Clue Cross is an arrow word crossword with a twist: you share the grid with a computer opponent and race to fill it. The clues sit inside the grid with small arrows pointing to their answers, so there is no separate list to scroll through. It is a friendly way to play an arrow word crossword online free, one short level at a time.
In a normal crossword the clues are printed below the grid. In an arrow word, also called a Scandinavian or Swedish crossword, the clues live in shaded cells inside the grid. A small arrow in each clue cell shows which way the answer runs: to the right for across, or down.
In Clue Cross the whole top row and the whole left column are clue cells, so every row of letters starts with an across clue and every column starts with a down clue. A few extra clue cells inside bigger grids break long rows into shorter words. One clue cell can hold two clues, one pointing right and one pointing down. Almost every letter belongs to both an across word and a down word, so solving one answer helps with the words that cross it.
The clues are short and family friendly. Some are plain definitions, some are fill in the blank, like ___ cake, and some ask for an opposite, like Opposite of down.
You and the computer take turns. Instead of typing any letter you like, you place letter tiles from a rack of five, a bit like a word board game.
- A few letters are already filled in when the level starts, to give you a foothold.
- On your turn, drag a tile from your rack onto an empty cell, or tap a tile and then tap a cell.
- If the letter is right, it locks into the grid and you score 10 points. You can keep placing more tiles.
- If you complete a word, you also earn a bonus of 5 points for every letter in that word. Finish an across and a down word with one tile and you get both bonuses.
- If the letter is wrong, the tile bounces back, you lose 5 points and your turn ends straight away.
- When you have placed what you can, press Done (or Pass if you placed nothing). Your rack refills to five tiles and the opponent takes a turn.
- When every cell is filled, the player with the higher score wins the level.
Each correct letter is worth 10 points. Completing a word adds 5 points per letter of that word, so finishing a five-letter word is worth an extra 25. Wrong tiles cost 5 points. The opponent scores in exactly the same way, and it can make mistakes too.
Winning opens the next level. Your stars depend on how big your share of the total score is. Take about two thirds of all the points and you earn three stars. A narrower win earns two stars or one. A draw or a loss earns no stars, but you can replay the level as many times as you like.
Your rack always has at least a couple of tiles that fit somewhere, but some tiles are decoys that fit nowhere in the grid. Two helpers get you out of a bad rack, and both are limited per level.
Swap throws away your whole rack and gives you five fresh tiles. You get three swaps per level up to level 10, then two. Swapping does not end your turn.
Hint places one correct letter for you. It gives no letter points, but it still earns the word bonus if it completes a word. You get three hints per level up to level 5, then two. If you select an empty cell first and your rack holds its letter, the hint goes there.
Levels get harder in steps. Levels 1 to 5 use a 5 by 5 grid, levels 6 to 11 a 6 by 6 grid, levels 12 to 19 a 7 by 7 grid, and level 20 onwards an 8 by 8 grid. These sizes include the row and column of clue cells. From level 8, harder words join the word list, and fewer letters are filled in for you at the start.
The opponent also improves. Early on it places one letter per turn and often misses. Later it places up to four letters a turn, guesses wrong less often, and goes for word bonuses on purpose. Every eight levels you meet a new opponent, starting with Pip and ending with Professor Quill.
Each level is the same puzzle every time you play it, so you can come back and chase three stars. Your progress and stars are saved in this browser, and you can pick any level you have reached from the level screen.
A few habits will raise your score quickly.
- Solve before you place. A wrong tile costs 5 points and your whole turn, so only drop letters you are sure about.
- Start with two- and three-letter answers. They are easy, and their letters fill the crossings of longer words.
- Look for words that are one letter from done. Finishing a word earns the bonus, and leaving it nearly finished hands that bonus to the opponent.
- Be careful about setting up words for the computer. If you fill three letters of a four-letter word and stop, the opponent can finish it.
- Check your rack against the grid before swapping. If even one tile fits safely, place it first, then swap.
- Use hints on the cell that helps the most. Select an empty cell where an across and a down word cross, then press Hint.
- Press Done once you run out of sure answers. There is no reward for guessing, and the penalty is real.
On a computer you can play without a mouse. Use the arrow keys to move around the grid, then type a letter to place a matching tile from your rack in the selected cell. The 1 to 5 keys pick a rack tile, Enter ends your turn, and Esc pauses the game.