Word Games

Find the word game that fits your break

One hidden word, crossing answers or a whole grid

Daily Common Five asks you to narrow down one five-letter answer using the clue and letter feedback. Daily Pocket Crossword gives you a small crossing grid: solving one clue supplies letters for another. National Parks Word Search gives you a visible word list and asks you to locate each name in the board. These are different challenges, so choose the kind of clue you enjoy using.

For a short session, start with a single-word puzzle. If you like testing a guess against several clues, try the crossword. Choose a word search when you would rather scan letters than recall an answer from memory.

Use the information already on the board

In a guessing game, keep confirmed letters and test a different position for a letter marked as present. In a crossword, compare both directions before changing an uncertain square. In a word search, look for a distinctive first letter, then check whether the remaining letters form a straight line. Repeating an unchanged guess usually gives you less useful information than testing a specific possibility.

Start with the controls for your chosen game

The games use different inputs. A word search accepts the first and last letter of a word; a crossword uses individual letter cells; a five-letter game has a guess field. Read the instructions on the game page before beginning. The interactive board needs JavaScript, while the rules and links are available as ordinary page text. Each game's own display explains its available checks, reveals and finishing conditions.

Try another game

• Daily Common Five
• Daily Pocket Crossword
• National Parks Word Search