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Crossword puzzles are difficult, but they’re also enjoyable activities that keep your mind active. Many online sources offer puzzles at every level, ranging from super-challenging to simple crosswords for toddlers or beginners.
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You can get crossword puzzles from a variety of online sources. These online crossword puzzles are free, and they include popular American-style grids and challenging cryptic crosswords. You can complete these puzzles online, and you can also print some.
The 19 Best Free Online Crossword Puzzles & Websites are below, scroll down to see them all!
Key Takeaways
- There are thousands of fun, free crossword puzzles available online every day!
- It’s advisable to start with easy crosswords for adults and younger folks who haven’t done many before. Crossword puzzles put your memory and fast thinking skills to the test. It’s a distinct way of thinking that requires some practice.
- It’s really simple to play free online crossword puzzles. Choose your favorite puzzle first (or puzzles, for some crossword heads), and then select which crossword you want to do.
- Some crossword puzzle websites refresh their puzzles daily, while others change them once a week.
- These puzzles are available to everyone, and they are completely free. Some websites may require you to subscribe, but you do not need to pay to access any of these crossword puzzle websites.
Table of Contents
- Key Takeaways
- 1. Easy Crossword Puzzles
- 2. Games USA Today Daily Crossword
- 3. AARP Crossword Expert
- 4. The Washington Post Daily Crossword
- 5. L.A Times Daily Crossword
- 6. DLTK Holidays Crossword – Themed Crosswords For Kids
- 7. Puzzle.Org – Create Crossword Puzzles
- 8. Arcadium
- 9. Best Crosswords
- 10. The Guardian – Cryptic Crossword
- 11. Best Of Crossword
- 12. Crossword Labs
- 13. Puzzle Choice
- 14. The Crossword Network
- 15. Web Crosswords
- 16. Bols Crosswords
- 17. ProProfs Brain Games
- 18. MSN – Easy Crossword
- 19. The New Daily – Crossword Puzzles
- Related Questions
Which Free Online Crossword Puzzles & Websites Are The Best?
Crossword puzzles are the perfect way to unwind and test your vocabulary and logical reasoning. They require you to use your word bank, read clues, and link letters. So, if you’re a newbie to the world of crossword puzzles and want to try your first one, you should spend some time studying how to play them and practice, practice, practice!
There are so many free online crossword puzzles and crossword websites to get you started, and we guarantee you will be hooked in no time! There is just something about them that makes you come back for more.
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Perhaps the satisfaction that you know a lot more than you thought, or because it takes you away from your worries during those few minutes? Whatever your reason, we have listed some of the best free online crossword puzzles and websites to try out. Enjoy!
1. Easy Crossword Puzzles
Thousands of beginner-level crossword puzzles are available at Boatload Puzzles to help you hone your skills before moving on to tougher puzzles. They’re free and easy to solve on an American-style 13-13 grid.
You don’t need to be a human encyclopedia to solve the puzzles because they employ common words that most people have in their basic vocabulary. They’re createdin such a way that even the most inexperienced crossword solver should be able to figure out the solution. Visit their website for free crossword puzzles.
2. Games USA Today Daily Crossword
Challenge your mind and test your general knowledge with the Games USA Today crossword. Select regular mode if you want to get hints, and be warned when you make a mistake.
Select expert mode
and tackle it alone if you are confident and brave enough to solve the puzzles without help! There are many other free games on the website that can keep your mind sharp.
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Visit their website for free crossword puzzles.
3. AARP Crossword Expert
This online crossword puzzle resource can provide you with hours of crossword fun. There are nearly 1,000 puzzles to solve on the AARP website, including daily crossword and Crossword Expert games for avid puzzlers. The riddles are difficult but not impossible.
The interface is clutter-free and very straightforward to browse. Even better, if you register, you can keep track of your progress and compete with other members of the online crosswordcommunity.
Visit their website for free crossword puzzles.
4. The Washington Post Daily Crossword
There’s no need to waste time waiting for your copy of The Washington Post to arrive in the mail to start solving crossword puzzles. About two weeks’ worth of puzzles is available in the archive, accessible via an easy-to-use online interface with a timer. You can choose between;
- Daily Crossword
- Daily Mini Meta Crossword
- Sunday Crossword
- Classic Crossword
It’s really easy to print out these puzzles manually if you prefer to fill them in with a pen or pencil. Visit their website for free crossword puzzles.
5. L.A Times Daily Crossword
Daily newspaper websites are among the best if you search for new crossword puzzles every day. You can look through almost two weeks of archived daily crosswords with the L.A. Times Daily Crossword.
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The website also offers a range of crosswords for different skill levels, including Penny Dell, jumble, Sheffer, and Thomas Joseph. They also provide some enjoyable word games and puzzles for children, so be sure to explore their website.
6. DLTK Holidays Crossword – Themed Crosswords For Kids
Because all clues revolve around a common theme, themed crossword puzzles are ideal for children. These simple puzzles can aid in the development of their problem-solving, analytical, and language skills. Holiday-themed crossword puzzles are extremely popular.
Children adore the holidays and all the wonderful activities that go along with them, so it’s only natural that they enjoy the crossword puzzles. There are delightful crosswords you can print out for your children, whether for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Halloween, or Valentine’s Day; there is a crossword for every holiday occasion! Feel free to visit their website.
Printable Crossword Puzzles For Kids (For kids that are old school!)
