Mini Meta

About Mini Meta

Mini Meta runs in The Washington Post's games section and is written by the constructors Pete Muller and Andrew White. It began in 2021, and a book of the puzzles, Mini Meta Crosswords, came out in 2024. It is free to play in the browser.

On most days it is simply a quick mini crossword: a 5 by 5 grid with across and down clues that takes a couple of minutes. Solving without checking or revealing anything counts as a perfect game.

The meta is what sets it apart. Once you have the week's six minis, you pick one answer from each of the Monday to Friday grids. In order, those five words make a clue. The answer to that clue, a word or phrase of six letters or more, is hidden in Saturday's grid along a path of squares that touch side to side, and you find it by dragging through the grid. A hint can show the category and the length of the answer. You need to sign in to play the meta.

It suits solvers who like a fast daily mini but want something to think about across the week, and anyone curious about meta puzzles without facing a full-size one.

How to play Mini Meta

1. Open Mini Meta and choose Play today's to load the day's 5 by 5 grid.
2. Tap a square to select a clue and type your answer, in any order.
3. Finish the grid without checks or reveals for a perfect score.
4. After Saturday's mini, choose Play the meta and sign in.
5. Select one answer in each of the Monday to Friday grids to build the five-word clue.
6. Find the answer to that clue hidden in Saturday's grid and drag through its letters to highlight it.

Tips

• Keep an eye out during the week for answers that seem to share a theme; they are often the ones the meta uses.
• Read the five chosen words as a normal crossword clue: the answer is usually a common phrase.
• The hidden path only moves between squares that touch side to side, never diagonally.
• Use the hint only after trying: it gives away the category and length of the answer.

Questions