How to read it: each picture shows the clockwise move, with arrows for the way the stickers travel. Hold the cube with the top face up and the front face towards you; every move is judged from there.
Face turns
A letter on its own turns that face a quarter turn clockwise, judged as if you were looking straight at it. A prime (') turns it anti-clockwise; a 2 turns it twice.
Right (R)
- R
- Clockwise
- R'
- Anti-clockwise
- R2
- Double turn
Left (L)
- L
- Clockwise
- L'
- Anti-clockwise
- L2
- Double turn
Top (U)
- U
- Clockwise
- U'
- Anti-clockwise
- U2
- Double turn
Bottom (D)
- D
- Clockwise
- D'
- Anti-clockwise
- D2
- Double turn
Front (F)
- F
- Clockwise
- F'
- Anti-clockwise
- F2
- Double turn
Back (B)
- B
- Clockwise
- B'
- Anti-clockwise
- B2
- Double turn
Wide turns
A lowercase letter turns the face and the middle layer next to it together. Rw means the same as r.
Wide Right (r)
- r
- Clockwise
- r'
- Anti-clockwise
- r2
- Double turn
Wide Left (l)
- l
- Clockwise
- l'
- Anti-clockwise
- l2
- Double turn
Wide Up (u)
- u
- Clockwise
- u'
- Anti-clockwise
- u2
- Double turn
Wide Down (d)
- d
- Clockwise
- d'
- Anti-clockwise
- d2
- Double turn
Wide Front (f)
- f
- Clockwise
- f'
- Anti-clockwise
- f2
- Double turn
Wide Back (b)
- b
- Clockwise
- b'
- Anti-clockwise
- b2
- Double turn
Slice moves
The three middle layers. M turns the same way as L, E the same way as D, and S the same way as F.
Middle (M)
- M
- Follows L
- M'
- Follows R
- M2
- Double turn
Equator (E)
- E
- Follows D
- E'
- Follows U
- E2
- Double turn
Standing (S)
- S
- Follows F
- S'
- Follows B
- S2
- Double turn
Cube rotations
Turn the whole cube in your hands. Nothing gets scrambled: afterwards the letters simply name different faces.
x (R axis)
- x
- Same as R
- x'
- Same as R'
- x2
- Double rotation
y (U axis)
- y
- Same as U
- y'
- Same as U'
- y2
- Double rotation
z (F axis)
- z
- Same as F
- z'
- Same as F'
- z2
- Double rotation
From speedcube.quest - free, interactive Rubik's Cube guides.