The Times Quick Cryptic

The Quick Cryptic is The Times's daily cryptic crossword for people who want a shorter solve or are still learning how cryptic clues work. It comes out every day from Monday to Saturday, on the same page as the full Times Cryptic, and has its own numbering: number 3440 appeared on Friday 23 October 2026.

The clues work the same way as in the main puzzle. Each has a straight definition at one end and wordplay that builds the same answer, through anagrams, hidden words, reversals, sounds-like clues and abbreviations, and the number in brackets gives the length. The difference is in scale and difficulty: there are fewer clues, the vocabulary is more everyday, and the wordplay is easier to see, so a regular can finish one over a coffee.

You solve it in the Times solving screen on the web or in the Times Puzzles app, with a pencil mode for guesses, a timer, and buttons to check or reveal answers and reset the grid. The crossword page lists the last two weeks of Quick Cryptics alongside the other Times crosswords, so a missed day can be caught up.

It needs a subscription: Times Puzzles on its own, or a full Times digital subscription. It suits anyone who finds the full Cryptic daunting, and many solvers do both, the Quick first as a warm-up.