Six letters are the whole language.
Every algorithm in every cubing resource on earth is written in the same tiny language. Hold your cube still — the letters name faces from your point of view:
U
Up — the top face
D
Down — the bottom face
L
Left face
R
Right face
F
Front — facing you
B
Back — facing away
Three rules, and you can read anything
- 1A letter alone means: turn that face clockwise a quarter turn — clockwise as if you were looking straight at that face. That last part matters for D, L and B.
- 2An apostrophe (R', said "R prime") means counter-clockwise instead.
- 3A two (U2) means a half turn — 180°, either direction.
So R U R' U' reads: right face up, top face left, right face down, top face right. Do it on your cube four times — say the letters out loud as you turn. That exact four-move rhythm, cubers call it the "trigger", will solve the entire white layer in lesson 5.
Tip
Notation clicks through your fingers, not your eyes. Practice R U R' U' until it flows without thinking — six repetitions bring the cube back exactly where it started, which is a fun way to check you're turning correctly. The full reference, including wide moves and rotations, lives on the notation page.