Mini Crossword: Free Daily 5×5 Crossword Puzzle
A new 5×5 mini crossword every day, the same for everyone, with clues that get harder from Monday to Saturday. Plus unlimited free play at three levels, free checking and an on-screen keyboard.
Quick facts
- Category
- 🔤 Word
- Price
- Free, no download or sign-up
- Plays on
- Computer, phone and tablet
- Screen
- Portrait
- Provided by
- After School Play
- Added
About Mini Crossword: Daily 5×5
Mini Crossword: Daily 5×5 is our own small crossword: a five-by-five grid with up to four black squares, ten or so short English words, and a clue for each one. Across words read left to right, Down words top to bottom, and every letter belongs to one of each, so the words you know help you crack the ones you don't. A puzzle takes a minute or two, which makes it a good daily habit.
A new daily puzzle arrives every day at midnight UTC, the same grid and clues for everyone. Like a newspaper crossword, the week has a rhythm: Monday's clues are the plainest, they get trickier through the week, Saturday's are the hardest, and Sunday sits in the middle. The last seven days stay open on the title screen, so a missed day can still be played, and solving each day's puzzle on its day builds a streak.
Tap a square to select it and tap it again to switch between Across and Down. The current clue sits above the grid, with arrows to step to the previous or next clue. Type on the built-in keyboard or on your own: the cursor skips ahead to the next empty square, and when a word is finished it jumps to the next clue that still has a gap. On a computer, the full Across and Down lists sit beside the grid, Tab moves to the next clue, the space bar switches direction and the arrow keys move around.
Stuck? Check a square, a word or the whole grid for free at any time. Wrong letters get a red slash and right ones lock in with a small green dot, and Autocheck in the settings marks a wrong letter the moment you type it. Clear works on a word or the whole grid. For a nudge you can also reveal a letter for 10 gems or a whole word for 20 gems. Revealed letters show a blue corner, and they never change your score.
The daily score starts at 1000 and loses 2 points for each second after the first 30, down to a floor of 100, so a solve in 30 seconds or less scores the maximum 1000. Only today's puzzle, solved today, goes on the leaderboard. Free play gives you a brand new grid every time at Easy, Medium or Hard, with your best times kept for each.
Every grid comes from the game's own generator, and all of its clues, more than 8,700 for about 3,300 everyday English answers, were written for it, in easy, medium and hard versions. Mini Crossword is free to play in your browser with no download or sign-up, and its art, sound effects and music are all made for the game.
Want more? Browse Word games.
How to Play
- Pick today's puzzle, a day from this week, or a free-play grid at Easy, Medium or Hard.
- Tap a square to select it. Tap it again to switch between Across and Down.
- Read the clue above the grid and type the answer with the on-screen keys or your keyboard.
- Use the arrows beside the clue, or Tab, to move to the next clue. Backspace deletes a letter.
- Check a square, a word or the whole grid for free if you are unsure.
- Fill every square correctly to solve the puzzle. In the daily, a faster solve scores more.
Tips
- Start with the fill-in-the-blank clues. They are usually the quickest way in.
- Work the crossings: two or three letters from crossing words often give an answer away.
- The clue and the answer always match in form, so a plural clue means a plural answer and a past-tense clue a past-tense one.
- A clue that ends with a question mark is playing with words. Think puns and double meanings.
- Monday's clues are the easiest. Begin your streak there if the late-week puzzles feel hard.
FAQ
- Is Mini Crossword free?
- Yes. It is free to play in any modern browser, on a phone, tablet or computer, with no download and no sign-up.
- When does the daily crossword change?
- Every day at midnight UTC. Everyone gets the same grid and clues that day. The puzzles from the past week stay playable on the title screen.
- Why are some days harder than others?
- The clues follow a weekly rhythm, like a newspaper crossword: Monday has the easiest clues, they get harder through the week, Saturday is the hardest and Sunday is in the middle.
- How is the daily score worked out?
- You start with 1000 points and lose 2 for each second after the first 30, never going below 100. A solve within 30 seconds scores the maximum of 1000. Only today's puzzle solved today counts for the leaderboard.
- What do gems buy?
- Revealing a letter costs 10 gems and revealing a whole word costs 20. Reveals never change your score. Checking letters, words or the whole grid is always free.
- Are the clues in English?
- Yes. The answers are everyday English words of three to five letters, and every clue was written for this game. The buttons and menus are also available in Japanese, Chinese and Spanish.
