About Mini Crossword
The Mini Crossword is a full crossword shrunk to a five-by-five grid. Every white square sits in an across answer and a down answer, so the whole grid locks together and one good guess often unlocks two clues. It takes a couple of minutes on an easy day and a little longer when the black squares thin out. The clues are written for this site in plain crossword style: short definitions, fill-in-the-blanks and the occasional bit of wordplay marked with a question mark. Answers never repeat within a month.
How to play Mini Crossword
- Press Start to show the clues and start the clock. Tap a square and type; tap the same square again, or the clue bar above the grid, to switch between across and down.
- Every white square belongs to an across and a down answer, so each letter you find is a hint for the crossing clue.
- When every square is filled, the grid is checked automatically. Check and Reveal help if you are stuck, but a helped grid does not go on the leaderboard.
- The fastest correct grid ranks first. Easy days have six black squares and the most direct clues; hard days have fewer black squares and trickier clues.
Tips & strategy
- Start with the fill-in-the-blank clues: they are usually the quickest wins and give you letters for the crossing answers.
- Read across and down together. In a fully checked grid a single letter is often all you need to see a short answer.
- A clue ending in a question mark is playing with words, so think of a second meaning before the obvious one.
- Short answers are common words, so try the everyday choice first and let the crossings confirm it.
Mini Crossword: questions and answers
How big is the Mini Crossword?
Five squares by five, with a few black squares placed symmetrically. Every answer has three to five letters.
When is the grid checked?
As soon as every square holds a letter, the site asks the server whether the whole grid is right. It never says which squares are wrong unless you press Check.
What do Check and Reveal cost?
Nothing for your streak or your statistics. A grid solved with their help simply is not ranked on the daily leaderboard.
Does the clock run if I leave the page?
No. It pauses while the page is hidden and starts again when you come back, and your letters are kept in this browser.