4x4x4 parity algorithms
Parity (also known as Orientation Parity and Permutation Parity) on the 4x4x4 is a common situation (occurring in 3/4 of all solves) where two or four edge pieces need to be cycled. This is considered difficult because in most methods the centers are solved before the edges, and there is no efficient or intuitive way to swap those edges (and no others) without affecting the centers. Because of how common and difficult this case is, many algorithms have been developed. This page attempts to list all efficient algorithms.
Impure Edge Flips (OLL Parity)
Impure Edge Flips (Only for Reduction) (WCA notation)
| Alg | Rw U2 x Rw U2 Rw U2 Rw' U2 Lw U2 Rw' U2 Rw U2 Rw' U2 Rw' |
| Alg | Rw U2 Rw U2 Rw' U2 Rw U2 Lw' U2 Rw U2 Rw' U2 x' Rw' U2 Rw' |
Impure Edge Flips which can be made pure edge flips.
- If the remaining algorithms in this category are executed using WCA notation, pure flips will result.
| Frédérick_Badie(v1) | r' U2 l F2 l' F2 r2 U2 r U2 r' U2 F2 r2 F2 /(25,15) |
| Frédérick_Badie(v2) | r' U2 x l U2 l' U2 x' r2 U2 r U2 r' U2 F2 r2 F2 /(25,15) |
| Alg | r2 B2 U2 l U2 r' U2 r U2 F2 r F2 l' B2 r2 /(25,15) |
| cmowlaparity | x' r2 U2 l' U2 r U2 l F2 U r U' F2 U r' U r2 x /(23,16) |
| lucasparity | r U2 r U2 r' U2 r U2 l' U2 l F2 r' F2 r' U2 r' /(25,17) |
| Alg | r2 U2 l' U2 r U2 r' U2 r U2 r' x' U2 r' U2 r2 F2 l x /(27,17) |
| Alg | r U2 r U2 r' U2 r U2 l' U2 r U2 r' U2 l r2 U2 r' /(27,18) |
Algorithms that solve OLL and PLL Parity Simultaneously (Double Parity):
| Alg | Rw2 B2 Rw' U2 Rw' U2 x' U2 Rw' U2 Rw U2 Rw' U2 Rw2 U2 (x) |
| Alg | Lw' U2 Lw U2 Lw' U2 Lw' U2 Rw U2 Lw' U2 Lw U2 x' U2 Lw2 |
Pure Edge Flips:
| cmowlaparity | x' Rw2 U2 Lw' U2 r U2 Rw U2 x' U r U' F2 U r' U Rw2 x /(23,16) |
| Alg | x' Rw2 U2 Lw' U2 r U2 Rw U2 x' U' r U F2 U' r' U' Rw2 x /(23,16) |
| Alg | Rw Uw2 x' U D r y Uw2 Rw2 Uw r Uw' Rw2 Dw r' u D' x Uw2 Rw' /(22,17) |
| lucasparity | Rw U2 Rw U2 r' U2 r U2 l' U2 l F2 r' F2 Rw' U2 Rw'/ (25,17) |
| Alg | Rw U2 Rw U2 r' U2 Rw U2 l' U2 r U2 r' U2 (Rw' l) Rw' U2 Rw' /(27,18) |
| Holy_Grail | z Dw' M D Lw' Uw' r' Uw Lw Uw' Lw2' Bw' r' Bw Rw' R' u y' M' Uw x2 z'/(19,18) |
| Alg | Rw U L F' U l' Dw Uw Rw2 Dw' l' Dw Rw2 Dw' l Uw' U' F L' U' Rw' /(23,20) |
| Alg | r U2 r' U2 r U2 r U r U r U2 r2 U2 r U2 r U r' U' r2 U2 /(31,22) |
| Alg | r U r' U r' U' r2 U r2 U2 r' U2 r U2 r' U2 r' U r' U' r U r' U2 r U2 /(34,26) (SiGN) |
