Where to start
- New to crosswords? Start with The Atlantic Crossword on a Monday. The grid is tiny, the latest puzzles are free, and it gets a little bigger each day, so you grow with it.
- Want a proper newspaper crossword for free? Try the Guardian Quick Crossword. It's a full-sized grid without any trick clues.
- Curious about cryptics? Minute Cryptic teaches you one clue at a time.
Compare at a glance
| Game | Typical time | Difficulty | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Mini Crossword | 1–3 min | Easy | Subscription |
| Minute Cryptic | 1–10 min | Medium | Free daily clue |
| The Atlantic Crossword | 2–15 min | Easy → medium | Free daily puzzle |
| The Missing Letter | 10–15 min | Medium | Free |
| Guardian Quick Crossword | 10–20 min | Easy–medium | Free |
| The Crossword | 10 min – 1 hour+ | Easy Monday → hard Saturday | Subscription |
Times and difficulty are dailyfika's own estimates for a typical day, not official figures.
Three kinds of crossword
Mini grids
The Mini Crossword and The Atlantic Crossword fit into a coffee break. They're great for building a daily habit, and for racing a friend's time.
Full grids
The NYT Crossword and the Guardian Quick are classic newspaper puzzles. The Guardian's clues are plain definitions. The NYT adds wordplay, especially later in the week.
Crosswords with a twist
Minute Cryptic boils cryptic crosswords down to a single clue. The Missing Letter adds a final riddle: which letter of the alphabet starts none of the answers?
More to explore
Like playing with words? Browse the daily word games. Enjoy clues that test what you know? Try the daily trivia games.