How does the daily mini work?

Every UTC day one mini is the daily mini, the same for everyone. Open it from the crosswords page, solve it, and your daily streak grows by one.

Do checks and reveals count against me?

They are counted and shown in your result, and only a solve without reveals can set your best time. There is no other penalty, so use them when you want.

Can I play on a phone?

Yes. On a phone the active clue sits in a bar above a compact keyboard, so the system keyboard never covers the grid. Tap the clue to switch direction.

Who writes the crosswords?

Every grid and clue is original, written for Ribbia, with everyday words and fair clues. No obscure fill, no abbreviations you have to memorise.

How do challenge links work?

After you solve, copy the challenge link. It opens the same puzzle with your time shown as the time to beat.

Word puzzles

Crosswords

Original grids with fair, slightly nerdy clues. A five by five mini every day, and larger themed puzzles for a long coffee.

Minis: 91
Themed: 14
Word grids: 19
By: Ribbia

Today’s mini

2026.10.19

Toga Exit5 by 5 / EasySolve it

Minis

5 by 5, every daily so far, newest first

01Mini
Toga Exit
A five by five with a Roman robe, the D in LED and the way out. A gentle start to the week.
5 by 5 / Easy / 2026.10.19
02Mini
Alibi Label
An open five by five with a back tooth, a witches' gathering and two dots before a list. The trickiest mini of the week.
5 by 5 / Hard / 2026.10.18
03Mini
Nacho Mania
An open five by five with a cheesy chip, a tennis winner and a demon with a hobby. Weekend clues, so expect some wordplay.
5 by 5 / Hard / 2026.10.17
04Mini
Ember Hoop
A five by five with a basketball target, a noble gas clue and a glowing bit of fire. A touch trickier to end the working week.
5 by 5 / Medium / 2026.10.16
05Mini
Tidal State
A five by five with the smallest unit of life, a room under the roof and a kind of wave. A little wordplay included.
5 by 5 / Medium / 2026.10.15
06Mini
Anvil Diva
A five by five with a blacksmith's block, a star soprano and a pet annoyance. Midweek, with a twist or two.
5 by 5 / Medium / 2026.10.14
07Mini
Tarot Spa
A five by five with fortune telling cards, opera solos and a pod for gumbo. Straight clues and a quick solve.
5 by 5 / Easy / 2026.10.13
08Mini
Weird Essay
A five by five with a golf ball stand, a school assignment and a supermarket walkway. A gentle start to the week.
5 by 5 / Easy / 2026.10.12
09Mini
Organ Coast
A five by five with an instrument with stops, a wading bird and some pond scum. The trickiest mini of the week.
5 by 5 / Hard / 2026.10.11
10Mini
Alien Lapse
A five by five with a far flung visitor, a layered rock and an Agatha Christie title. Weekend clues, so expect some wordplay.
5 by 5 / Hard / 2026.10.10
11Mini
Stag Byte
A five by five with eight bits, a male deer and a fire station on fire. A touch trickier to end the working week.
5 by 5 / Medium / 2026.10.09
12Mini
Green Theta
A five by five with a Greek letter for angles, a go signal and a cabbage side dish. A little wordplay included.
5 by 5 / Medium / 2026.10.08
13Mini
Retro Raft
A five by five with a boat of lashed logs, British small change and a line from Sherlock Holmes. Midweek, with a twist or two.
5 by 5 / Medium / 2026.10.07
14Mini
Rare Bravo
A five by five with a barely cooked steak, a cheer at the opera and an elephant's nose. Straight clues and a quick solve.
5 by 5 / Easy / 2026.10.06
15Mini
Cave Web
A five by five with a spider's handiwork, a bat's home and a honey maker. A gentle start to the week.
5 by 5 / Easy / 2026.10.05
16Mini
Polar Slice
An open five by five with a sacred song, a golden radio hit and a pizza portion. The trickiest mini of the week.
5 by 5 / Hard / 2026.10.04
17Mini
Quiet Mouse
A five by five warm up with an eagle's claw, a computer critter and a habit worth breaking. Done before the kettle boils.
5 by 5 / Easy / 2026.10.03
18Mini
Radio Alarm
A small grid for the morning: a bedside light, a clock that ends a dream and the traffic report. A minute or two over coffee.
5 by 5 / Easy / 2026.10.02
19Mini
Salty Llama
A five by five with an Andean pack animal, a unit for gems and a line you are reading right now. Quick, friendly and a little salty.
5 by 5 / Easy / 2026.10.01
20Mini
River Run
An open five by five with no black squares at all: pickle water, a laundry machine and the Nile. A touch trickier than it looks.
5 by 5 / Medium / 2026.09.30
21Mini
Melon Season
A little staircase grid about cantaloupe, a beaver's handiwork and a duck's bill. Gentle enough to solve one handed.
5 by 5 / Easy / 2026.09.29
22Mini
Mast and Tree
A five by five with a Greek letter, a bulb that makes you cry and the pole that holds a sail. Medium heat for a quick break.
5 by 5 / Medium / 2026.09.28
23Mini
Ultra Wordy
A tidy five by five with grain towers, a tailor's job and our nearest star. Short clues, a light touch and no long winded answers.
5 by 5 / Easy / 2026.09.27
24Mini
Seven Gnomes
A five by five with a garden statue, a kitchen range and the days of the week. A few clues bend a little, so take your time.
5 by 5 / Medium / 2026.09.26
25Mini
Atlas Tango
An open five by five with a book of maps, a dance for two and a jousting weapon. Every square counts twice, so fill with care.
5 by 5 / Easy / 2026.09.25
26Mini
Plumb Line
A staircase mini with slippery swimmers, a snow day ride and a builder's idea of straight. Short, but with a wink or two.
5 by 5 / Medium / 2026.09.24

