New to Plusword? This page answers the questions we hear most often — how the game works, what the colors mean, how scoring works, and where to play. If you are starting from zero, read our what-is-Plusword overview first, then come back here for the details.
Getting Started
What is Plusword?
Plusword is a free daily word puzzle. You solve a 5×5 mini crossword, which reveals green and yellow highlighted letters. You then unscramble those letters into a hidden five-letter Plus Word as quickly as possible. A new puzzle is published every day at midnight.
Is Plusword free to play?
Yes. Plusword is completely free to play online. There is no account to create and no payment required.
Where can I play Plusword?
Plusword is available on puzzle websites and newspaper puzzle sections, including the Telegraph’s puzzles page. Any site hosting the daily board gives you the same puzzle.
How to Play
How do you play Plusword?
Solve the 5×5 mini crossword (five across clues, five down clues). When the grid is complete, some letters highlight in green or yellow. Unscramble those highlighted letters into a hidden five-letter Plus Word and submit it to stop the timer.
What do the green and yellow tiles mean?
Green means the letter is in the Plus Word and sits in the correct column (1 to 5). Yellow means the letter is in the Plus Word but belongs in a different column. Uncolored letters are not in the Plus Word.
What is the Plus Word?
The Plus Word is the hidden five-letter word you unscramble from the green and yellow highlighted letters after solving the crossword grid. Submitting it stops the clock and finishes the puzzle.
How does the timer work?
The timer starts when you begin the puzzle and stops when you submit the correct Plus Word. Your total time covers both stages: solving the crossword grid and unscrambling the final word.
For a full stage-by-stage walkthrough, see our how-to-play guide.
Strategy and Scoring
How can I get faster at Plusword?
Solve the grid efficiently by starting with the easiest clues and using crossing letters. When the grid is done, move to the colored letters immediately — do not re-check a finished grid. In the anagram stage, lock the green letters into their columns first, then arrange the yellow letters around them.
What are the most common Plusword mistakes?
Assuming the Plus Word comes from the crossword clues (it comes from the highlighted letters), treating yellow letters as fixed in their columns, and wasting time re-checking a correct grid instead of moving to the anagram stage. Our guide to common Plusword mistakes covers them all with fixes.
Dig deeper with our common mistakes guide and our Plusword vs Wordle comparison.
More Questions
When is the new Plusword released?
A new Plusword board goes live every day at midnight. Everyone gets the same puzzle, so daily times are directly comparable.
Can I play previous days’ Plusword puzzles?
The official board is daily-only, with one puzzle per day. If you want extra practice, our list of the best games like Plusword has similar daily puzzles.
Who created Plusword?
Plusword was created by Daniel Peake, a British puzzle designer and games writer, as a fast-paced hybrid of crosswords and deduction games.
Still Stuck?
If your question is not answered above, the guides below cover the game in depth:
- What is Plusword? — the complete overview
- How to play Plusword — stage-by-stage walkthrough
- Plusword vs Wordle — how the two games compare
- Best games like Plusword — more daily puzzles to try
You can also read about Wordle’s origins in Wikipedia’s Wordle article or browse the Telegraph’s daily puzzles for extra practice.