Puzzle Me™ Crosswords FAQ

Here are answers to common questions about Newsday’s new interactive crossword puzzle.

1. Where do I find the daily Newsday crossword puzzle?

The puzzle is available via newsday.com or the Newsday app. You may also bookmark the puzzle here.

2. When does the daily puzzle become available on the website?

The puzzle of the day will be available on the Puzzle Picker page at 10 pm Eastern. For example, a puzzle dated July 4th will become available on July 3rd at 10 pm ET. In case you don’t find the puzzle at the above announced time, please try after sometime.

3. How do I solve a puzzle?

You can solve the clues in any order. Click or tap on either a clue or a box in the grid to start entering an answer. The clues for words that have been entirely filled in are marked gray, whether the answer is correct or not.

4. How do I navigate through the puzzle?

You can move the cursor to the left, right, up or down with the arrow keys. You can jump to the next clue using tab/enter key or to the previous clue by holding shift and pressing tab/enter key.

5. I cannot see the clues. What’s happening?

If you cannot see the clues, please expand your browser window or adjust your browser to zoom out to normal zoom level.

6. How can I view and play old puzzles?

You can find the last fourteen days of puzzles (including Sunday puzzles) in chronological order in the puzzle picker. From this picker you can select a puzzle and start playing.

7. How do I print a puzzle?

Click on the print icon in the upper right corner. Once you click print you will be given the option to print the empty puzzle, the puzzle with the letters filled in so far, or the puzzle with the entire solution.

8. How do I get help with a clue if I’m stuck?

Use the Reveal options if you are stuck. Tap on the bulb icon to see the reveal options. You can reveal the current square, or you can reveal the entire word. You can also reveal the entire grid. You will be prompted before you reveal the entire grid.

9. Can I check whether my answer is correct?

You can turn the Error Check mode on while solving your puzzle. It is off by default for every puzzle that you play. The Error check mode can be turned on from the Settings menu.

When in error check mode the correctly solved clues are marked in green. Incorrectly solved clues are marked in red and the incorrect letters in the grid are marked in red.

10. How can I check if a single letter or word is correct?

Use the Check option to verify the current square, the current word or the entire grid. Incorrect letter/s are shown in red until they are overwritten.

11. Can I save a partially solved puzzle and come back to it later?

Yes, you can, but you must be using the same browser and the same device. You must not be in incognito mode and allow cookies from all websites. We automatically save the puzzle when you leave the page. However, you can use Save option to save your puzzle at any time. Click on the hamburger button at the top left corner of any puzzle. Select the Save option from the dropdown list.

12. How does scoring work?

You get 10 points for each correct word completed. Revealing letters or words will cost you points. For each square you reveal, you lose 1 point(s), but you can still get the 10 points if you get the word right. You get no points for a word if you reveal it entirely. The target time to complete this puzzle is 15 minutes. When you complete the puzzle, you will get a bonus of 15 points for every full minute under the target. There is no penalty for going over the time limit.

13. When typing an answer, the cursor skips over already filled letters. Can I change this behavior?

By default, the cursor skips over filled squares and jumps to the next unfilled square and stops at the end of the word. When you select a square that already has a letter in it, you enter an edit mode and change the letter. The letters following the square can be edited until an unfilled square is encountered. The skip mode can be reset from the settings.

14. Is it possible to hide the timer?

You can hide it by turning off the Show Timer in the puzzle settings menu.

15. How can I reset the entire puzzle and restart?

To reset the puzzle, tap on the hamburger button at the top left corner of any puzzle. Select the Clear option from the dropdown list. When clear is clicked, you will be prompted, if you go ahead, the grid is cleared and the clock is reset back to zero.

16. How can I submit feedback or questions about The Newsday Crossword?

If you have more feedback or questions about The Newsday Crossword, please send them to Helpme@newsday.com