Themed puzzles

Larger grids with a hidden link

01Themed
About Time
An open nine by nine against the clock: two long answers keep time between them, and one short answer has lost track of it. Trickier clues.
9 by 9 / Hard / 2026.10.03
02Themed
Branching Out
A leafy nine by nine: two long answers have something growing in them, and two more of the same kind stand elsewhere in the grid.
9 by 9 / Easy / 2026.10.03
03Themed
Color Coded
A fifteen by fifteen with a splash of paint: three long answers that each begin with a color. Gentle clues for a first big grid.
15 by 15 / Easy / 2026.10.03
04Themed
Elementary
A fifteen by fifteen for the lab bench: three long answers that each open with something from the periodic table. Medium clues.
15 by 15 / Medium / 2026.10.03
05Themed
Food for Thought
An open nine by nine with something to chew on: two long answers and a shorter one running down share a taste. Trickier clues.
9 by 9 / Hard / 2026.10.03
06Themed
Hand and Foot
A nine by nine with a body of evidence: two long answers and one short one share an anatomical link. Fair clues with a little wordplay.
9 by 9 / Medium / 2026.10.03
07Themed
Imperial Measures
A fifteen by fifteen whose three long answers measure up the old fashioned way. Harder clues, with some science and a little Greek.
15 by 15 / Hard / 2026.10.03
08Themed
In Good Shape
A fifteen by fifteen with three long answers that each end on a geometric note. Medium clues, with a little geography and a little math.
15 by 15 / Medium / 2026.10.03
09Themed
Key Words
A nine by nine for anyone who types: two long answers and a short one between them share a link you can find without looking down.
9 by 9 / Medium / 2026.10.03
10Themed
Menagerie
A gentle nine by nine with animals in the long answers and more of them loose in the grid. Count how many you can spot once you finish.
9 by 9 / Easy / 2026.10.03
11Themed
Weather Front
An open nine by nine with a forecast hidden in it: two long answers and a short one on the right share the outlook. Bring a coat.
9 by 9 / Medium / 2026.10.03
12Themed
Good Mates
An eleven by eleven about the company we keep: four friendly theme answers pinwheel round the grid. Fair clues, a few winks.
11 by 11 / Medium / 2026.10.01
13Themed
Set the Table
An eleven by eleven with a kitchen cabinet's worth of theme answers pinwheeling round the grid. Pie, jam and a little wordplay inside.
11 by 11 / Medium / 2026.09.27
14Themed
Sky High
An eleven by eleven with its head in the clouds: two long answers and a short one in the middle that ties them together. Trickier clues.
11 by 11 / Hard / 2026.09.20

