Mini Crossword
A bite-sized crossword for a quick break. Solve the daily 5x5 or try the bigger 7x7, and beat your best time.
How to Play
- Click a square or a clue to choose where to type. The highlighted squares show the current word.
- Type letters to fill the word. The cursor moves forward automatically.
- Click the same square again, or press Space, to switch between Across and Down.
- Use the arrow keys to move around, and Tab or Shift+Tab to jump between clues.
- The timer starts with your first letter and stops when every square is correct.
- Check marks any wrong letters. Reveal fills in the answers, but then the time won't count.
Tips & Strategy
- Start with the clues you're sure of. Crossing letters make the harder clues easier.
- Short three-letter answers are often the quickest way in.
- Plural clues usually have plural answers, and past-tense clues past-tense answers.
- On a phone, use the on-screen keyboard under the grid.
Frequently Asked Questions
At midnight in your own time zone. Each size has its own daily puzzle, so you can play both every day.
Your best time for each size is stored in your browser's local storage on this device only. Puzzles you reveal don't count.
No. It pauses when the page is hidden and picks up again with your next letter.
Answers are everyday words. Where a word is spelled differently in British and American English, the clue makes clear which spelling is meant.
Yes. Practice picks a random puzzle from the archive in the size you've chosen.
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