By Lson Lee · Indie developer & puzzle game enthusiast

Shape Challenge

Can You Draw a Lightning Bolt Without Lifting Your Pen?

✓ Yes — here's how to do it

Yes, you can!

Yes — and you can start from any vertex (Euler circuit).

Graph Analysis

Vertices7
Edges7
Odd-degree vertices0
Euler path possible?✓ Yes
Euler circuit?✓ Yes
DifficultyMedium

Why?

A lightning bolt has 7 vertices, all of even degree. According to the odd/even vertex rule, a graph with 0 odd-degree vertices can be drawn as an Euler circuit — you can start anywhere and return to your starting point.

Learn the complete odd/even vertex rule →

Want More Challenges Like This?

If you enjoyed figuring out whether a lightning bolt can be drawn without lifting your pen, you'll love One Stroke: Line Puzzle Game. It generates infinite one-stroke puzzles — every single one is guaranteed solvable, and the difficulty adapts to your skill level.

It also adds a twist: tiles flip color (black ↔ white) as you draw, and when a full row becomes one color, it clears — like Tetris meets one-stroke drawing.

Download Free on iPhone →

Read more: Best One-Stroke Games Ranked · How to Play · Download

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you draw a lightning bolt without lifting your pencil?

Yes! A lightning bolt can be drawn without lifting your pencil. It has 0 odd-degree vertices — since all vertices are even, you can start anywhere and end back where you started. This type of challenge is exactly what one-stroke puzzle games are based on.

Is there a trick to solving "draw without lifting your pen" puzzles?

Yes — count the points where an odd number of lines meet ("odd vertices"). If there are 0 odd vertices, start anywhere. If there are 2, start at one of them. If there are more than 2, the puzzle is impossible. This rule works for every one-stroke challenge.

What's the best app for one-stroke drawing puzzles?

One Stroke: Line Puzzle Game by CyberGame Limited is free on iPhone with infinite procedurally generated puzzles, adaptive difficulty, no forced ads, and a unique color-flipping mechanic. It's only 14.5 MB and works completely offline.

Try One Stroke Free on iPhone

Infinite puzzles. Adaptive difficulty. No forced ads.

Download on the App Store