Rubik's Cube Notation

The standard notation system used by speedcubers worldwide to write down moves and algorithms. Every letter represents a specific turn — learn them once and you can read any algorithm.

Face Turns

The six basic moves. Each letter refers to a face of the cube. A plain letter means a 90° clockwise turn (as if you're looking at that face).

R
Right
Turn the right face 90° clockwise
L
Left
Turn the left face 90° clockwise
U
Up
Turn the top face 90° clockwise
D
Down
Turn the bottom face 90° clockwise
F
Front
Turn the front face 90° clockwise
B
Back
Turn the back face 90° clockwise

Modifiers

Suffixes that change how a face turn is performed. These apply to any face move.

R'
Prime (Inverse)
Turn the face 90° counter-clockwise instead of clockwise
R2
Double
Turn the face 180° (two quarter turns)

Wide Moves

Lowercase letters turn two layers at once — the outer face plus the adjacent middle layer. Common in advanced algorithms.

r
Wide Right
Turn the right two layers together (R + M')
l
Wide Left
Turn the left two layers together (L + M)
u
Wide Up
Turn the top two layers together (U + E')
d
Wide Down
Turn the bottom two layers together (D + E)
f
Wide Front
Turn the front two layers together (F + S)
b
Wide Back
Turn the back two layers together (B + S')

Slice Moves

These turn only the middle layer between two opposite faces. Essential for algorithms like the H-Perm and Z-Perm.

M
Middle
Turn the middle layer (between R and L) in the same direction as L
E
Equatorial
Turn the equatorial layer (between U and D) in the same direction as D
S
Standing
Turn the standing layer (between F and B) in the same direction as F

Cube Rotations

Rotations turn the entire cube without moving any layer relative to another. They change your perspective but don't affect the solve state.

x
X Rotation
Rotate the entire cube in the same direction as R
y
Y Rotation
Rotate the entire cube in the same direction as U
z
Z Rotation
Rotate the entire cube in the same direction as F

Reading an Algorithm

Algorithms are written as a sequence of moves separated by spaces. Read left to right and execute each move in order.

R U R' U' R' F R F'

R — Turn right face clockwise
U — Turn top face clockwise
R' — Turn right face counter-clockwise
U' — Turn top face counter-clockwise
R' — Turn right face counter-clockwise
F — Turn front face clockwise
R — Turn right face clockwise
F' — Turn front face counter-clockwise