A nudge, then an aha.
How to use AI crossword hints
A useful hint changes how you read a clue. CRSWRD combines authored guidance, a strategy coach and optional AI hints so you can keep doing the satisfying part: finding the word yourself.
What kinds of help are available?
| Tool | What it does | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Guided hint | An authored pointer to the idea behind a practice clue. | You want a small step without the answer. |
| Strategy coach | Practical help with clue signals and crossing letters. | You want to learn an approach you can reuse. |
| AI hint | An optional short reframing of the selected clue, with a guided fallback. | A different way of putting the clue might help it click. |
| Check or reveal | Checks your letters, or explicitly fills a square or word. | You want to confirm a guess or move past a clue. |
A four-step routine for getting unstuck
- Read the clue literally first. Match its tense and singular or plural form. A question mark may signal wordplay.
- Leave it and solve a crossing. One dependable letter is often more useful than several guesses at the same clue.
- Ask for a hint before a reveal. Read it, look back at the clue and try a new interpretation. The clue still has to fit every crossing.
- Review after the solve. Practice explanations help connect a clue to its answer. Notice the signal you missed so you can recognise it next time.
What changes with practice difficulty?
The practice library offers Gentle, Everyday and Tricky clue styles for the same authored 5×5 grid. The answers and crossings stay the same; the way a clue points to its answer changes. Start with Gentle, then try a more indirect style when you are ready.
Practice progress stays in this browser. These puzzles are unranked, so you can check, reveal, retry and experiment without changing a daily leaderboard result or streak. Choose a theme in the practice library.
Does a hint affect a clean solve?
A nudge in a daily puzzle does not change clean status. A reveal does. Checking also changes clean status if it catches a wrong letter; a check that confirms correct letters does not. The full ranking and streak rules are on How to play.
Practice is separate from ranked play. Its coach and explanations are for learning, and its completion totals are saved locally.
Can an AI hint be wrong?
Yes. AI can misunderstand a clue, give an unhelpful association or be unavailable. CRSWRD checks generated replies and uses guided fallback text when a reply is unsuitable. A hint is a suggestion; the puzzle's clue, answer length and crossing letters remain your best evidence.
AI does not decide whether your crossword is correct. Game validation uses the puzzle's stored solution. The daily grid uses a deterministic crossword generator; practice grids and clue styles come from a curated collection.
What is sent for an AI hint?
The request uses the selected puzzle clue and the context needed to produce the hint. It does not need your display name or a conversation history. The privacy page explains game data and lets you turn optional analytics off.
For more solving techniques, read how to get better at crosswords, or bring someone else's perspective into a Co-op room.