How to play Mini Crossword

A crossword you can finish before your coffee gets cold. The grid is 5 squares across and 5 down, the clues are friendly and everyday, and there is no obscure trivia. Fill every white square so that each row and each column of white squares spells a word.

Filling in the grid

Tap a square to pick it. The yellow square is where your letter goes, and the blue squares show the word you are on.
The clue for that word is shown above the grid. Tap the square again to switch between Across and Down.
Type with the big keys under the grid, or with your computer keyboard. After each letter you move to the next empty square.
The arrows next to the clue take you to the previous or next clue. On a wide screen, every clue is listed on the right.
Made a mistake? Tap Erase, or Undo to take back your last letter.

When you are done

When every square is filled, any letter that is not right turns red. Fix the red letters and the puzzle is solved. Your time is the score. Hint fills in the square you are on, and each hint adds 30 seconds to your time.

Tips for solving

Start with fill-in-the-blank clues. "Hide-and-___" or "Once ___ a time" are usually the quickest.
Watch for plurals. A clue like "Heaps" means the answer is plural too, and often ends in S.
Mind the tense. A clue in the past, like "Got taller", wants an answer in the past.
Let the crossings help. When a word will not come, solve the words that cross it.
A question mark at the end of a clue means a little wordplay.

Today's puzzle

Every day there is one Daily Puzzle, the same mini for every player. Solve it as fast as you can and see how your time compares with everyone else who played today. There are 99 minis in the collection, and more are on the way.

Questions

Who writes the clues? We do. Every clue is written by hand for this site, in plain American English.

Does the clock run when I leave? No. It only counts while the puzzle is on your screen.

Can I make my own crossword? Yes. The crossword maker fits your own words and clues together and prints them with the answers, for a birthday, a reunion or a class.

Do I need an account? No. Your puzzles, streak and settings stay in this browser. A free account keeps them on every device.