Crossed: a daily word grid logic puzzle
Nine words, three rows, three columns. Each word belongs where its row and its column meet. Many words fit more than one square, but only one arrangement places all nine. Fill the grid, then check.
How to play Crossed
- Read the labels. Every row and every column has one, such as Flower and First name, Usually red and Fruit, or Starts with M and Month. A square takes a word that fits both.
- Place the words. Drag a word from the rack onto a square, or tap the word and then the square. You can also tap a square first: its row and column light up, then tap the word. Move words freely; tap a placed word to send it back.
- Use what you know. Palm is a tree and a body part; Iris is a flower, a body part and a name. Start with the words that can only go one way, and the rest have fewer places left.
- Check when the grid is full. Squares turn over one by one. Right words lock in ink; wrong ones return to the rack for another go. There are no lives and no timer, and the grid always finishes.
On a keyboard, Tab moves between words and squares, Enter or Space picks and places, and Escape clears your choice.
Why a word that fits can still be wrong
A Rose fits Flower and First name, and it may also fit Color. That is the puzzle: some words could sit in two or three places, and you work out which one is theirs from the words that can only go one way. Every grid is checked so that exactly one arrangement works, and you can always reach it by reasoning rather than guessing.
Colors and familiar meanings
“Usually” refers to familiar natural colors, rather than paint, dyes or a special brand. Common varieties still count as possible homes: a ripe lime can be yellow, and an apple can be red, yellow or green. Words keep their everyday meanings: Bass is a fish and an instrument, Jaguar an animal and a car brand. A rare use, such as Magnolia as a first name, is counted when checking that only one arrangement works, but it is never the answer.
Scoring
Your score is how many checks you needed: one check is a perfect grid. The result also shows how many words were right at the first check, and your finished grid shades each square by the check that locked it.
Daily and Unlimited
Daily gives everyone the same grid on the same calendar date. It changes at local midnight and keeps your progress in this browser. Unlimited deals another grid whenever you want one, never one that is still waiting to be a Daily.
Questions about Crossed
What kinds of rows and columns are there?
Categories crossed with categories, where each word leads a double life (a Salmon is a fish and a color); colors with things like fruit, flowers, gems and birds; and spelling rules such as "Starts with S" or "5 letters" crossed with everyday categories.
What if I think a word fits somewhere else?
Common alternative colors and meanings are included when checking each grid. An answer always uses an ordinary fit. If a word comes back after a check, it fits another square better: use the other eight words to decide which home it needs.
Can a friend play the same grid?
Share sends a link to the same Daily or Unlimited grid. The squares in the share text show which check locked each square, without revealing any words.
Is Crossed free?
Yes. It runs in your browser without an account or download.