What Is Solitaire and Why Is It Also Called Patience?

Updated

Solitaire is the general name for any card game you play alone, sorting and moving cards to clear the table. The same family of games is also called Patience — "solitaire" comes from the French/Latin idea of being alone, while "patience" describes the quiet, methodical play. The most common version is Klondike, where you arrange cards into piles from Ace to King. Solitaire dates back to the late 18th century in Northern Europe and spread widely in the 19th century, used both for entertainment and to pass time during isolation or long journeys.

Why two names for the same game?

The two names reflect the same core idea from different angles:

  • Solitaire emphasizes that you play by yourself — no opponent, no partner.
  • Patience emphasizes how the game is played — slowly, with planning and repeated sorting.

In practice, the names are interchangeable. What matters more is which variant you mean, because "Solitaire" covers a whole family of games, not one fixed set of rules.

The most common version: Klondike

When most people say "Solitaire," they mean Klondike. Its goal is simple to state: move all cards to four foundation piles in ascending order by suit, starting with the Aces.

How the table is set up

  • Tableau: Shuffle the deck and lay out seven piles in a row. The first pile gets one card, the second gets two, and so on. Only the top card of each pile is face up.
  • Foundations: Four piles at the top of the screen. Each starts with an Ace and builds up by suit, Ace to King.
  • Stock and waste: The remaining cards form the stock. Click the stock to move cards to the waste, then use those cards to build sequences or place them on the foundations.

The rules that decide your moves

Move Rule
Tableau to tableau A card can go on a card one rank higher and of the opposite color (a red 6 on a black 7)
Groups You can move a single card or a group already in correct sequence
To foundations Move a card from the tableau or waste if it's the next highest of that suit (a 3 of Hearts onto an Ace and 2 of Hearts)
Empty tableau space Only a King can go there, alone or with a sequence following it

You win when every card has moved to the foundations.

What you can actually do on Solitaire Owl

Solitaire Owl is an online version of the classic game — no download required, and it runs in full screen. The site lists features including background and card customizations, statistics, and unlimited hints. It also offers other games beyond Klondike, such as FreeCell and Spider Solitaire.

If you're new, the practical path is: start with Klondike, use the hints freely while you learn the color-and-rank pattern, and check the statistics page to see how often you're clearing the board. If Klondike starts feeling too luck-dependent, FreeCell and Spider change the puzzle in ways that reward different kinds of planning.