![]() ![]() smarts are always on hand for assistance if you need it. It’s a fantastic resource for people new to cryptics, providing a guiding hand for reverse-engineering solutions and improving your understanding. The app’s loaded with plenty of its own content, but you can also import crosswords from the web or scan a printed puzzle with the device camera. assistant who can solve (almost) any cryptic clue, while explaining the logic behind the solution. The problem for beginners is that cryptic clues rely on a series of unwritten rules that can be completely baffling to anyone not in the loop.Ĭrossword Genius includes an A.I. Times Puzzles Best for cryptic crosswordsĬryptic crosswords combine logic, patterns, general knowledge, and out-of-the-box thinking into a uniquely satisfying – and fiendishly difficult – puzzle style. Price: $3.49/£3.49 monthly or $34/£33 yearly for Guardian Puzzles, $4/£4 monthly for Times Puzzles, both offer a free trial If you’re pinching pennies, you’ll even find the Guardian puzzles completely free of charge on its website – minus the app’s nifty ability to keep track of half-finished puzzles and collaborate with friends. Guardian Puzzles also features multiple Sudoku challenges, while Times Puzzles offers an even wider range of daily brainteasers. You can subscribe specifically to the puzzles if you’re not interested in the full publications. Both apps have solid interfaces with smart tools, and both publish multiple types of crosswords – including a weekly beginner’s cryptic with easier clues. While most broadsheet newspapers offer a decent selection, Guardian Puzzles and Times Puzzles are our favorite apps for UK-style crosswords, which utilize British slang/spellings and sparse grids. NY Times Crossword Best for UK-style crosswords Price: $5/£3 monthly or $40/£30 yearly, free trial available with no sign-up required There are cheaper crossword apps for iPhone, but none come close to the quality or quantity on offer here. There’s detailed progress tracking with stats on your solve rates, times, and streaks – plus a leaderboard for challenging your friends. There are plenty of customizations for tweaking the input and visuals, important factors to consider if legibility is an issue.Ī subscription to NY Times Games not only grants access to a huge archive of crosswords, but also popular daily word games Spelling Bee and Wordle. The app is smartly presented, with helpful additions like a non-permanent pencil tool and optional auto-check. It’s hard to look past The New York Times Crossword app, which provides high-quality daily crosswords, plus 5×5 gridded ‘minis’ if you’re short on time. Here, then, are a selection of quality crossword apps to suit almost any need. But never fear, my cruciverbalist friend: we’ve got just the tonic. US or UK grid layouts? Straight or cryptic clues? Free or paid?įinding the right app can boggle the mind enough to put you off puzzles altogether. ![]() Others simply haven’t been updated for years and barely work.Įven if you disregard apps with those issues, you’re left with a lot of choices. Some add needless cruft like collectibles and power-ups. Some have clumsy interfaces that are a pain to use. But search the App Store and you’ll find it’s not so simple, with many of the apps we tested failing to impress. Here's where to find the best crossword puzzles for free online, in books, as well as some printable options for kids and beginners.Crosswords have been around for more than a century and are a mainstay of newspaper puzzle pages worldwide, so you’d think it would be easy to find the perfect crossword app for iPhone. Except that crosswords are way more fun than salad. In 2017, research carried out by experts at the University of Exeter Medical School and Kings College London concluded that practitioners of word puzzles maintain brain function as they age, especially in the categories of attention, reasoning, and memory.Įssentially, doing crosswords is the equivalent of eating vegetables, for your mind. Successfully completing a crossword puzzle definitely boosts the ego-but there are even more tangible benefits to crosswords than self-admiration. No matter how you approach the crossword puzzle, this remains the same: There's not much in the world more satisfying than filling in that very last square. Gather 'round the Sunday puzzle with friends, helping each other with clues. Fill 'em out on an app, and make the commute whiz by. Do' em at the dining room table on a slow weekend morning, pencil in hand (or pen, if you're feeling reckless). ![]() There are endless ways to tackle a crossword puzzle. ![]()
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