Daily Mini Crossword

A small crossword with straightforward clues: no cryptic wordplay, just everyday meanings, so it suits beginners, seniors and a quick coffee break. The grid is at most seven squares each way and every answer crosses at least one other.

Play today’s mini crossword

Today’s puzzle

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The online puzzle needs JavaScript. You can still see every past puzzle in the archive once it is switched on, or try our printable word searches and sudoku.

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Print this puzzle

Include the answer key (a second page)

How to play

Tap a square (or Tab to the grid) and type. The cursor moves along the answer.
Tap the same square again, or press Space, to switch between across and down.
Arrow keys move around the grid; Enter jumps to the next clue. Tapping a clue jumps to its answer.
Press Check to mark wrong squares in red. Fill every square correctly to solve it.

A new puzzle appears every day at midnight your time. Missed one? Every day so far is in the puzzle archive. More daily games: Daily word scramble · Daily word search · Daily sudoku.

Questions

How hard is the mini crossword?

Gentle. The clues are short definitions (“Makes honey”, “Opposite of dark”) and the answers are everyday words of three to seven letters. Each puzzle is checked by a program so every square belongs to a clued answer and every crossing letter agrees.

Is it good for people living with dementia or memory loss?

Many carers use small, familiar puzzles like this as a calm shared activity. Print the PDF in large type, solve it together, and read the clues aloud. It is a pastime, not a medical treatment.

When do the puzzles change?

At midnight where you are. The page uses the date on your own device, so everyone gets the same puzzle on the same calendar day, wherever they live.

Do I need an account?

No. Your times, solved puzzles and streaks are kept in your browser on this device only. Nothing about your answers is sent to us. If you clear your browser data, they start again.

How does the streak work?

Solve a game on the day it comes out without pressing “Show answers” and your streak for that game goes up by one. Miss a day and it starts again. Past puzzles from the archive are there to enjoy but don’t change your streak.

All the daily games: today’s puzzles · Daily word scramble · Daily word search · Daily sudoku · large print word searches · printable crosswords

Get one email a week with the new puzzles

Every Saturday morning (NZ time; Friday in the Americas) we send one short email listing the week’s word scrambles, mini crosswords, word searches and sudoku, with links. No answers, nothing to buy. For grown-ups, 16+.