How to Play Mini Crossword
Select a Puzzle
Use the puzzle selector dropdown to choose from seven themed mini crosswords ranging from Easy to Hard. Animals and Food & Kitchen puzzles are great for beginners, while Geography and Science puzzles offer more challenging clues and wordplay.
Click a Cell and Type
Click or tap any white cell to select it. The active cell highlights in yellow and the current word highlights in light blue. Start typing to fill in letters — the cursor advances automatically to the next cell in the word. Click the same cell again to switch between Across and Down directions. Use arrow keys to move freely, Tab to jump to the next clue, and Shift-Tab to go back.
Use Check and Reveal for Help
If you are stuck, use the Check button to verify whether your current entries are correct — wrong letters show in red. Use Reveal to expose the correct answer for a letter, a word, or the entire puzzle. Enable Autocheck to catch mistakes in real time as you type. Pencil Mode lets you enter tentative guesses in a lighter color without committing.
Complete the Puzzle and Share
Fill all white cells correctly to complete the puzzle. A celebration screen appears showing your solve time, best time, and the number of reveals used. Click Share to copy a result message to your clipboard. Your best time and solve count are saved automatically in your browser for each puzzle.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the keyboard appear automatically on mobile?
The crossword game uses a hidden text input element that receives focus when you tap any cell. This technique is the standard approach for browser-based crossword games because it triggers the native on-screen keyboard on iOS and Android devices without requiring a custom virtual keyboard. The hidden input listens for all keystrokes and forwards them to the game logic. You can type letters, use backspace, and even use arrow keys if your device has a hardware keyboard. The input is visually invisible but functionally active whenever a cell is selected.
What is the difference between Check and Reveal?
Check validates your entries by comparing them against the correct answers and highlights any incorrect letters in red without changing them. It tells you what is wrong but does not fix it — you still need to figure out the correct answer yourself. Reveal, on the other hand, shows you the correct letter or word directly, filling in the answer for you. Revealed letters appear in orange to distinguish them from letters you solved on your own. Using Reveal for a letter also marks that cell as confirmed correct. Both tools are available at three levels of scope: a single letter, the current active word, or the entire puzzle.
Are my solve times and best records saved?
Yes. When you successfully complete a puzzle, the game saves your best solve time and total solve count for that specific puzzle in your browser's local storage. These records persist between browser sessions as long as you do not clear your browser data. Best times are displayed in the clue panel during play and in the completion modal after solving. Records are stored per puzzle ID, so each of the seven themed puzzles maintains its own separate leaderboard. There is no account or sign-in required — everything is stored locally on your device.
How does Pencil Mode work?
Pencil Mode, toggled with the Pencil button in the toolbar, changes the visual style of any letters you type to appear in a lighter, muted color — like writing in pencil rather than pen. This signals that the letter is a tentative guess rather than a confirmed answer. Pencil letters still count toward puzzle completion if they happen to be correct, and they will be evaluated normally by the Check feature. Pencil mode is useful when you are unsure of a letter and want to place it as a placeholder while you work on crossing clues. You can switch back to pen mode at any time, and existing pencil entries are not retroactively changed.
What does Autocheck do?
When Autocheck is enabled, every letter you type is immediately verified against the correct answer. If the letter is wrong, the cell immediately displays the red error indicator — you do not need to click Check separately. This feature is helpful for beginners who want instant feedback while learning crossword-solving skills. However, it can make the puzzle feel easier and removes the guessing challenge. Advanced players may prefer to keep Autocheck off and use the manual Check button only when they want a checkpoint. Autocheck status is visible in the toolbar — the button appears highlighted when active.
Can I play on a phone or tablet?
Yes, the crossword game is fully playable on mobile devices. The grid cells are sized generously (56-64px per cell) to be easy to tap accurately on touchscreens. Tapping a cell focuses the hidden input element, which triggers the native keyboard on iOS and Android. The active clue is displayed prominently in a bar above the grid on small screens so you can always see what you are currently solving. The toolbar buttons are designed for touch with adequate spacing. The clue panels for Across and Down appear below the grid on mobile and beside it on desktop. For the best mobile experience, use the latest version of Chrome, Safari, or Firefox.