How to play Nibble

The crossword

Fill the numbered across and down words from short definitions. The small number marks the first square of an entry. Words cross and share their letters. Some letters belong to just one entry, as in a traditional British crossword. There are no two-letter answers, abbreviations or proper-name answers.

On a phone

Tap a square to open your phone's keyboard. Type a letter and the selection advances along the word. Tap the same square again to switch between across and down. The clue arrows move to another word, and All clues opens the full list. Revealed letters have a dotted underline and stay in place.

On a computer

Tab to the grid and type letters. Use the arrow keys to move, Enter to switch direction and Backspace to erase. Tab takes you to the other controls, and Escape leaves the typing input. Press Finish crossword when every square is filled.

A friendly clock

The clock starts when you press Start and counts up with no time limit. It continues on our server during a refresh or a break. Progress is saved on this device. The time displayed includes any assist costs.

A little help

• Check word adds 10 seconds and says whether the entire selected word is right. Fill every letter of that word first.
• Reveal letter adds 30 seconds and fills only the selected square. Revealing the same square again does not add time.
• There are up to 80 assists in one puzzle. No payment or sign-in is needed. Your results and share text show how many you used.
• Give up shows the answers and scores 0 points. You will be asked before giving up.

Scoring

A solved crossword scores 1,000 points minus one for each second, including assist time. Every finish scores at least 100. Sunday uses the same rules on a bigger grid. Practice scores are separate from the daily leaderboard.

Finding a way in

Start with a clue you know. Crossing letters can make another answer clear. Check the length and whether the definition calls for a noun, an action or a description. All clues are direct definitions: there are no cryptic tricks in this version.

Find past solutions in the Nibble answers archive, or choose another game on the dailies page.

Frequently asked questions

Is Nibble free?

Yes. Nibble is free, including assists. There is no account to create and nothing to install.

What is Big Nibble?

Sunday's crossword is a 7x7 grid instead of 5x5. The short definitional clues and assist costs stay the same.

Does checking a word reveal its answer?

No. It only tells you whether the whole word is correct and adds 10 seconds. Reveal letter fills one square and adds 30 seconds.

When does the next Nibble appear?

At midnight UK time, with GMT in winter and BST in summer. Everyone gets the same daily crossword.

Can I play an older Nibble?

The calendar offers the last seven closed days as unranked practice. Finished crosswords also appear in the answers archive.