Arrow Keys Navigate
Space Toggle direction
Tab Next word
Backspace Delete
Across
Down
How to Play
GoalFill in every square of the grid using the Across and Down clues. Letters cross between words, so each answer helps confirm the next.
Controls- Click a square to focus it, or click a clue to jump to its answer.
- Type letters to fill the current word; wrong letters are not blocked, so use crossings to check.
- Space toggles between Across and Down for the highlighted square.
- Tab moves to the next word, Backspace deletes a letter.
- Arrow keys move the cursor one square at a time.
DifficultyEasy grids are smaller with more common vocabulary; Expert grids are larger with trickier clues.
Tips- Start with the clues you are sure of — their letters unlock the crossings.
- Plurals usually end in -S; past tense often ends in -ED.
- Fill-in answers as you go: every letter you place helps two words at once.
- If a crossing looks impossible, one of your two words is probably wrong.
About Crossword History, Strategy & Tips
A crossword is a grid of white and black squares. You fill the white squares with letters to form interlocking words, guided by numbered clues split into Across (horizontal) and Down (vertical). Every letter you place helps at least two words, so the grid gradually fills itself in.
It is the thinking person’s puzzle: a mix of vocabulary, general knowledge, wordplay, and patient deduction. A good crossword is a conversation between you and its setter.
The History of Crossword
The crossword puzzle was invented by Arthur Wynne, a journalist from Liverpool who had emigrated to the United States. On 21 December 1913, the New York World published his “Word-Cross” — a diamond-shaped grid of interlocking words with clues. Readers were hooked, and within a decade crosswords were a feature of major American newspapers.
The craze crossed the Atlantic in the 1920s, though British setters developed their own distinct style — denser grids without black squares separating every word, and famously cryptic clues that pack a definition and a wordplay puzzle into every line. Today the crossword is the most widely played word puzzle in the world, with daily devotees solving puzzles from the New York Times, the Guardian, and dozens of other publications.
Solving Strategies
Start with what you know
Skim the full clue list first and fill in any answer you are certain of. These are your anchors — every letter you place crosses another word and narrows its possibilities.
Exploit the crossings
Once you have a few letters of a word, the crossings often make the answer obvious. A clue for a five-letter word with _R_N_ filled in leaves very few options. Work back and forth between Across and Down.
Mind plurals and tenses
If a clue ends in “-s” or uses a plural, the answer usually does too. Past-tense clues (“ran”) typically end in -ED, and these endings give you free letters for crossing words.
Fill-in-the-blank clues are gifts
Clues like “___ and butter” or “To be, or not to ___” are essentially free answers. Grab them immediately — they unlock crossings for trickier clues nearby.
Crossword FAQ
Do I need a huge vocabulary?
A broad vocabulary helps, but crossings carry you through most puzzles. Fill in what you know and let the grid do the rest.
What if two answers seem to fit?
Check the crossings — the correct answer is the one whose letters also complete the perpendicular words.
Are the clues cryptic or straightforward?
Our crosswords use straightforward (American-style) clues rather than cryptic wordplay, making them approachable for new solvers.
How does difficulty change?
Easier grids are smaller with more common vocabulary. Expert grids are larger with trickier, more indirect clues.