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Minute Crossword

Today’s 5×5 plus every past puzzle from the archive — free, no subscription, no signup.

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The basics

How to Play Minute Crossword

Master the grid in two minutes. Read the five rules, glance at the tips, and jump back to the puzzle.

Five rules

  1. 1.Click a clue number or any cell to start
  2. 2.Type letters — Tab or arrow keys move between cells
  3. 3.Crossing letters help confirm your guesses
  4. 4.Reveal or Reset are always available if you get stuck
  5. 5.Come back tomorrow for a fresh daily puzzle

Pro tips

  • Start with the shortest answers — fewest possible fills.
  • Use crossing letters aggressively — a known letter narrows the answer fast.
  • Clues in quotes usually want a quote or idiom.
  • If a clue starts with "Like…" the answer is usually an adjective.
  • Common quick-grid fill: TEA, OREO, ERA, EVE, IDEA — learn the staples.

How clues work

Across · left to right
Down · top to bottom

Cells where across and down answers cross share the same letter — use that constraint to confirm guesses.

Pick your size

Classic
5 × 5
1–3 min solves
Intermediate
6 × 6
3–6 min solves
Advanced
7 × 7
5–10 min solves

About the puzzle

A Fast Daily Crossword Archive

Every past Minute Crossword, right here, free. We publish a new 5×5 daily puzzle and keep the last 90 days in a browseable archive — no subscription, no signup, no paywall between you and the grid.

Finished today's grid? Open the archive and pick any date from the last three months. Each past puzzle has its own permalink, its own hint page if you get stuck, and its own answers page when you're ready to peek. Prefer a chunkier solve? The 6×6 and 7×7 grids are free too, same daily cadence.

Everything on the site stays free. No subscription to read the clues, no account to save your progress, no popups between you and the grid. Just today's puzzle, yesterday's puzzle, last week's puzzle, and every daily grid for the last 90 days.

Free

No subscription, ever

Today’s puzzle, the full archive, hints, and answers — all free. No signup, no paywall, no account.

Daily

A fresh 5×5 every morning

New puzzle at midnight UTC. Yesterday slides into the archive; tomorrow’s grid is already queued.

Archive

Every past puzzle, replayable

90 days of past quick puzzles, each with its own permalink, hint page, and answers page.

Common questions

Frequently Asked Questions

No. Minute Crossword is an independent daily puzzle site. We publish our own free 5×5 crossword and keep the last 90 days in a free archive.