What is a mini crossword?
A mini crossword is a full crossword shrunk to a grid you can finish over a coffee. The clues still run across and down, the answers still interlock, but a round takes minutes rather than the best part of an hour.
The small format changes how the puzzle feels. With so few squares every crossing matters, and a single answer can crack half the grid, which is why minis reward quick instinct as much as deep vocabulary. It is also the friendliest way into crosswords for anyone who finds a full size grid intimidating.
How to play
Each clue is numbered and runs across or down. Type an answer and its letters land in the crossing entries too, so every word you place confirms or challenges the ones around it. The grid is complete when every square is filled and every clue is satisfied.
There is no penalty for changing your mind. If a crossing refuses to work, one of the answers feeding it is wrong, and fast solvers treat their first pass as pencil rather than ink.
Solving tips
Sweep the whole clue list once before committing anywhere. Fill in the blank clues and short answers are usually the most certain, and they hand you crossing letters everywhere else.
After the first pass, work the crossings rather than the clue list. Once an answer is down, its letters often make a neighbouring clue obvious. A stubborn corner usually falls to asking which letters are already fixed and which common word fits the pattern.
If the grid stalls completely, question your proudest answer. In a small grid one wrong entry poisons several crossings at once, and removing it costs less than staring at it.
The daily mini crossword
One shared grid per day, arriving at midnight UTC, the same puzzle for every player. Finishing the daily grid keeps your streak going, and your stats build from there.
Mini Crossword is currently in development. This page describes the game as it will launch. In the meantime, Hashiwokakero and Chess Solitaire are live with daily puzzles.
Mini crossword FAQ
How big is the grid?
Mini crosswords are traditionally around five by five, and ours will sit in that pocket size range. We will confirm the exact dimensions when the game launches.
Are the clues American or British style?
The plan is straight definitions with light wordplay rather than full cryptic clues, built on everyday vocabulary with British English spelling.
Is a mini a good way to learn crosswords?
It is the best way. The grid is small enough that wrong guesses are cheap, crossings do a lot of the work for you, and finishing daily builds the pattern recognition that full size grids assume.