One Clue Word: solve five words
- Read the main clue and category. The answer is a five-letter English word.
- Type a guess with your keyboard or tap the on-screen keys. Enter submits; Backspace removes a letter.
- Use green for an exact position and yellow for a letter elsewhere. Gray means that copy has no remaining match in the answer.
- Keep guessing until you solve the word, then read the explanation and continue. There is no per-round guess limit.
- Complete all five rounds. A skipped word is shown as skipped, not solved; hints and assistance are recorded separately.
Why a repeated letter can be both yellow and gray
For answer APPLE, guess ALLEY is green / yellow / gray / yellow / gray. The answer contains one L, so only one guessed L can match. The gray L does not mean “never use L”; it means “there is no second L to match.” Exact-position greens are assigned before the remaining letters are counted.
Hiding the clock does not pause a timed run. Use Pause to stop the clock; that marks the run as assisted. Practice has no running timer. Extra hints are available in Unlimited and Practice, while Skip reveals the current word.
Play One Clue Word Read the worked solving guide
Triple Connections: find three groups of three
- Read all nine words. Look for a connection that explains exactly three of them.
- Tap three tiles, then Submit. Tap a selected tile again to remove it.
- A correct group reveals its category and explanation. Find the remaining two groups.
- A new wrong submission uses a mistake. Repeating the same already-rejected trio does not use another mistake. The fourth mistake ends a Daily or Unlimited board. Practice has no mistake limit.
What counts as a connection?
ROBIN, EAGLE, HERON can form “birds.” RAIN, BOW, NECK can form “words followed by TIE”: rain tie does not work, so that proposed group fails. A category must fit all members using the same rule; do not accept two strong fits and one stretch.
A stronger word-pattern example is BOW, NECK, ZIP: each can precede TIE to make bow tie, necktie and zip tie. Spacing can vary, but the connecting word remains the same.
One away, colors and category hints
“One away” means two selected words share an intended group. The game does not tell you which two, and the attempt still costs a mistake. Yellow, blue and purple mark category tiers; you may solve them in any order. Category Hint reveals a category title without selecting its words. Shuffle and Deselect do not use mistakes.
Play Triple Connections Read the grouping strategy guide
Color Trails: follow themed letter paths
- Read the title and clue. Think of words that belong to the suggested theme.
- Tap neighboring letters or drag a path, then Submit trail. Horizontal, vertical and diagonal moves are allowed; paths can bend.
- Do not jump a square or reuse a cell within a word. Found words do not share cells.
- Find the spanning theme word, sometimes called the spangram. Its path touches two opposite edges and describes the collection.
- Find every authored theme answer, covering every board cell. Ordinary dictionary words outside this board’s intended set do not count.
A bent-path example
W H · · I S · · K
This fragment spells W → H → I → S → K by going right, down, right, down. The dots stand for omitted cells; this is a teaching fragment, not a complete board or a daily answer. A valid path can turn rather than stay in a straight row.
Undo removes the last selected letter and Clear removes the unsubmitted trail. Theme hint explains the connection. Trail hint first marks a start, then reveals a full word path on a further press. Hints mark assistance. Practice is untimed and starts with the theme hint.
When repeated letters offer another route for an answer, it is accepted if the remaining words can still cover the board. Found paths together form a whole-board solution.
Play Color Trails Read the path-solving guide
Crosswords: solve Across and Down together
All three crossword formats use real intersecting answers. Select a numbered clue or white square, then enter letters. One crossing square belongs to two entries and must agree with both. Black squares are separators; they are not filled. Every open square must be correct to finish.
| Game | Actual layout | What to focus on |
|---|---|---|
| Mini Mystery | 5×5 blocked grid; three Across and three Down entries | Compact crossings and clues with a second meaning |
| Easy Crossword | Connected 11×11 blocked grid | Direct definitions and familiar vocabulary |
| Crossword Stories | Connected 15×15 theme-led blocked grid | A longer theme entry and related vocabulary |
The 11×11 and 15×15 formats use deliberately spacious blocked layouts; the dimensions do not mean every square contains a letter. These are independent original crosswords rather than copies of dense newspaper grids.
Mini Mystery example: two clues share a letter
CRANE can answer “A wading bird or a machine for lifting beams.” In an original Mini Mystery practice grid, its first C also starts CIDER Down. HERON fits the bird half but fails the machinery half and the crossing C. Use the whole clue and shared letters together.
The complete mini worked example shows all six entries and the solved grid.
Easy Crossword example: meaning and length
For “A tool for digging soil” in five squares, SPADE fits. SHOVEL has six letters and RAKE four. With reliable crossings S _ A _ E, SHADE fits the pattern but not the definition. A pattern alone is not enough.
The beginner crossword guide explains how to start with confident answers and diagnose one wrong area.
Crossword Stories example: enter a phrase without spaces
In a bakery theme, “Everyday livelihood, or a slice-and-spread pairing” leads to BREAD AND BUTTER. Enter BREADANDBUTTER, fourteen letters. The title suggests candidates; the actual clue, length and crossings determine the answer. This game uses one letter per square and no rebus cells.
The themed crossword guide works through the long-answer method.
Crossword controls and assistance
- Direction: tap a selected crossing again, press Enter, or use Switch direction to change Across/Down. Arrow keys move through open squares; Backspace erases.
- Entry navigation: Previous clue and Next clue move between answers. A physical keyboard and on-screen letters are available.
- Large cells: makes the board easier to read and tap; it can scroll inside its own area.
- Check Letter, Word or Grid: identifies incorrectly entered letters without supplying the answer. Auto-check gives ongoing feedback.
- Reveal Letter or Word: fills intended answer letters. Checks, Auto-check and reveals mark the result as assisted.
Practice is untimed. A full grid with a wrong letter is not solved; the complete entry explanations become a useful way to review the intended meanings.
Daily, Unlimited, Practice and local saves
Daily selects the same featured puzzle for everyone using the date in America/New_York. Unlimited lets you play more sets and filter by topic or difficulty. Practice removes time pressure, with unlimited mistakes in Triple Connections.
Progress and statistics are saved in this browser when local storage is available. They do not sync across devices. Clearing site data removes them. A challenge link identifies a puzzle for a friend, rather than uploading your save or creating a public leaderboard.
Ready for another round? Visit today’s six daily puzzles, unlimited word clues or choose among all six Unlimited formats. Find an exact board in the original library or a curated six-game set at the weekly puzzle table.