Every clue tells you the answer twice.

Decryptic is a free daily cryptic crossword you solve in your browser. It teaches you as you play, with hints that explain the wordplay behind every clue.

Recruit, strangely silent (6)

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What is a cryptic crossword?

A cryptic crossword is a puzzle where every clue points at its answer twice: a plain definition at one end, and a piece of wordplay (an anagram, a hidden word, a charade and so on) that spells the same answer a second way. Once you learn the handful of devices setters use, the clues stop being baffling and become a game you can win.

Built to help you learn

Decryptic is designed for solvers who are still learning the ropes. Tap ? Hint on any clue and it names the type of wordplay in play, explains how it works, and reveals the answer only if you ask. Checking a word is always free. There's a single-clue focus mode for phones, and a growing archive of past puzzles to work through.

Learn to solve cryptic crosswords

New to cryptics, or want to sharpen up? Start here:

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How to solve cryptic crosswordsThe one idea every clue is built on, with worked examples Types of cryptic clueEvery device, its signal words and a worked example Abbreviations & letter codesThe stock shorthand cryptics rely on Reading the enumerationWhat the numbers in brackets tell you GlossaryEvery cryptic term in plain English

More to play

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Answers

Past puzzle solutionsFull grids and clue-by-clue explanations

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