Daily Mini Crossword Chef
Word Puzzles with Friends
Free · In‑App Purchases
Your favorite crossword puzzle, now with friends. Compete on leaderboards, track streaks, and see who solves fastest.
Crossword Chef is the most beautiful crossword app on iOS.
A fresh mini puzzle every morning. No ads, no clutter — just you and the grid. Solve in minutes. Keep your streak. Compete with friends.
Here's what people love most about it:
• A new mini daily – wake up to a clever 5x5 puzzle every morning
• Designed with care — calming, beautiful, and delightful details
• Friends & Leaderboards — add your people, race them daily, and see who's fastest
• Puzzle Archives — browse a beautiful calendar view and relive your solving history
• Streaks & Stats — track your daily streak, solve times, and how your skills improve
• Midi puzzles — for when you want a bigger brain challenge
• Crossword Packs — 18 packs across various difficulties, ready to play anytime. More on the way
• Fun facts — learn something new about words after every solve
The joy of cracking that one elusive clue. Sharing your time with your partner at night or your family group chat first thing in the morning. Coffee and a challenge. That's what we're building for.
Ready to try today's puzzle? The leaderboard is waiting for you.
We reply to every piece of feedback and regularly ship updates. Ideas, bugs, and suggestions are always welcome.
Privacy Policy & Terms: https://www.crosswordchef.com/privacy
more Beautifully designed crossword app - I appreciate all the small design details that have gone into it. Ran into a few bugs and they were promptly solved by the developer. 10/10 would recommend! Competing with my family every morning now 😎
Developer Response Thank you drumandcode! We’re so glad to hear that. Let us know if you have any feedback for us.
Beautifully designed crossword app - I appreciate all the small design details that have gone into it. Ran into a few bugs and they were promptly solved by the developer. 10/10 would recommend! Competing with my family every morning now 😎
Thank you drumandcode! We’re so glad to hear that. Let us know if you have any feedback for us.
I can’t stop doing the daily challenge. My partner and I spend hours trying to beat each other. Ever since we downloaded this app we haven’t put our phones down. 10/10 would recommend to anyone who has a competitive partner at home
Developer Response We’ve been playing it with friends too, and we’ve been addicted too 😍
I can’t stop doing the daily challenge. My partner and I spend hours trying to beat each other. Ever since we downloaded this app we haven’t put our phones down. 10/10 would recommend to anyone who has a competitive partner at home
We’ve been playing it with friends too, and we’ve been addicted too 😍
I love the UI here for solving crosswords! the refresh clue and reveal options because at times I’m just stuck and don’t want to google the answers. Great app, just paid to try it for the year - cheaper than coffee at Starbucks!! Would recommend!
Developer Response This made our day. Thanks for giving it a try. Stay tuned for some exciting updates!!
I love the UI here for solving crosswords! the refresh clue and reveal options because at times I’m just stuck and don’t want to google the answers. Great app, just paid to try it for the year - cheaper than coffee at Starbucks!! Would recommend!
This made our day. Thanks for giving it a try. Stay tuned for some exciting updates!!
Crosswords are one of my favorite ways to relax. This app makes it easy and fun to find crosswords on my favorite topics.Also the UX is perfectly sized and buttery smooth. By far the best crossword puzzle UX I’ve seen!
Developer Response Thank you so much, Kswanson. We're working on bringing more crosswords to you in a fun, educational manner. Appreciate the kind words. 🙏
Crosswords are one of my favorite ways to relax. This app makes it easy and fun to find crosswords on my favorite topics.Also the UX is perfectly sized and buttery smooth. By far the best crossword puzzle UX I’ve seen!
Thank you so much, Kswanson. We're working on bringing more crosswords to you in a fun, educational manner. Appreciate the kind words. 🙏
This one's a big deal.
• Free Reveals for Everyone. Letter and word reveals are now completely free — no limits, no strings attached. Just play.
• Lifetime Plan. A single purchase to unlock a lifetime of crosswords.
• Fresh Welcome Experience. New players now get a smoother, more polished onboarding.
• Various bug fixes and performance improvements.
Enjoying the app? Leave us a review — it helps more than you know.
3.0.5 5d ago
Fresh out of the oven.
• Unlimited Reveals. Friends and family who play together now get unlimited letter and word reveals — no more counting.
• Improved Hints Sheet. We cleaned up the hints experience with a simpler, more polished design.
• Various bug fixes and performance improvements.
Enjoying the app? Leave us a review — it helps more than you know.
3.0.4 Mar 23
Fresh out of the oven.
• Improved In-Game Help. We rebuilt the help experience from the ground up with a clean visual guide to get you solving faster.
• Various bug fixes and performance improvements.
Enjoying the app? Leave us a review — it helps more than you know.
3.0.3 Mar 16
Something new for you.
