Cross Spin

About Cross Spin

Cross Spin is made by JoPat Games, which also sells it as a board game and as an app for iPhone and Android. The website at crossspingame.com has one dated level a day, the same for every player, with a timer, a daily leaderboard, streaks and badges, and a calendar of past puzzles.

A level is a handful of empty squares laid out like a tiny crossword, and a list of categories such as a colour or a word that starts with L. You tap a square and type, and an entry that fits one of the categories turns green. The words have to share their crossing letters, so BLUE across and LAKE down, for example, meet on the L.

The twist is the spin. Arrow buttons rotate the board, which changes which way the words read and where they cross, and the game says that every level has more than one solution. If one rotation will not take your words, you clear them and try another before time runs out.

It suits players who like Scattergories-style prompts and small crossword grids and want a puzzle that takes a minute or two. You can play as a guest or make an account to keep your stats on several devices. The iOS and Android apps offer a run of levels of their own.

How to play Cross Spin

1. Open the site and press Play Today's Level.
2. Read the day's categories under the board.
3. Tap a square and type a word that fits one of the categories; it turns green when it matches.
4. Make the words share their crossing letters.
5. If the words will not fit, press the arrows to spin the board and try a new layout.
6. Fill the whole grid before the timer ends, then share your result or check the leaderboard.

Screenshots

Tips

• Start with the narrower category, such as a starting letter, and build the other word around it.
• Short, common words leave more room for the crossing word than long ones.
• Spinning the board changes where the words meet, so try every rotation before giving up on a word.
• Past Puzzles lets you practise on earlier days without touching your streak.

Questions