Glossary

Speedcubing vocabulary

The words you’ll come across in videos, forums and at competitions.

CFOP: Cross, F2L, OLL, PLL: the most widely used speedcubing method, also called the Fridrich method.
Cross: The 4 edges of the first face, lined up with the centers. The first step of CFOP.
F2L: First Two Layers: the first two layers, built pair by pair (corner + edge).
Pair: A corner and an edge that belong in the same F2L slot, inserted together.
Slot: One of the 4 gaps between the cross and the middle layer, where you insert a pair.
OLL: Orientation of the Last Layer: making the whole top face yellow. 57 cases.
PLL: Permutation of the Last Layer: moving the top pieces to their correct spots. 21 cases.
2-look: Doing OLL or PLL in two steps with just a few algorithms, before learning the full set.
AUF: Adjust U Face: the U, U' or U2 you do before or after an algorithm to line up the top layer.
Trigger: A short sequence that shows up everywhere, like R U R' or R U R' U'. You execute it in one motion.
Sexy move: R U R' U'. The most famous trigger.
Sledgehammer: R' F R F'. Another common trigger (OLL, F2L).
Finger tricks: Turning the faces with your fingertips (index for U, wrist for R) instead of your whole hand.
Lookahead: Tracking the next piece while your hands finish the current one. The key to eliminating pauses.
TPS: Turns Per Second: how many moves you make each second.
Inspection: The 15 seconds before an official solve to look at the cube without turning it.
ao5, ao12: Average of the last 5 or 12 times, dropping the best and the worst. ao5 is the official competition format.
DNF: Did Not Finish: a failed or unfinished solve. +2: a 2-second penalty.
PB: Personal Best: your best single or your best average.
WCA: World Cube Association: the organization that runs official competitions.
Pop: When a piece flies out of the cube during a solve. A well-tuned cube almost never pops.
Lock-up: A face jamming mid-turn, usually because a layer wasn’t aligned.
Color neutral: Being able to start with a cross of any color. Useful at a high level, not when you’re starting out.
Rotation: Turning the whole cube (x, y, z). Every rotation costs time, so you try to keep them to a minimum.