Mini is a daily 5x5 crossword: ten short answers, clean fill, and clues written to be solvable rather than punishing. It's built for the gap between things - the queue, the bus, the first coffee - and most people finish in a minute or two.
The grid is small enough that every letter matters. A single crossing you're sure about will often unlock two more answers, which is what makes a mini feel quick even when the clues aren't obvious. If you get truly stuck, Check will confirm the letters you've placed, at a small cost to your score.
Like the rest of the card, it's free, needs no account, and refreshes at midnight with a brand new grid and clues.
The Mini scores from a solve base plus a speed bonus, minus a penalty for each Check you use. A clean solve inside par earns the full 1,000. Revealing the grid pays partial credit for the letters you had right, always below a genuine solve.
Three-letter entries have far fewer possibilities than five-letter ones. Lock those in and the crossings will hand you most of the longer answers for free.
When a clue leaves you blank, ignore it and solve the words that cross it. Two or three confirmed letters usually make the answer obvious without ever parsing the clue.
A clue phrased in the plural almost always wants an S at the end, and a past-tense clue usually wants ED. In a 5x5, that single letter can crack the whole corner.
Each Check costs you points, so it's worth sitting with a tough crossing for a few extra seconds before reaching for it. Speed matters, but a clean solve matters more.
Mini is one of four free puzzles that land every midnight, and whatever you score on each adds up to one daily total. You don't have to play all four.