The Atlantic Crossword

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A daily crossword that starts small on Monday and grows into the biggest, hardest grid on Sunday.

on theatlantic.com

The Atlantic Crossword for 2 October 2026 in the browser: an empty 9 by 9 grid beside Across and Down clue lists, with the timer and Assist menu above

The Atlantic Crossword is a daily puzzle from the magazine that changes size through the week. Monday is a small, quick grid and each day gets a little larger and harder, ending with the biggest puzzle on Sunday. The latest puzzles are free to play in the browser.

About The Atlantic Crossword

The Atlantic started its daily online crossword in September 2018, decades after the magazine's monthly print puzzle, The Atlantic Puzzler, which ran from 1977 to 2006. Caleb Madison, who became The Atlantic's director of games, built the daily. Through 2026 the weekday and Saturday grids are credited to Amanda Rafkin and edited by Kelsey Dixon, with guest constructors on many Sundays.

The idea is a puzzle that grows. Monday's grid is mini sized and takes a couple of minutes, and every day after that adds a little size and difficulty, so by the weekend you are working a full grid with harder clues. That makes it a good bridge between a five by five mini and a full newspaper crossword.

You solve in the browser with a timer, and an Assist menu checks or reveals a letter, a word or the whole grid. The board runs on the PuzzleMe crossword player. In 2025 the magazine added more games around it, including Caleb's Inferno and Bracket City. The few most recent daily crosswords stay free, while the full archive needs an Atlantic subscription.

It suits people who like a mini but want a bit more by the end of the week, and solvers who enjoy a conversational, current clue style.

How to play The Atlantic Crossword

Open the crossword page and choose today's puzzle.
Click a square or a clue to select an answer and type it in.
Use the arrow keys or Tab to move between squares and clues.
Open Assist to check or reveal a letter, a word or the whole grid if you get stuck.
Fill every square correctly to stop the timer.

Screenshots

A smaller early-week Atlantic Crossword grid of 7 by 7 squares, with its clues on the right and the timer and Assist menu above

Tips

Play from Monday on to warm up as the grid grows through the week.
Save Sunday for when you have time; it is the biggest and hardest puzzle of the week.
On small grids, fill every down answer you are sure of first; each one gives you a letter in several across answers.
Clues with a question mark are usually wordplay, so read them twice.
Play within a few days if you do not subscribe, since only the latest puzzles are free.

Questions

Is The Atlantic Crossword free?

The most recent puzzles are free to play. Older puzzles in the archive need an Atlantic subscription.

How big is The Atlantic Crossword?

It changes through the week. Monday is a small mini sized grid, and the puzzle gets a little bigger and harder each day, with the largest one on Sunday.

Who makes The Atlantic Crossword?

Through 2026 most grids are by Amanda Rafkin, edited by Kelsey Dixon, with guest constructors on many Sundays. Caleb Madison, The Atlantic's director of games, started the daily in 2018.

When did The Atlantic start its daily crossword?

In September 2018.