CrossSet (PuzzleLab)
Rate itSwap scrambled letters until every across and down word in a mini crossword is valid.
on puzzlelab.dev
CrossSet is a daily letter swapping puzzle on PuzzleLab. Each day's board is a small crossword shape holding five crossing words with their letters shuffled; drag one tile onto another to swap them, and the puzzle is done when every across and down line reads as a word. There is no move limit, only a move count to beat.
About CrossSet (PuzzleLab)
CrossSet is one of the free daily puzzles on PuzzleLab, a site of word and number games that needs no sign-up. Each day it builds a small crossword-shaped grid of five crossing words, three or four and five letters long, and scrambles the letters. The board is seeded from the date in US Pacific time, so everyone solves the same grid.
A few tiles start green: they are already in place and cannot move, and they give you a foothold. Drag any other tile onto another to swap the two letters. The counter at the top shows how many of the five words are valid and how many moves you have made, and the puzzle ends as soon as every across and down line is a real word. Any valid word counts, so a solution that differs from the intended one by a word still finishes the day; the results screen then shows the words you found beside the target words.
Unlike Waffle and its kin there is no swap limit. The challenge is to solve in as few moves as you can, and the results screen keeps your streak and your fewest, average and most moves. Grid shapes change from day to day. After the daily, Play Again opens practice boards, and a Share button copies your result.
It suits players who like Waffle-style swap grids but would rather work at their own pace, and anyone after a short word puzzle of a few minutes that plays the same with a mouse or a finger.
How to play CrossSet (PuzzleLab)
- Look at the grid: all the letters of five crossing words are there, but scrambled.
- Green tiles are already in place and locked; work around them.
- Drag one tile onto another to swap the two letters.
- Watch the Words counter: it shows how many of the five across and down lines are valid.
- Keep swapping until all five are words; the fewer moves, the better your score.
Screenshots
Tips
- Start with the crossing cells: a letter there has to fit two words.
- Use the green letters as anchors and think of words that fit around them.
- Count vowels: each word needs some, so spread them out first.
- Any valid word counts, so if a line reads as a different real word, the puzzle can still finish.
- Use Play Again for practice boards once the daily is done.
Questions
Is the puzzle the same for everyone?
Yes. The daily board is generated from the date in US Pacific time.
When is there a new puzzle?
At midnight US Pacific time; the results screen shows a countdown to it.
Do I need an account?
No. PuzzleLab is free to play with no sign-up, and your streak and stats are kept in your browser.
Is there a move limit?
No. The game counts your moves and keeps your fewest, average and most moves, but you can take as many as you need.
Can I play more than one board a day?
Yes. After the daily, Play Again opens practice boards.
Ratings and reviews
Games like CrossSet (PuzzleLab)
Waffle
The best known swap grid: put scrambled letters back into crossing words, within fifteen swaps
Swap (Los Angeles Times)
A mini crossword with its letters in the wrong places, swapped back into words
Swapdle
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Swapcakes
A waffle grid of six crossing words to put right in fifteen swaps
Swapple
Rebuild a 5x5 grid of words by swapping letters in as few moves as you can
Word Shards
PuzzleLab's daily of scrambled word pieces to rebuild by moving them
Words on Wires (PuzzleLab)
Another PuzzleLab daily: move letter tiles until every row is a word
Word Chain (PuzzleLab)
PuzzleLab's daily crossword built from letter tiles