PLL Parity (WCA Notation)
| Alg | Uw2 Rw2 U2 (Rw2 R2') U2 Rw2 Uw2 |
| Alg | Uw2 Rw2 U2 r2 U2 Rw2 Uw2 |
| Alg | r2 U2 r2 Uw2 r2 u2 |
| Alg | r2 U2 r2 Uw2 r2 Uw2 |
| Alg | (Rw2 R2') U2 (Rw2 R2') Uw2 (Rw2 R2') Uw2 |
| Alg | Rw2 B2 U2 r2 U2 B2 Rw2 |
Other ELL Cases
4-Cycles in Two Opposite Edges
Double parity
| Alg | r U2 r' E2 F2 l F2 l' F2 r F2 r' D2 l y2 /(21,14) |
| Alg | r2 B2 r' U2 r' U2 B2 r' B2 r B2 r' B2 r2 B2/ (25,15) |
| Alg | l2 F2 l' U2 l' U2 F2 l' F2 l F2 l' F2 l2 F2/ (25,15) |
Checkerboard pattern
| Alg | (f2 u' r2 Uw2 S') r (S Uw2 r2 u f2) /(17,11) |
| Alg | r' U2 r2 U2 r U2 r' U2 r U2 r2 U2 r' /(21,13) |
| Alg | r U2 r2 U2 r' U2 r U2 r' U2 r2 U2 r /(21,13) |
| Alg | l U2 l2 U2 l' U2 l U2 l' U2 l2 U2 l /(21,13) |
Bowtie (adj. 2-swap + Pll Parity)
| Alg | F2 l2 F2 l F2 l' F2 r U2 l U2 r' U2 l U2 l' /(25,16) |
| Alg | F2 r2 F2 r' F2 r F2 l' U2 r' U2 l U2 r' U2 r /(25,16) |
| Alg | r U2 l' U2 r U2 r U2 r' U2 r U2 r2 U2 l r' U2 r' /(27,18) |
| Alg | r U2 r l' U2 r2 U2 r' U2 r U2 r' U2 r' U2 l U2 r' /(27,18) |
2-Cycles in Two Opposite Edges
Adjacent 2-swap
| Alg | r2 D2 r' D2 l D2 l' D2 B2 l' B2 r' /(19,12) |
| Alg | r U2 r U2 x U2 r U2 l' x' U2 l U2 r2 /(19,12) |
| Alg | l' U2 l' U2 x U2 l' U2 r x' U2 r' U2 l2 /(19,12) |
| Alg | Rw2 U2 l U2 r' U2 r U2 (Rw l') U2 r U2 Rw /(20,13) |
| Alg | Rw' U2 r' U2 (Rw' l) U2 r' U2 r U2 l' U2 Rw2 /(20,13) |
| Alg | l' U2 l' U2 (l' r) U2 l' U2 l U2 r' U2 l2 /(21,14) |
| Alg | r U2 r U2 (r l') U2 r U2 r' U2 l U2 r2 /(21,14) |
| Alg | z' Lw U' r Uw Lw' Uw' r Fw r Fw' r2 Uw Lw u' Lw' z /(16,15) |
| Alg | l2 D' f' D r D2 r' D' f D' l' F2 r' F2 l' /(19,15) |
Opposite/diagonal 2-swap
| Alg | l' S2 U2 l U2 l' U2 r U2 r' F2 l B2 r z2 /(21,14) |
| Alg | r S2 U2 r' U2 r U2 l' U2 l F2 r' B2 l' z2 /(21,14) |
| Alg | l2 B2 U2 l U2 l2 B2 l U2 l2 U2 B2 l B2 /(25,14) |
| Alg | r2 B2 U2 r' U2 r2 B2 r' U2 r2 U2 B2 r' B2 /(25,14) |
| Alg | Uw Lw' Uw' l' Uw Lw2 Dw' Lw Uw' l' Uw L' Dw Lw' Uw'/ (16,15) |
| Alg | Rw2 F2 U2 r U2 x U2 Rw2 U2 r' U2 l r U2 l' U2 x' /(25,15) |
| Alg | l' U2 l U2 l U2 r' U2 l U2 l' U2 F2 l2 F2 r /(25,16) |
| Alg | r U2 r' U2 r' U2 l U2 r' U2 r U2 F2 r2 F2 l' /(25,16) |
- More ELL algs for the 4x4x4 cube can be found here: Kirjava's K4 ELL page
Brief Algorithms which don't Preserve F2L
(All of the following algorithms are in WCA notation. Choose any of the moves from the brackets before and after the central portion of the algorithm.)
