⚡ 5×5 grid · about 2 to 5 minutes
Mini Crossword Puzzles
50 free 5×5 crosswords for a quick break, kids and first-time solvers. A quick brain snack: solved in a few minutes. Play on screen or print on one page, with the answers on a separate sheet.
Every grid is built by our own program from a ranked word list, checked by tests to be fully filled with no repeated answers, and every clue is written from scratch for Brain Teaser Club.
🌱 Easy mini crosswords
Everyday words and plain, friendly clues. 17 puzzles.
⭐ Medium mini crosswords
A wider vocabulary and a few puns to untangle. 17 puzzles.
🔥 Hard mini crosswords
Rarer words and trickier, punnier clues. 16 puzzles.
Puzzle guide
About mini crosswords
What they are
A mini crossword is a 5×5 grid with a handful of short answers, usually solved in two to five minutes. There are 50 minis here, split across easy, medium and hard clue sets, and every clue was written from scratch by our team rather than pulled from a database.
How to play
Click a square online and type, or print and write. Across answers read left to right and down answers read top to bottom; in a mini almost every letter belongs to both, so each solved word hands you letters in the other direction.
Tips
Start with the clue you are surest of, even if it is the last one. Because the grid is so small, a single wrong letter breaks two words, so if a crossing answer will not fit, check the shared square first. Hard minis lean on wordplay: read each clue twice.
Who they suit
Minis are perfect for a quick daily habit, for children taking their first steps into crosswords, and for teachers who want a two-minute vocabulary starter at the beginning of a lesson.
Printing
A mini fits comfortably several times on one sheet, which makes it ideal for handing out to a whole class. The answer grid prints on a separate page.
Good to know
Mini crossword questions
Love word puzzles? Try these too
Crossword clues are just tiny riddles
Every crossword clue is a riddle with the answer written in the grid. Here are a few medium riddles with answers, then more brain games from the club.