• Crossword Packs. A large collection of packs ready for you to play anytime — no need to wait for daily crosswords. Many more on the way.
• Smarter Cursor. The cursor now auto-advances to the next word when you finish typing one. Less tapping, more solving.
• Various bug fixes and performance improvements.
Enjoying the app? Leave us a review — it helps more than you know.
3.0.2 Mar 12
A few improvements to make your crossword experience smoother:
• Friend invites now prompt you to complete your profile first. No more mysterious blank avatars on the leaderboard.
• Various behind-the-scenes improvements for a more reliable friends experience.
Enjoying the app? Leave us a review — it helps more than you know.
3.0.1 Jan 7
A mega update for your favorite crossword app. Ready?
• Friends & Leaderboards. Add your friends and family. Challenge them. Get notified when they finish (and when they beat you). A global rank for ego, and a friendly rank for bragging rights.
• Streaks & Stats. Brand new profile tab with daily streaks and stats across all your puzzles. Finally, hard evidence of your crossword addiction. Premium members can repair missed streaks, because we know life happens.
• Archive Calendar. Browse your puzzle history in a shiny new calendar view. Every solve, every missed opportunity - now all visible at a glance.
• Fun facts are now free. Those little word origin nuggets? Everyone gets to learn from them now.
• Behind the grid: Fair play improvements to keep leaderboards honest. More reliable saves. Squashed timer bugs, layout bugs, and accessibility fixes for various screen sizes. Viewing clues post-solve is also easier now.
• Liquid glass UI: We've embraced the latest iOS design. It's very... glossy. And cool. You should check it out.
As always, we read every message you send. More than half of this update came from your feedback. Keep it coming — you're running the kitchen at this point.
3.0.0 Jan 6
We have more fun updates this week:
• Smarter Navigation: Wordplay got an upgrade. Tapping "next" now takes you straight to the next unsolved word.
• Improved Notifications: Daily reminders now include the first clue, your rank, and some stats.
• The Final Letter: Ever fill in the last square and wonder why the puzzle didn't end? We'll now nudge you to check the grid when you're close.
• Behind the Scenes:
– Fixed a rare crash
– Haptic feedback now feels consistent throughout the app
– Fixed fastest time tracking for Midis
2.0.7 12/01/2025
We have more fun updates this week:
• Introducing Midis: For seasoned solvers and curious beginners alike, we've added a new 7x7 crossword size — a step up from the Mini, but still perfectly bite-sized for your morning coffee.
• Archive Improvements: Better filters and navigation make it easier to browse and replay past puzzles.
• Smoother Experience: We fixed gesture lag and subtle UI hiccups that were breaking your flow.
• Behind the Scenes:
– Improved overall performance and stability
– Visual refinements in light mode
2.0.6 11/12/2025
The most beautiful crossword experience. Fun, educational, and free.
We’re continuing to improve the app every week. In this update:
• Score sharing just got funky: When you complete a crossword, you’ll now see a new fun way to share your scores. Crossword playing is a great way to build community, so we thought it’d be nice to make the celebration even more human.
• Join Our Community: We started a community group chat for crossword lovers. You can now join us, solve together, share tips, or just chat about the day’s puzzle. Links are in the app.
• Leave a Rating: If you’re enjoying the app, a quick rating on the store goes a long way for a small team like ours.
• Other fixes behind-the-scenes:
- Improved sounds so they’re not too loud or interrupting your morning jazz sessions
- Added better error logging so we can continue keeping the app experience smooth
That’s all for now. Keep solving.
2.0.5 11/06/2025
This week we're bringing the feels (and the sounds):
• Sounds are here! Every tap, correct letter, and celebration now has its own satisfying sound. Plus haptics to match — solving has never felt this good.
• Dark mode got some love — no more squinting at weird colors.
• That timer that kept stopping mid-solve? Fixed. It stays with you now.
• No more double-tapping disasters — we fixed the play button so it won't launch multiple games at once.
• Reveal and check hints now only work on letters you haven't solved yet (the way it should've been all along).
• Other fixes behind-the-scenes:
- Better progress saving so you never lose your streak
- Smoother interactions after you complete a puzzle
- Fixed those annoying font glitches
Small updates, big difference. Keep the feedback coming — we're listening.
2.0.4 10/28/2025
The most beautiful way to enjoy your daily mini crossword. Fun, educational, and free.
We’ve been whisking up another batch of updates — equal parts fresh features, fancy fixes, and a dash of flair:
• Sign-In: You can now sign in with other email providers too. Cue wild applause from the back row.
• Archives Update: Old puzzles are now premium-only. Think of it as fine crossword cellaring — today’s mini stays free and piping hot.
• Fun-Fact Reveals: The trivia that appears when you reveal answers is now part of the paid plan. Knowledge is priceless… almost.