OLL Parity (Only)
- { Uw, u, d } M R D R' Fw f E' l' E Fw b E F { Lw, l, r } (OLL parity) (15,15)
Double Parity
- { Uw, u, d } R' b E' d' L' b L u' b2 Uw M' B' { Uw, u, d } (15,15)
- { Uw, u, d } S L B' R u d f' u d L B' R S { Uw, u, d } (15,15)
- { Uw, u, d } S L' F R' u d f' u d L' F R' S { Uw, u, d } (15,15)
- The majority of the algorithms remaining to be displayed in this section have many variations, but yet all variations are the same as the few algorithms listed below.
- The following "translations" of the algorithms work on all cube sizes.
- For a list of more variations of these algorithms (but definitely not all possible variations), see
- Note that all algorithms are in SiGN Notation unless mentioned otherwise.
- OLL Parity (Only). You may perform the follow algorithms without wide turns, but they won't preserve as much.
| Alg_1(WCA) | Rw B U2 B' r B2 l B2 r B' D2 B Rw /(17,13) |
| Alg_2 | r B' U2 B r B2 l B2 r B D2 B' r /(17,13) |
| Alg_2(v2) | x' r' U F2 U' l' U2 r' U2 r' F' U2 F r' /(17,13) |
| Alg_2(v3) | x' r' U F2 U' l' U2 r' U2 l' U' B2 U r' x' /(17,13) |
| Alg_2(v4) | x' r' U F2 U' l' U2 r' 3d2 r' U' F2 U l' x /(17,13) |
| Alg_3 | r U F2 U' l F2 2R U2 r U B2 U' r /(17,13) |
| Alg_4 | r U' F2 U l F2 2R U2 r U' B2 U r /(17,13) |
| Alg | r' U2 F U2 F' U2 r' U2 r' U2 r' F U2 F' r' /(21,15)(WCA) |
| Alg | r' U2 F' U2 F U2 r' U2 r' U2 r' F' U2 F r' /(21,15)(WCA) |
- Double Parity
| Alg_1 | r F2 U2 l F U' R U' r2 B2 r' B2 r2 /(19,13) |
| Alg_1(v2) | l' U2 F2 l' U' F R' F l2 U2 r U2 l2 U' x' /(20,14) |
| Alg_1(v3) | l' U2 F2 l' U' F 3l' U l2 x' U2 r U2 l2 U' x' /(20,14) |
| Alg_2 | r F2 U2 l F' U L' U r2 B2 r' B2 r2 /(19,13) |
| Alg_2(v2) | r U2 F2 r U' F R' F r2 U2 l' U2 r2 U' x' /(20,14) |
| Alg_2(v3) | r U2 F2 r U' F 3l' U r2 x' U2 l' U2 r2 U' x' /(20,14) |
| Alg_3 | r F2 U2 l F U' (L' R) U' r2 B2 r' B2 r2 /(19,13) |
| Alg_4 | r F2 U2 l F' U (L' R) U r2 B2 r' B2 r2 /(19,13) |
| Affects_M-Layer_Only | r U2 r' U2 r' D2 r D2 r' B2 r B2 r' /(19,13)(WCA) |
