How to play Nightcrossing

Solve a themed crossword one word at a time. Letters shared by two answers help you work out the clues you haven't solved yet.

Start a puzzle

Open a theme on the game menu and choose an available puzzle. Themes group clues around subjects such as food, music, nature, and space.
Tap or click a letter cell to select a word. Its clue appears above the grid. You can also select a clue from the clue list when it is visible.
Type your answer. Across answers run left to right; Down answers run from top to bottom. At a crossing, tap the selected cell again to switch direction.
Use the crossing letters to work on another answer. Correctly solved words lock in place, so you can build the rest of the grid around them.

There is no need to finish in one sitting. Use the menu button to leave the grid and choose another puzzle, or return later to continue.

Try the crossings before spending a hint

Example clue: “A young dog,” three letters.

If the crossing words give you P _ P, the missing letter is U: PUP. You can then use that U in the answer running through the same cell in the other direction.

This is a practice example, rather than an answer key for a particular Nightcrossing puzzle.

Start with a clue you recognize, then revisit its neighbors. Check both the meaning and the number of cells: a word that fits the subject can still be the wrong length. If you are stuck on a long answer, solving a short word that crosses it can be more useful than guessing repeatedly.

Keyboard and touch controls

Phone or tablet: tap an editable cell to open your keyboard. Tap the same crossing cell again to change between Across and Down.
Arrow keys: move through the grid horizontally or vertically.
Space: switch direction at a cell shared by Across and Down answers.
Tab: move forward to another word while the grid has keyboard focus.
Backspace: erase an editable letter or move backward. Correctly solved and revealed letters stay locked.

Word hints and letter reveals

Select an unsolved word, then open the question-mark button next to its clue. A word hint offers another piece of guidance; a letter reveal fills a random missing or incorrect cell in that word.

Each puzzle has one free word-hint unlock. Further word-hint unlocks and letter reveals spend hints from your bank. Revealing a letter uses a banked hint even if the puzzle's free word hint is still available. An unlocked word hint remains available when you return to that puzzle.

Completing puzzles earns more hints. When your bank runs out, the game shows when a free bonus hint is due. Some versions also offer an optional ad for one bonus hint when an ad is available. Watching an ad is not required to continue solving.

Themes and your journey

Finish available puzzles to progress through the themed collections. The menu tracks completed puzzles and can introduce a successor theme when a collection is finished. Journey badges mark your progress across the game. Return to the menu to check for newly available puzzles.

Keep your progress

You can play without an account. Guest answers, completed puzzles, and hint balances are saved on the current device. Clearing browser data or using a different browser can remove or separate those saves.

Where Google sign-in is enabled, you can optionally save progress to an account and continue on another device. Check the account's save status before switching devices; offline changes need to sync first. Account controls also provide a backup download. See Privacy for details about local storage and cloud saves.

Report a confusing clue

Email nightcrossing@jamesonmacarthur.com with the theme, puzzle title, clue number, and Across or Down direction. Include what seems wrong or unclear so the particular entry can be checked.