What is CrossEights?
CrossEights is a daily word puzzle that arranges eight eight-letter words in a grid where four run across and four run down. Each letter appears in two words at once. The game assigns a difficulty level to each day's puzzle and tracks your score based on how many letters you find without help, how quickly you finish, and how many hints you leave unused.
How to play CrossEights
Fill the grid with eight-letter words: four across and four down. Each letter must belong to one word in each direction.
If you get stuck, use hints 1 through 5. A revealed letter is worth one point instead of five. Complete the grid quickly to earn speed bonuses, and gain ten points for each unused hint.
When you finish, tap “I’m done, I’ll try again tomorrow,” or return to the calendar to replay an earlier grid.
Your score updates during play. Each letter you find yourself earns five points. Letters revealed by hints earn one point. Every unused hint adds ten points. Completing a word with few visible letters earns bonus points. The game also shows a target score posted by another player, giving you a specific performance to beat rather than a simple completion goal.
Daily difficulty levels
CrossEights increases difficulty across the week. Sunday puzzles are labeled "blend," Monday and Tuesday are "easy," Wednesday and Thursday are "med," and Friday and Saturday are "hard." The calendar displays a colored band by day of the week so you can see the difficulty before you start.
Tips for higher scores
Use hints sparingly. Each hint costs you ten points and reduces the revealed letter's value from five to one. Aim to preserve your hint budget for truly stuck moments.
Because vertical and horizontal words cross, solving one word can unlock half the grid. Focus on words where you already have two or three crossing letters confirmed. Those partial answers guide the rest of the shape.
The scoring rewards guessing complete words early. If you can solve a word with only a few letters visible, you earn more than if you fill it letter by letter. Trust partial patterns and vocabulary knowledge rather than waiting for more hints.
Modes
Daily Grid: A numbered, dated puzzle with its difficulty class displayed. This is the main challenge.
Past Puzzles: A monthly calendar that keeps every previous day's grid available. The current daily grid remains highlighted, but you can replay any past puzzle.