Crossword

Crossword

Pick a puzzle and fill the grid — click a clue or a square to jump to it, type to fill it in.

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Play Crossword Online Free

Fill the grid one clue at a time across four themed puzzles. Play Crossword instantly in your browser at Playaby — free word games, no download, no install, and no sign-up required.

Built by:
the Playaby team
Added:
2026-08-31
Last updated:
2026-08-31
Controls:
Keyboard, Mouse & Touch
Difficulty:
Hard

About Crossword

The crossword you know from the newspaper page dates to 1913, when journalist Arthur Wynne published a diamond-shaped "word-cross" in the New York World — the grid of numbered black-and-white squares barely changed in over a century. This build generates every number and clue list straight from the grid itself rather than storing them separately, the same way a real crossword renderer works: a square only gets a number if it starts an across or down answer of two letters or more, so the numbering can never drift out of sync with what's actually playable. Four themed puzzles are included, from a compact single-word grid to a dense two-answer 10×9 layout, and every crossing was verified letter-by-letter by an automated check that rebuilds the grid from scratch and confirms it matches the authored answers exactly, so there's no unsolvable square hiding anywhere. Selecting a square focuses a fully invisible text field rather than a custom on-screen keyboard, which is what lets your own device's native keyboard (autocapitalized to letters) pop up automatically on a phone or tablet exactly like it would for any other text box, while arrow keys, Tab, and the space bar all work as expected on desktop.

Our Take on Crossword

What stands out is that the numbering and clue list are generated live from the grid itself instead of being hand-typed and hoping they match, so there's no risk of a clue pointing at the wrong square. Letting the invisible input field trigger your phone's native keyboard is a small touch that makes mobile solving feel like an actual crossword instead of a cramped custom keypad. It rewards patience over speed, so sprint-focused players should look elsewhere.

Best suited for: Suited to players who want a slower, low-stakes puzzle session rather than a timed challenge, since there is no clock pressuring you between clues.

Difficulty

Filling in an easy word or two takes no skill at all, but the dense two-answer 10x9 grid among the four themed puzzles asks for real cross-referencing between across and down clues before it clicks.

How to Play Crossword

Objective

Fill every square with the letter that answers its across and down clue — pick from 4 themed puzzles.

  • Click a square to select it, then type a letter — it auto-advances to the next square in the current direction
  • Click a clue in the Across/Down list to jump straight to it, or click an already-selected square again to flip between across and down
  • Backspace clears the current square, or steps back and clears the previous one if it is already empty
  • "Check puzzle" briefly highlights any filled square that does not match the solution
  • "Reveal letter" fills in the selected square, and "Reveal puzzle" fills the whole grid

Desktop Controls

  • Click a square to select it, then type letters on your keyboard — filling one square auto-advances to the next in the current direction
  • Click a clue in the Across or Down list to jump straight to its first square and set the direction to match
  • Click an already-selected square again to flip between across and down when it belongs to both an across and a down word
  • Arrow keys move the selection one square at a time and switch direction to match the arrow; Backspace clears the current square or steps back to clear the previous one
  • Space or Tab flips between across and down on the current square, same as clicking it again

Mobile Controls

  • Tap a square to select it — this focuses a hidden text field so your device keyboard pops up automatically, no on-screen letter keys needed
  • Tap a clue in the Across or Down list to jump straight to it
  • Tap an already-selected square again to flip between across and down

Tips for Crossword

  • Solve the short 3-letter crossing answers first — they lock in several shared letters at once and turn the long central word into a fill-in-the-blank instead of a cold guess.
  • A square's tiny number only marks where an across or down word starts, not both — check the clue lists on the side to see whether a numbered square you're stuck on even has a clue running the other direction through it.
  • Use "Check puzzle" liberally instead of guessing blind — it only flags which filled squares are wrong without giving away the correct letter, so it costs you nothing but a look.
  • A completed grid is verified the instant every square matches, with no submit button to press, so you can keep typing right up until the last letter lands and the win screen will appear on its own.
  • Your best time for a puzzle only saves on a clean solve with zero letters revealed, so save "Reveal letter" for a puzzle you've already given a real attempt rather than reaching for it on your first pass.

Crossword — Frequently Asked Questions

How do I switch between an across and a down clue on the same square?

Click the square again once it's already selected — if it belongs to both an across and a down answer, that flips the active direction. Space and Tab do the same thing from the keyboard.

Does typing skip over the black squares?

There's nothing to skip: every answer in this build sits inside its own uninterrupted run of playable squares, so typing simply auto-advances one square at a time in your current direction and naturally stops at the end of the word — you'll never land on a black square mid-word.

What does "Check puzzle" actually reveal?

It briefly highlights, in red, any square you've already filled in that doesn't match the solution — it never fills in or shows you the correct letter, just flags a mistake so you know where to look again.

Does using Reveal letter or Reveal puzzle stop me from getting a best time?

Reveal letter and Reveal puzzle both keep the clock running, but neither counts as a genuine solve for your saved best time — that's only recorded when you fill the whole grid correctly yourself, with zero letters revealed. Using Check puzzle is fine and doesn't affect it.

Can I play this crossword on my phone?

Yes — tapping a square focuses an invisible text field that brings up your device's own keyboard automatically, already set to capital letters, so there's no separate on-screen keyboard to learn.

Every Type in Crossword (4)

  • Animal Kingdom (Easy, 5×8)
  • Everyday Tech (Easy, 5×8)
  • Space & Sky (Hard, 10×9)
  • Food & Drink (Hard, 10×9)

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Word Guess: Crack the hidden 5-letter word in six tries

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Crack the hidden 5-letter word in six tries.

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