The daily crossword is one of those habits that sneaks up on you. One clue turns into the whole grid, and suddenly it is fifteen minutes later and you have not checked your phone for anything else. We wanted that same slow, satisfying grind available the moment the itch hits, so we built Latticeword, an original crossing-word puzzle that runs right here on this page. A fresh grid every day, a full keyboard, and letter or word reveals when you get stuck. Free, no download, no signup.
Play Latticeword now
Tap a square to select it, then type or use the on-screen keys. Tap the clue banner to see the full clue list.
How to play
Select any open square and its word highlights across or down. Type on a physical keyboard, or use the on-screen keys if you are on a phone. Filling the last letter of a word jumps you to the next unfinished one automatically, and the arrow keys move you around the grid without losing your place. Tap a filled square again to flip between across and down when a word runs both ways through it.
Stuck on a clue? Check word clears any wrong letters in the word you are working on without giving away the answer. Reveal letter and reveal word fill in the correct letters when you would rather move on. The Daily tab gives everyone the same grid until midnight, while Practice deals a brand new layout every time you tap it, with no limit on rounds. Your time, streak, and best score are saved on your device. Nothing leaves your browser.
How it compares to NYT Crossword
Latticeword keeps the mechanic that makes a crossword a crossword: a grid of crossing words, clues for each entry, and the small triumph of a tricky answer clicking into place once a few crossing letters give it away. The daily puzzle is the same for everyone who plays that day, so a completion time is something you can actually compare with a friend.
Everything else is deliberately smaller. Our clue list and word bank are original and general-knowledge, generated fresh from each day’s date rather than hand-built by an editor, so do not expect the wordplay, themes, or Saturday-level difficulty curve that the real Crossword is known for. There is no puzzle archive, no cross-device sync, and no account. Every grid here lives only in your browser’s local storage, and a practice round never touches your daily streak.
The real NYT Crossword is worth keeping around for the parts we did not try to replicate: a new themed puzzle written by a human every single day, a difficulty ramp from Monday through Saturday, and a deep archive if you ever want to catch up on a missed week. Ours is a smaller, faster loop for whenever you want a quick crossing-word fix without opening an app.
Get the official game
The full Crossword lives inside NYT Games, the same New York Times app that also carries Wordle, Connections, Spelling Bee, and Strands. A daily mini puzzle is free, and a Games subscription unlocks the full daily Crossword along with the archive and the rest of the puzzle lineup. If you want more crossword options beyond the NYT app, we also put together our roundup of the best crossword puzzle apps for Android, covering themed dailies and the free ad-supported alternatives.
Frequently asked questions
Is this the real NYT Crossword?
No. Latticeword is an original puzzle we built, inspired by the daily crossing-word format that makes the Crossword such a strong habit. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to The New York Times in any way. The word list, the clues, and the grid layout are entirely our own, and the download links above go to the official NYT Games app.
Is the daily puzzle the same as the real Crossword?
No. Latticeword builds its own grid from its own date seed, so it will never match the official Crossword’s answers. Everyone who opens this page on a given day does get the same grid, which keeps completion times comparable between people playing here.
Can I play a crossword online without downloading anything?
Yes, that is exactly what this page is for. Latticeword loads straight in your browser with no app install and no account. Switch to Practice mode for a fresh grid any time you want another round beyond the daily puzzle.
Does it work offline?
Once the page has finished loading, the puzzle makes no further network requests, so it keeps working through a dropped connection and your progress stays stored on your device. For puzzle access with no connection at all from the start, the NYT Games app is the better fit, since it can download a day’s puzzle in advance.
Is it free?
Completely. No ads, no purchases, no accounts, and nothing tracked. The official NYT Crossword also offers a free daily mini, with a Games subscription needed for the full daily puzzle, the archive, and the rest of the puzzle lineup.