7. Puzzle.Org – Create Crossword Puzzles
What is more fun than relaxing and filling doing a crossword puzzle? Creating your own one, of course! Puzzle.Org lets you create the following;
- Crossword puzzle with hidden solution
- Crossword puzzles with pictures
- Crossword Puzzles in Teams
- Cryptic crossword puzzles
Visit their website to create your own crossword puzzles or complete ready-made crossword puzzles for fun!
8. Arcadium
Arkadium is your freeone-stop shop for the best online games – no downloads required! There are approximately 100 games to pick from, so you’ll never be bored! Feel free to visit their website for some amazing and fun crossword puzzles!
9. Best Crosswords
BestCrosswords.com is the internet’s largest provider of free crossword puzzles, posting 15 grids per day from a database of over 100,000. You can use your web browser, smartphone, tablet, or high-resolution printer to play. Registration is not required. Be sure to visit their website for oodles of crossword fun!
10. The Guardian – Cryptic Crossword
Cryptic crossword puzzles are popular in the United Kingdom and Australia and often contain devious hints that can be difficult to complete. Each clue in these crosswords is a self-contained word problem. The clues are divided into two sections and contain wordplay such as;
- Anagrams
- Charades
- Container words
- Reversals
- Deletions
- Double definitions
- Hidden words
- hom*ophones
- Palindromes
Are you ready to take on these difficult word puzzles? On its website, The Guardian publishes a daily cryptic crossword. You can also look through their previous puzzles or crosswords.
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11. Best Of Crossword
This is the puzzle nirvana and the ultimate resource for all free online crossword puzzles you could ever want. Whether you’re looking for the most difficult wordplay or just a printable crossword puzzle to go with your Sunday coffee, they’ve got you covered. Play to your heart’s content by visiting their website and cracking those crossword clues!
12. Crossword Labs
Crossword Labs is a fantastic website that allows you to design, print easily, and share crossword puzzle solutions. The technique is straightforward: write in the crossword’s title, followed by the word, a space, and a clue, and you’re done. Create a password for the answer key before you start working on the crosswords.
13. Puzzle Choice
You can choose from various printable and interactive crosswords and a daily U.S.-style crossword at Puzzle Choice. Visit their website and look at their Word Search puzzles or the Word Play section for a variety of puzzles such as;
- Anagrams
- Brainteaser
- Crossword Puzzles
14. The Crossword Network
Looking for the best crossword puzzles to complete online or print for free. Now choose from various quick, themed, and cryptic crossword puzzles on their website. View or even make your own crossword puzzles in American, British, and Freeform grids.
This Online Crossword software doesn’trequire the installation of a Java applet or a Flash player, and you may select from a variety of free previous crosswords.
15. Web Crosswords
Web Crosswords provides thousands of crossword puzzles to choose from, and new ones are added every day. Their sole purpose is to give you an endless amount of crossword puzzles every day so you can satisfy your gratifying need to solve crossword puzzles. For some crazy crossword puzzle fun, visit their website.
16. Bols Crosswords
Bols Crosswords has thousands of free crossword puzzles, adding a new one every day. You may use their website to assist you in completing that difficult crossword problem. Their Crossword Solver and Crossword Dictionary Lookup features are ideal for when you’re stuck on a tough clue, missingletters, or are unsure if you have a valid crosswords answer.
17. ProProfs Brain Games
At ProProfs Brain Games, there is a free puzzle game to fit practically any taste, and you are invited to play each one as many times as you like to see how your score compares to scores from people all around the world. Their collection has about 4,000 online puzzles and games, and it will continue to increase as time passes. Visit their website to view their puzzles which include;
- Word search
- Crosswords
- Memory games
- Typing games
- Sliding puzzles
- Brainteasers
18. MSN – Easy Crossword
Enjoy this free daily crossword, edited by Stan Newman, America’s foremost expert in fine-tuning crosswords, to provide you with the gentlest challenge available. Stan’s Easy Crosswords feature an easy-to-understand topic, all-easy answers, all-easy clues, and require very little knowledge.
They’re ideal for novices, people who want to do something fun with their kids, or anyone looking for a fast and gratifying mental break. Visit their website if this sounds like you!
19. The New Daily – Crossword Puzzles
The New Daily offers a new crossword puzzle each day of the week. They are easy to use, straightforward, and perfect for a lunch break or quiet time before you go to bed. Be sure to visit their website daily for your updated crossword!
What Are The Benefits Of Doing Crossword Puzzles?
Crossword puzzles are a lot of fun, and they also offer many benefits, such as:
-They enhance your problem-solving skills.
-They enhance your memory.
-They require you to think outside the box.
-They lower your stress levels.
-They boost your mood.
-They help increase a person’s proficiency and productivity.
-They improve your social skills and promote socialization when you complete them as a group.
-They help prevent the risk of memory-related disorders.
-They improve your vocabulary and general knowledge.
Do Crossword Puzzles Make You Smarter?
Numerous researchers have shown that crossword puzzles have beneficial benefits on the brain when performed daily. However, once a week is sufficient.
Ann Lukits, a Wall Street Journal reporter and one of these researchers, says that crossword puzzles can “enhance memory and brain function in older persons” and “increase mental skills in patients with brain damage or early dementia.”
Puzzles like Sudoku, word searches and more also help memory and have benefits.
Why Are Crossword Puzzles Symmetrical?
Arthur Wynne’s crossword problem was first published on December 21, 1913, in “The New York Sunday World.” Even though he expected it to be just another ordinary puzzle, it drew many fans.
Within months, the symmetrical grid had become standard, and it had anelegance to it. Most newspapers have number sets, with about 30 grids available for the editors to choose from. A few newspapers offer syndicated puzzles with 12 grids in the sequence; thus, every week, the same grid is used.
