Vanishing Crossword

About Vanishing Crossword

Vanishing Crossword turns a small daily crossword into a race. Each day there are three new puzzles on rotating topics, such as pop culture, science, geography, food, sport and India, and everyone gets the same three. Pick one and a 9x9 grid appears with its across and down clues.

A timer counts down from 45 seconds. When it runs out, every word you have not locked vanishes, and new words with new clues fill those spaces. Words you type and lock with Enter stay for good, and each lock slows the grid down. After twelve vanishes the round ends and the grid wins.

The clues also get harder as you lock words in, moving from plain definitions to lateral, then lighter cryptic, then oblique clues. If you are stuck on one, you can swap its clue at the cost of a vanish.

A row of gold cells hides an anchor word of five to eight letters. Naming it is worth 300 points, with 150 more if you find it before half the words are locked, and it stops the grid from vanishing again. Your score counts words, speed and how few vanishes you allowed.

After a puzzle you get a score card to share, and you can sign in to keep a streak and appear on the daily and weekly leaderboards. The site also has a separate daily word-rule game called The Bouncer.

How to play Vanishing Crossword

1. Open wordmaze.dev and pick one of today's three topics.
2. Read the How to play card and press Start the clock.
3. Click a clue, type the answer into the grid and press Enter to lock it before the 45-second timer ends.
4. Watch the gold cells: when you can read the anchor word, press I know the anchor and name it to freeze the grid.
5. Finish before twelve vanishes, then share your score card and try the other two topics.

Screenshots

Tips

• Lock the clues you are sure of first: every lock slows the grid and keeps those letters for the crossings.
• Try the anchor early; finding it before half the words are locked earns an extra 150 points.
• Save the clue swap for a word you cannot see at all, since it costs a vanish.
• Easy clues come first, so a fast start pays: later clues turn lateral and cryptic.

Questions