.

What is the difference between the stock and the waste?

The stock is the face-down pile you draw from, while the waste is the face-up pile that receives those drawn cards. Only the top card of the waste can be played, and when the stock empties you recycle the waste to form a new stock.

What does “winnable deal” mean?

A winnable, or solvable, deal is one that can be completed with perfect play. It is a property of the deal itself — a winnable deal can still be lost through misplays, and a blocked position does not always mean the deal was impossible. Our strategy tips explain how to give yourself the best chance on any deal.

Why can only Kings go into empty columns in Klondike?

Because the King is the highest rank, nothing can be built on top of it in a descending column, so it is the natural card to start a fresh column. In FreeCell and Spider that restriction is lifted and any card may fill an empty column.