Daily cryptic crosswords, free and paid, plus a clue a day

For a free full cryptic, the Guardian's weekday cryptic is the obvious start: each puzzle has a named setter with a recognisable style, and a comments thread where solvers explain the clues. The Independent publishes a daily cryptic free in the browser, and The Globe and Mail runs a cryptic every day with a Canadian cryptic on Saturdays. Best Daily Cryptic Crossword adds a Reveal button for beginners.

If you subscribe to a paper, The Times cryptic runs Monday to Saturday and The Times Quick Cryptic is a smaller, gentler grid that many solvers learn on. The Telegraph's cryptic, the Irish Times's Crosaire, the NZ Herald's cryptic and the Sydney Morning Herald's cryptic, shared with The Age, are the other dailies in this list.

If a full grid is too much, try one clue a day. Minute Cryptic gives a single clue with hints and a short video explaining it, and Parseword lets you take the wordplay apart step by step until the answer appears. PokéCryptic does the same with Pokémon answers.

To learn, start with Parseword or Minute Cryptic for a week, move to The Times Quick Cryptic or Best Daily Cryptic Crossword, and then try a full Guardian or Independent cryptic.