• Difficulty Levels: You’ll now see the crossword’s difficulty on the homepage (they gently heat up from Monday to Sunday).
• Pro Subscription: More value, clearer design, fewer mysteries — know exactly what you’re unlocking.
• Bug Squash Bonanza:
– Timer now pauses properly when you reveal your final clue (no more time-traveling scores).
– The “Congratulations!” screen has retired from interpretive dance.
– Homepage loads faster than your morning coffee — still caffeine-free.
• Logo Glow-Up: A subtle but satisfying little refresh.
We read every crumb of feedback you send. Keep it coming — you’re the secret ingredient in this crossword kitchen.
2.0.3 10/21/2025
The most beautiful way to enjoy your daily mini crossword… just got even butter.
We’ve been cookin’ in the crossword kitchen, and here’s what’s fresh out of the oven:
• Improved Gameplay: Already-filled letters now get skipped automatically. Less thumb gymnastics, more crossword zen.
• Fastest times, everywhere. You can now admire your glory days on older puzzles too. Relive your crossword prime.
• Community stats. See how your times stack up against the crossword-obsessed masses. Friendly competition never hurt anybody.
• Hide your answers. Brag responsibly. Share screenshots without giving away the goods.
• Sharper puzzles. Fewer repeats, smarter clues, and cleaner grids. We even added a secret layer of “crossword quality control” just to impress you.
• Daily banner behaving. That pesky reminder finally learned how to close itself.
We read every single message you send (yes, even the ones with all caps). Most of last week’s ideas and bugs are now toast. Keep ’em coming — you’re basically our sous-chef at this point.
2.0.2 10/14/2025
We’re still serving you one fresh mini crossword every day — short, fun, and free. But the kitchen’s been busy over the last couple of days…
Drum roll please...
• Share Scores: Flex your brainpower. The new Share button lets you send your score to friends or family (and humblebrag a little).
• Reveal Words: Stuck? You can now reveal a letter (+30s) or a word (+1min). Wisdom has its price.
• Learn as You Play: Reveal a word, and we’ll drop a fun fact about the clue instantly so you can learn as you go.
• Go Pro: Unlock the Archives to play past puzzles and go on a true solving binge.
Update now, stretch those neurons, and keep your streak sizzling.
2.0.1 10/10/2025
Crossword Chef now brings you one beautiful mini crossword every day for free - short, fun, and challenging.
2.0.0 10/07/2025
Get smarter with every puzzle! Our new Education Mode teaches you about the words and clues you encounter.
1.4.1 01/19/2025
Get smarter with every puzzle! Our new Education Mode teaches you about the words and clues you encounter.
1.4.0 01/14/2025
Introducing the Daily Dozen: 12 fresh clues every day! Dive in, start playing, and challenge your friends!
1.3.3 01/04/2025
Introducing the Daily Dozen: 12 fresh clues every day! Dive in, start playing, and challenge your friends!
1.3.2 01/03/2025
Introducing the Daily Dozen: 12 fresh clues every day! Dive in, start playing, and challenge your friends!
1.3.1 01/02/2025
Introducing the Daily Dozen: 12 fresh clues every day! Dive in, start playing, and challenge your friends!
1.3 12/20/2024
Introducing a new onboarding experience! Now you can select your interests, and we'll match you with crosswords tailored just for you.
1.2 12/16/2024
MAJOR UPDATE!
- 100+ NEW CROSSWORDS on themes like Science, Technology and more!
- "Ask a friend" functionality for hard words or clues.
- Introducing Free Trials for AI crosswords.
- More reliable AI-crossword generation.
1.1.5 12/14/2024
MAJOR UPDATE!
- 100+ NEW CROSSWORDS on themes like Science, Technology and more!
- "Ask a friend" functionality for hard words or clues.
- Introducing Free Trials for AI crosswords.
- More reliable AI-crossword generation.
1.1.4 12/07/2024
MAJOR UPDATE!
- 100+ NEW CROSSWORDS on themes like Science, Technology and more!
- "Ask a friend" functionality for hard words or clues.
- Introducing Free Trials for AI crosswords.
- More reliable AI-crossword generation.
1.1.3 12/01/2024
MAJOR UPDATE!
- 100+ NEW CROSSWORDS on themes like Science, Technology and more!
- "Ask a friend" functionality for hard words or clues.
- Introducing Free Trials for AI crosswords.
- More reliable AI-crossword generation.
1.1.2 11/25/2024
This one's a big deal.
• Free Reveals for Everyone. Letter and word reveals are now completely free — no limits, no strings attached. Just play.
• Lifetime Plan. A single purchase to unlock a lifetime of crosswords.
• Fresh Welcome Experience. New players now get a smoother, more polished onboarding.
• Various bug fixes and performance improvements.
Enjoying the app? Leave us a review — it helps more than you know.
more Version 3.0.5 5d ago
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