Cluewords

About Cluewords

Cluewords is one of the bite-size daily word games on Word Nerd, the site that also runs 23 Words. Each day brings one numbered puzzle, the same for everyone: a list of about twenty short clues in the style of an American crossword, from plain definitions to fill-in-the-blank phrases and abbreviations.

There is no grid. Each clue has a row of empty slots for its answer, and some of those slots are linked to a slot in another answer that holds the same letter. When you fill in one answer, its linked letters appear elsewhere, so an easy clue can crack a hard one, much as crossings do in a crossword.

A clock runs while you play, and you can pause it. When you finish, the game shows your time and whether you placed in the top half of the day's players, and you can share your score. If you are stuck you can give up. The game keeps your days played, streak and average time.

It suits crossword solvers who want a quick daily fix built on clues, without a grid to fill.

How to play Cluewords

1. Open Cluewords and read the day's list of clues.
2. Type the answer to any clue you know into its slots.
3. Watch for linked slots: letters you enter appear in the matching slots of other answers.
4. Use those letters to solve the harder clues.
5. Fill every answer to stop the clock and see how you ranked today.

Tips

• Start with fill-in-the-blank clues; they are usually the quickest to get.
• Abbreviation clues often signal a short, abbreviated answer, so count the slots.
• After each answer, scan for clues that just gained a linked letter.
• Pause the game if you step away; the clock counts towards your ranking.

Questions