Play a free astronomy mini crossword every day. The grid is 7×7, small enough to finish with your morning coffee. Most people solve it in one to three minutes, and every puzzle hides at least one space word among the answers.
A new puzzle goes live at midnight. If you miss a day, the Previous and Next buttons under the grid step through the archive, all the way back to our first puzzle.
Today's puzzle is not ready yet, so here is the most recent one.
Across
- 5 Flying saucer, supposedly
- 6 Lion of the zodiac
- 7 When the first stars come out
- 8 Telescope glass
Down
- 1 Start of the day, and end of an all-night star party
- 2 Charged atom
- 3 E.T., for one
- 4 Icy visitor with a long tail
How to Play
Fill every white square so that all the Across and Down answers are correct. The puzzle checks itself when the grid is full: if everything is right, you are done and your time is saved. If something is off, the game tells you without giving away which letters are wrong.
- On a phone or tablet: tap a square to select it and type with the keyboard that appears under the grid. Tap the same square again to switch between Across and Down. The bar above the keyboard shows your current clue, and the arrows on it jump to the next or previous one.
- On a computer: click a square and type. Arrow keys move around the grid, Tab jumps to the next clue, and clicking a clue in the list takes you to its squares.
- Stuck? The Check button marks any wrong letters you have entered. Reveal fills in the square you are on. Using them is fine. Finishing is the point.
Tips for Solving Crosswords Faster
If you are new to crosswords, a few habits make a big difference:
- Start with what you know. Skim all the clues first and fill in the ones you are sure about. Every letter you place makes the crossing answers easier.
- Work the crossings. When a clue stumps you, solve the answers that cross it. Two or three letters are usually enough to make the answer click.
- Short answers first. Three and four letter answers have fewer possibilities, so they fall faster and open up the grid.
- Trust the theme. Every one of our puzzles contains astronomy answers. If a five letter answer starts with C and the clue mentions a tail, think sky, not zoo.
- Guess in pencil. Type your best guess and keep going. Wrong letters reveal themselves when the crossings stop working, and the Check button confirms your suspicions.
About the Puzzles
Each mini crossword mixes everyday vocabulary with words from astronomy: planets, moons, constellations, famous missions and the occasional telescope part. When you finish a puzzle, the completion screen links to our articles about the space words you just solved, so a one minute game can turn into learning what makes a planet a planet or how to identify constellations from your backyard.
If you prefer finding words to filling them in, we also publish a daily astronomy word search. Both games get a fresh puzzle at midnight.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the mini crossword free?
Yes. There is no account, no app to install and no paywall. Open this page and play.
When does the new puzzle come out?
At midnight. The countdown on the completion screen shows exactly how long until the next one.
Can I play previous days?
Yes. Use the Previous and Next buttons under the grid to move one day at a time, or pick a date from the archive list on the completion screen. Your progress on each date is saved in your browser, so you can leave and come back.
How hard is it?
Easier than a newspaper crossword. The grid is 7×7 with straightforward clues, and the astronomy answers stay at the level of a curious stargazer rather than a professional. If you can name a few planets and constellations, you can finish it.
Does my streak carry across devices?
No. Times, streaks and progress are stored in your browser, not on an account. Play on the same device to keep your streak going.
Puzzle grids are built with help from the open spread the word(list) project by Brooke Husic and Enrique Henestroza Anguiano.