How to Play Mini Crossword
A fresh 5x5 crossword every day. Quick clues, beat the clock.
Mini Crossword is a compact 5x5 word puzzle you can finish in a few minutes. Black squares split the grid into short across and down words, each with a quick clue. A timer starts the moment the grid appears, and your score is simply 600 minus the seconds you took, so speed and accuracy both matter. It is the crossword for a tea break, not a Sunday afternoon.
There is one daily puzzle shared by every player, picked from a hand-authored bank of grids by the date, and a free-play mode that serves puzzles you have not seen yet. A day streak rewards solving the daily on consecutive days. Reveal costs coins and is recorded on your result, so a clean solve carries extra bragging rights when you share your time.
Controls
- Touch: tap a cell to select it; tap it again to switch between Across and Down. Type on the on-screen keyboard.
- Desktop: click a cell and type; Backspace or Delete clears a letter.
- Space, Tab or Enter jumps to the next word; Shift+Tab goes back.
- CHECK marks wrong letters in red. REVEAL fills the selected cell for 20 coins.
How to play, step by step
- Choose DAILY PUZZLE or FREE PLAY.
- Read the clue bar for 1 Across and type; the cursor advances on its own.
- Tap a cell twice to flip to the crossing Down word and use letters already placed.
- Fill the short words first; they seed the longer entries.
- If the grid is full but not solved, tap CHECK and fix the red cells.
- Solve every word to stop the clock, then share or start the next puzzle.
Rules and scoring
- 5x5 grid with black squares; every white cell belongs to an across and/or a down word.
- Score = 600 minus seconds taken, never below 0.
- Coins: 60 for the daily, 40 for free play.
- REVEAL costs 20 coins per letter and the count appears on your result. CHECK is free.
- Only the daily counts toward your day streak. Fastest time is saved as a personal best.
Tips to score higher
- Start with the three-letter corner words; each one seeds two longer answers.
- Do not sit on a clue. Tab to the next word and return with crossings filled.
- Type down a column when you know the answer; it fills several across entries at once.
- Use free CHECK before paying for Reveal; usually one letter is wrong and the crossing makes it obvious.
- The grid shakes when full but wrong. That is your cue to CHECK immediately.
- Every ten seconds costs ten points, so read the clue bar instead of hunting for lists.
Modes and challenges
- DAILY PUZZLE: one grid per date shared by all players, 60 coins, counts toward your day streak.
- FREE PLAY: random unseen puzzles from the bank, 40 coins each; once you have seen them all the rotation resets.
- Personal best tracking and share-my-time text for either mode.
Frequently asked questions
Is the daily crossword the same for everyone?
Yes. The daily index comes from the date, so everyone gets the same grid today and times are comparable.
What does the score mean?
600 minus your seconds. A two-minute solve scores 480; over ten minutes scores zero but still pays coins.
Does Reveal affect my result?
It costs 20 coins each and the count is shown on the result card, which calls out 'no reveals' solves.
How do I switch from Across to Down?
Tap the selected cell a second time. The clue bar updates to the new direction.