RRight face
Turn the right face one quarter-turn clockwise.
Move reference
Rubik’s Cube notation
Learn which face to turn, which way to turn it, and how to read a sequence of moves.
Try the Digital CubeFace letters
Each letter names a face. A letter on its own means a 90° clockwise turn as you look directly at that face.
LLeft face
Turn the left face one quarter-turn clockwise.
UUp face
Turn the upper face one quarter-turn clockwise.
DDown face
Turn the bottom face one quarter-turn clockwise.
FFront face
Turn the face pointing toward you clockwise.
BBack face
Turn the face pointing away from you clockwise.
Turn modifiers
Modifiers tell you which layers to turn, how far to turn them, and in which direction. Rotation letters indicate turns of the whole cube.
R′Prime turn
A counterclockwise quarter-turn of the right face.
R2Double turn
A 180° turn. Direction does not matter for a half-turn.
RwWide turn
Turn the two rightmost layers together. Use Rw in the Digital Cube. On larger cubes, 3Rw turns the three rightmost layers.
2RInner layer
Turn only the second layer in from the right face. 2R2 is a half-turn of that inner layer, distinct from R2.
MMiddle slice
On a 3×3, turn the middle slice between L and R in the same direction as L.
EEquatorial slice
On a 3×3, turn the middle slice between U and D in the same direction as D.
SStanding slice
On a 3×3, turn the middle slice between F and B in the same direction as F.
xX rotation
Rotate the whole cube in the direction of R. The old front becomes the new top.
yY rotation
Rotate the whole cube in the direction of U. The old right becomes the new front.
zZ rotation
Rotate the whole cube in the direction of F. The old top becomes the new right.
Reading an algorithm
Follow the moves from left to right. Keep the same front and top faces unless the sequence calls for a cube rotation.
RRight face clockwiseUUp face clockwiseR′Right face counterclockwiseU′Up face counterclockwise
This four-move sequence is often called the “sexy move.”
No notation references match that search. Try a face letter such as R, or search for “prime.”
Practise on the Digital Cube
Try a single turn or play through a whole sequence.