CrosswordsWordMind Loft

Shards (Mind Loft)

A solved mini crossword broken into pieces: put it back together.

Every day: One solved mini crossword a day, the same for every player, broken into lettered pieces to reassemble so every across and down run is a word. Exactly one valid reassembly; score starts at 150. Larger Sunday Edition. Daily leaderboard. New puzzle: Midnight US Eastern Time.

Play Shards (Mind Loft) on mindloftdaily.com
Shards on Mind Loft for October 3, 2026: the how to play card explaining wet and locked pieces, misses of 5, hints and the 150 point start, above the Start button

Shards is a free daily jigsaw crossword from Mind Loft. The day's grid arrives already solved but shattered into lettered pieces, and you fit them back so every across and down run reads as a word. There are no clues; the letters and the piece shapes are all you have.

About Shards (Mind Loft)

Shards is a jigsaw crossword on Mind Loft, a free site of daily browser games. Each day a small crossword is filled in and then broken into lettered pieces, eleven of them on the day we looked. Your job is to rebuild it so that every run of letters across and down is a word. There are no clues at all.

Pieces are rigid: they never rotate or flip. You drag one onto the grid, or tap a piece and then a square. A piece you have just placed is "wet" and can be moved freely; tap it again to lock it in. Moving a piece after it is locked counts as a miss and costs 5 points. Undo and Clear are free, a tick appears on each finished word, and the board completes itself once every piece is locked and every word checks out.

You start with 150 points. Three optional hints cost 15, 20 and 30 in order, and the score never drops below 15. Ties on the leaderboard break on fewest misses and then the clock. Each day's pieces have exactly one valid reassembly, checked by a solver. Words are checked against a Scrabble word list; grids from 20 August 2026 on use common words only, while older ones in the archive can include short Scrabble words.

A new grid goes up at midnight US Eastern Time, with a larger Sunday Edition. It suits players of Bonza or Waffle who like rebuilding words from parts rather than solving clues.

How to play Shards (Mind Loft)

  1. Open mindloftdaily.com/shards and press Start to see the empty grid and the day's pieces.
  2. Drag a piece onto the grid, or tap it and then a square; pieces cannot be rotated.
  3. Move a wet piece as much as you like, then tap it again to lock it in.
  4. Fit all pieces so every across and down run of letters is a word.
  5. The puzzle ends when every piece is locked and every word checks out; your score starts at 150.

Screenshots

Shards title card from Mind Loft, with the game's icon, name and a one-line description

Tips

  • Place the pieces whose letters can only spell one thing first and let the rest fall in.
  • Odd shapes are easier to place than straight bars; start with them.
  • Keep pieces wet until you are sure, since moving a locked piece costs 5.
  • Hints get more expensive in order, so save them for the end.

Questions

Are there clues in Shards?

No. The letters on the pieces and the piece shapes are the only clues, and there is exactly one way to fit them.

How is Shards scored?

You start at 150. Moving a locked piece costs 5 and the three hints cost 15, 20 and 30. The score never drops below 15.

Is Shards free?

Yes. Shards runs in the browser on mindloftdaily.com at no cost. There is no app and no account to make; entering a display name only puts your result on the daily leaderboard.

When does a new Shards come out?

Every day at midnight US Eastern Time, with the same grid for every player. Sundays bring a larger Sunday Edition.

Can I play old Shards grids?

Yes. Mind Loft keeps past days in its puzzle archive, together with each day's standings.

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