⚡Mini Crossword

How to Play Mini Crossword

The Mini Crossword is the full crossword experience condensed into a 5×5 grid you can finish in about three minutes. Every cell is crossed by an Across and a Down answer, the clues are written in proper crossword style, and the whole puzzle is small enough to solve on a phone while your coffee brews. If the big Daily Crossword feels like a commitment, the Mini is the habit-forming version: same satisfaction of a completed grid, none of the time pressure of a 15×15.

MÉ-MO's Mini is built for touch as much as for keyboards, with a mobile-friendly letter pad, instant verification when you want it, and hints for the one clue that refuses to crack. It is also the friendliest way to learn how crosswords think: on a 5×5 board there is nowhere for a hard clue to hide, crossings quickly give you letters, and you learn the setter's tricks — abbreviations, fill-in-the-blanks, gentle wordplay — on puzzles that always feel fair.

Mini Crossword rules, step by step

1. Tap a cell (or click it) and read the highlighted clue; tap again to switch between Across and Down.
2. Type your answer with your keyboard or the on-screen letter pad — the cursor advances as you type.
3. Use the crossing answers: a letter confirmed in one direction must fit the word crossing it.
4. Ask for a hint or check the grid whenever you are stuck; there is no penalty for learning.
5. Fill the last cell correctly to complete the puzzle and record your time.

Tips and strategy

• Start with the fill-in-the-blank and shortest clues — on a 5×5 they fall fast and donate letters to everything around them.
• Trust crossings over guesses. If a word you are sure of conflicts with one you invented, the invented one is wrong; rebuild it from the confirmed letters.
• Learn the regulars: short answers like ERA, ALE, ORE and EMIT appear in minis everywhere because their vowel-heavy patterns fit small grids — our guide to common crossword answers lists the ones worth memorising.
• Stuck on the final square? It belongs to two words at once, so read both clues together — the answer has to satisfy both definitions simultaneously.

Mini Crossword FAQ