Daily Crypticle

Daily Crypticle is a small web game that turns one cryptic crossword clue into a Wordle-style puzzle. It is run by a single word game fan who also posts videos on YouTube explaining each day's clue.

Every day there is one numbered, dated clue, the same for everyone. You see the clue above a row of empty tiles, one for each letter of the answer, and you have three tries to type it in. After each try the tiles turn green for letters in the right place and yellow for letters in the answer but elsewhere. If you are stuck, the info button at the top of the page shows which part of the clue is the definition. The clue changes at midnight US Eastern Time, and a countdown shows how long until the next one.

A cryptic clue has two halves: a plain definition at one end and wordplay (an anagram, a hidden word, a homophone, an abbreviation and so on) that builds the same answer. The site's how-to-play page lists the common clue types with indicator words and worked examples, which makes it a gentle way in for newcomers.

It suits crossword solvers who want a single quick cryptic each morning, and people curious about cryptics who would rather learn one clue at a time than face a full grid.

The site carries ads around the board, and on a narrow phone screen the rows of tiles for a longer answer run past the edges of the screen, though the game still plays.