Foolscap: Daily Cryptic
A clever puzzle each morning
Free · In‑App Purchases · Designed for iPad. Not verified for macOS.
Today's cryptic clues sit in a stack, and each one you solve hands a letter up to the next, so the stack gets easier as you climb. A few clues are free every day.
A short ladder of cryptic clues every morning, five to seven of them, and after each answer you see exactly how the clue was built. Solve a rung and Foolscap opens the clue beside your answer: which words were the definition, and what the anagram, hidden word or charade did to reach it.
A new ladder is composed on your iPhone each day and never repeats. Two rungs of every ladder are free, and the whole ladder is free for your first three days. Foolscap Plus opens the rest of each day's ladder and every past day.
THE WHY, SHOWN EVERY TIME
A cryptic clue has two halves: a straight definition, and a piece of wordplay that reaches the same answer by a different road. Most people know that in theory and still cannot see it in a live clue. So every time you solve a rung, Foolscap names the route: which words were the definition, and what the setter did to the rest. After a few mornings the patterns start to look familiar, and clues you would once have skipped begin to give way.
HOW THE LADDER CLIMBS
Each rung you solve hands one letter to the next rung, inked in the margin the moment you set it. Nothing you work out is wasted, and the ladder gets easier as you climb. Every ladder has a theme, named at the top of the sheet.
EVERY CLUE IS CHECKED BEFORE YOU SEE IT
Each clue is verified on your device before it is shown: the wordplay leads to the answer, the definition fits, and no other word also solves it. A clue that cannot be made fair is never shown, so you are not left stuck on something that was broken from the start.
WHO IT IS FOR
People who have always wanted to read a cryptic and never had one explained, and regular solvers who want a short, fair ladder with their coffee instead of a full grid. A ladder takes about five to twelve minutes. Stuck on a rung? Show the answer and you still get the wordplay.
A QUIET DAILY RITUAL
• A fresh, fair cryptic ladder every day
• Every solve reveals its own wordplay
• No streak counter and no timer
• Calm, letterpress design made for a slow morning solve
PRIVATE BY DESIGN
• Composed on your iPhone. Nothing leaves your device.
• No account, no email, no ads, no tracking
• Works offline, including in airplane mode
• The archive is recomposed on your phone when you open a day. Nothing is stored or uploaded.
WHAT IS FREE AND WHAT PLUS ADDS
Two rungs of every ladder are free, and the whole ladder is free for your first three days after installing.
Foolscap Plus opens the complete daily ladder every day and the full archive of past days, each one recomposed on your phone when you open it.
SUBSCRIPTION TERMS
Foolscap Plus is an auto-renewing subscription.
• Annual: $59.99 per year, with a 7-day free trial
• Monthly: $9.99 per month
A one-time Foolscap Plus Lifetime purchase ($99.99) is also available. It is not a subscription and it never renews.
Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. A subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel your subscription, and turn off auto-renew, in Settings → Apple ID → Subscriptions after purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial is forfeited when you purchase a subscription.
Privacy Policy: https://hadgerapps.github.io/foolscap/privacy
Terms of Use (EULA): https://hadgerapps.github.io/foolscap/terms
Foolscap makes no claim to improve your memory, vocabulary, or cognition. It is a calm word game, made to be enjoyed.
Ratings & Reviews
- This app hasn’t received enough ratings or reviews to display an overview.
A new app icon.
Finish the day's ladder and you can now share it as a card.
About has a More from Hadger section, listing the other apps Hadger makes.
The developer, Vassiliy Shmigirilov, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
Data Not Collected
The developer does not collect any data from this app.
Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More
Information
- Seller
- Vassiliy Shmigirilov
- Size
- 4.9 MB
- Category
- Word
- Compatibility
Requires iOS 26.0 or later.
- iPhone
Requires iOS 26.0 or later. - iPad
Requires iPadOS 26.0 or later. - Mac
Requires macOS 26.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later. - Apple Vision
Requires visionOS 26.0 or later.
- iPhone
- Languages
- English
- Age Rating
4+
- 4+
- In-App Purchases
Yes
- Foolscap Plus (Annual) $59.99
- Foolscap Plus Lifetime $99.99
- Foolscap Plus (Monthly) $9.99
- Copyright
- © 2026 Hadger
