How to play / Theme Minis
How to play Theme Minis
A crossword does not have to take a lunch break. Theme Minis squeezes the idea into a grid of five or six squares on a side, where every clue belongs to one subject, such as ducks, baseball, breakfast or the beach.
A small grid with a single subject
The collection holds 1,015 puzzles across 29 themes, from ducks and cats to money, space and Long Island. Each theme holds 35 puzzles, and the theme is your nudge when a square will not come.
Every grid is either five by five or six by six, with black squares where words end. Words run Across and Down, and every white square belongs to a word.
Filling in the squares
- Tap a square. Its word lights up, and the clue appears in a bar under the grid.
- Type the answer. The pencil moves along by itself and skips squares that already hold a letter.
- Tap the same square a second time to turn between Across and Down.
- Swipe the clue bar, or tap the small arrows beside it, to go to another clue.
With a keyboard, type letters directly. Backspace deletes, the spacebar turns the direction, Enter or Tab jumps to the next clue (and Shift with Tab goes back), and the arrow keys walk across the grid, skipping the black squares. The All clues button opens the full Across and Down lists.
Check, Reveal and the half-minute cost
Two buttons help when you are stuck. Check marks every letter you have typed that is wrong; it does not fill anything in. Reveal word writes in the answer for the word you are standing on. The puzzle counts as solved the moment every square matches, so there is no separate submit step.
On the daily board each use of Check or Reveal adds 30 seconds to your time. Outside the board you can still use them as often as you like, and the result card tells you how many hints you took.
The timer and the finish
A clock counts up from zero while you play. It stops while the page is hidden or a menu sheet is open, and it freezes when the grid is complete. The Solved card shows your time, your number of hints, and a clipping of the finished shape. A half-finished puzzle is saved.
Today's mini, random puzzles and the theme shelf
The front page offers three ways in. Today's mini is one puzzle a day, the same for everyone, and takes about two minutes. Random puzzle picks anything from the collection. All the themes opens the shelf, where you can browse a theme's puzzles twelve to a page and pick one.
A puzzle from the shelf never needs to be today's, so solving old ones does not affect the streak.
The Theme Minis streak and its freezes
Only today's mini, solved on its own day, adds to the streak. Every seventh day in a row earns a freeze, up to two at a time, and a freeze covers one missed day. Come back after a gap and the game tells you once whether a freeze saved the streak or it ended. Milestones at 3, 7, 14, 30, 50, 100, 200 and 365 days are celebrated.
The stats sheet lists the dailies you have solved, your fastest and average times, and how many were solved without Check or Reveal.
Sharing a solve
Share sends the puzzle name, your time, the hint count, your streak if it is above one day, and the grid's shape in the colour of the theme. Only the shape appears. No letters or answers go out.
Solving tips from the grid
- Start with the short or obvious answers. Each letter gives the crossing word a head start.
- When a clue could fit two answers, wait for a crossing letter before you commit.
- Think about the theme. In a beach puzzle, a vague clue probably points at sand, shells or sun.
- Use Check late, after you have filled a lot. Early on it has little to mark.
Theme Minis questions answered
Do I need to know the theme well?
No. Theme clues are written to be gettable by anyone, and crossings fill in what you do not know.
Does the clock stop if I leave?
It stops while the page is hidden, so switching to another app does not run your time up.
Can I solve the same puzzle again?
Yes. Your first solve of today's mini is the one that counts for the streak and the board.
What happens when I use Reveal on the last word?
The grid completes, the puzzle counts as solved, and the 30 second charge is added on the board.
More games like Theme Minis
- How to play Stepword: a daily word puzzle with its own streak and freezes.
- How to play Rewind: a daily quiz that rewards knowing a bit about a lot.
- How to play Pondful: a daily grid puzzle with a clock of its own.
- Theme Minis themes: all 29, with their puzzles listed and sample clues.