Word grids

Criss cross grids and rows with a hidden diagonal

01Criss cross
Girl names that start with A
The 12 most popular A names for girls born in the United States in 2025, interlocked in one criss cross grid. Each clue is a rank.
10 by 14 / Medium / 2026.10.03
02Criss cross
Boy names that start with A
The 12 most popular A names for boys born in the United States in 2025, interlocked in one criss cross grid. Each clue is a rank.
10 by 13 / Medium / 2026.10.03
03Criss cross
Girl names that start with C
The 12 most popular C names for girls born in the United States in 2025, interlocked in one criss cross grid. Each clue is a rank.
12 by 15 / Medium / 2026.10.03
04Criss cross
Boy names that start with C
The 12 most popular C names for boys born in the United States in 2025, interlocked in one criss cross grid. Each clue is a rank.
12 by 15 / Medium / 2026.10.03
05Criss cross
Girl names that start with D
The 12 most popular D names for girls born in the United States in 2025, interlocked in one criss cross grid. Each clue is a rank.
11 by 15 / Medium / 2026.10.03
06Criss cross
Boy names that start with D
The 12 most popular D names for boys born in the United States in 2025, interlocked in one criss cross grid. Each clue is a rank.
11 by 14 / Medium / 2026.10.03
07Criss cross
Girl names that start with E
The 12 most popular E names for girls born in the United States in 2025, interlocked in one criss cross grid. Each clue is a rank.
9 by 14 / Medium / 2026.10.03
08Criss cross
Boy names that start with E
The 12 most popular E names for boys born in the United States in 2025, interlocked in one criss cross grid. Each clue is a rank.
11 by 15 / Medium / 2026.10.03
09Criss cross
Girl names that start with J
The 12 most popular J names for girls born in the United States in 2025, interlocked in one criss cross grid. Each clue is a rank.
12 by 16 / Medium / 2026.10.03
10Criss cross
Boy names that start with J
The 12 most popular J names for boys born in the United States in 2025, interlocked in one criss cross grid. Each clue is a rank.
12 by 13 / Medium / 2026.10.03
11Criss cross
Girl names that start with K
The 12 most popular K names for girls born in the United States in 2025, interlocked in one criss cross grid. Each clue is a rank.
12 by 15 / Medium / 2026.10.03
12Criss cross
Boy names that start with K
The 12 most popular K names for boys born in the United States in 2025, interlocked in one criss cross grid. Each clue is a rank.
10 by 16 / Medium / 2026.10.03
13Criss cross
Girl names that start with L
The 12 most popular L names for girls born in the United States in 2025, interlocked in one criss cross grid. Each clue is a rank.
8 by 16 / Medium / 2026.10.03
14Criss cross
Boy names that start with L
The 12 most popular L names for boys born in the United States in 2025, interlocked in one criss cross grid. Each clue is a rank.
8 by 15 / Medium / 2026.10.03
15Criss cross
Girl names that start with M
The 12 most popular M names for girls born in the United States in 2025, interlocked in one criss cross grid. Each clue is a rank.
10 by 14 / Medium / 2026.10.03
16Criss cross
Boy names that start with M
The 12 most popular M names for boys born in the United States in 2025, interlocked in one criss cross grid. Each clue is a rank.
10 by 14 / Medium / 2026.10.03
17Hidden diagonal
European countries: the hidden diagonal
Eight countries in Europe, one to a row, each from one clue. Fill them in and the shaded diagonal spells one more country.
11 by 8 / Easy / 2026.10.03
18Hidden diagonal
African countries: the hidden diagonal
Eight countries in Africa, one to a row, each from one clue. Fill them in and the shaded diagonal spells one more country.
10 by 8 / Easy / 2026.10.03
19Hidden diagonal
Asian countries: the hidden diagonal
Eight countries in Asia, one to a row, each from one clue. Fill them in and the shaded diagonal spells one more country.
11 by 8 / Easy / 2026.10.03

Rules

1.Fill every white square with a letter so that each run of squares, across and down, spells the answer to its clue.
2.Each answer starts at a numbered square. 1 Across and 1 Down share their first letter, so every letter you place helps two clues.
3.Answers are common English words or familiar phrases, written without spaces or punctuation.
4.A clue ending in a question mark is playing with words. A blank, written as ___, asks for the missing word.
5.Minis are 5 by 5 and take a minute or two. Themed puzzles are larger, and their longest answers share a hidden link.
6.The puzzle is solved when every square holds the right letter. Checks and reveals help when you are stuck, and the readout counts them.

How to play

Controls
Input	Action
Click or tap a square	Select it; click again to switch between across and down
Letters	Fill the square and move along the word
Arrow keys	Move; the first press across the word turns the cursor
Tab or Enter	Jump to the next clue with an empty square (Shift goes back)
Space	Switch between across and down
Backspace	Clear the square, or step back and clear
Check and Reveal	Check a letter, word or the whole grid; reveal a letter or word

Strategy

Start with the short answers and the fill in the blank clues: they are usually the quickest wins.
Read the clue's grammar. A plural clue wants a plural answer, and a past tense clue a past tense one.
When a long answer will not come, fill its crossings first. Three or four letters often give it away.
A question mark means wordplay: think of puns, double meanings and phrases taken literally.
In a themed puzzle, solve one long answer, then look for the link. It makes the others much easier.
Common endings such as S, ED, ER and ING are safe guesses at the end of a word when the clue agrees.

Questions

How does the daily mini work?: Every UTC day one mini is the daily mini, the same for everyone. Open it from the crosswords page, solve it, and your daily streak grows by one.
Do checks and reveals count against me?: They are counted and shown in your result, and only a solve without reveals can set your best time. There is no other penalty, so use them when you want.
Can I play on a phone?: Yes. On a phone the active clue sits in a bar above a compact keyboard, so the system keyboard never covers the grid. Tap the clue to switch direction.
Who writes the crosswords?: Every grid and clue is original, written for Ribbia, with everyday words and fair clues. No obscure fill, no abbreviations you have to memorise.
How do challenge links work?: After you solve, copy the challenge link. It opens the same puzzle with your time shown as the time to beat.

Today’s mini

01Minis

02Themed puzzles

03Word grids

04Rules

05How to play

06Strategy

07Questions