Crossword Maxi
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Puzzle Theme: Botany 2026
"A good fit for a day about plants and growth."
This Crossword Maxi puzzle was curated by Chris.
Across
- 1. Delay for later consideration?
- 4. Clean up, or lightly coat with a fine layer
- 9. Type of support found in Gothic structures
- 10. Not in
- 12. Natural thickener used in the food industry
- 14. Greek letter often associated with psychology
- 15. Provide temporarily
- 16. Subtly, like a fox
- 18. Gradually detach from dependence
- 19. Exist
- 22. Trench that's hard to escape?
- 24. Take a small swallow
- 26. Group with zealous devotion
- 29. Engine component
- 32. Plant support underground?
- 34. Enlightened, as a novel
- 36. Trademark symbols
- 38. What's left after a fire
- 39. Father, informally
- 40. Winter transport
- 41. Glossy finish
Down
- 1. Fall suddenly
- 2. Hopelessly ineffective
- 3. Fit for a king
- 4. Beaver's creation
- 5. Russian mountain range
- 6. Fastener with a twist
- 7. Scottish noble title
- 8. Wealthy
- 11. Former Soviet Union (Abbr.)
- 13. Short celebration for one's anniversary of birth
- 17. Area for a garden
- 19. Perform on stage
- 20. Part of a plant
- 21. Greet with "What's up?"
- 23. German town suffix
- 24. Comfort in times of distress
- 25. Colorful part of the eye
- 27. Circular paths
- 28. Sum up
- 30. Fertile spots in the desert
- 31. Amorphous mass
- 33. Print style
- 35. Comparative word
- 37. Writing surface for notes
About Crossword Maxi
A 13x13 crossword with 30+ clues. The full-sized daily puzzle for people who actually like crosswords -- longer answers, trickier cluing, and a timer to keep things honest.
The Maxi is the big one. A 13x13 grid packed with over 30 clues, including nine-letter answers that stretch across the board and short fills that link everything together. Clues range from straight definitions to genuine misdirection. If you finish the Mini and Midi and still want more, this is where you end up. New puzzle every day on DailyPlay, same grid for everyone.
Crossword Maxi on DailyPlay is completely free to play with no ads, no pop-ups, and no interruptions.
How to Play
Goal
Fill every white cell in the 13x13 grid so that each across and down answer matches its clue. The puzzle is complete when every word is correct.
Rules
- Tap or click a cell to select it, then type your letter. The cursor advances automatically.
- Tap a selected cell again (or press the arrow keys) to toggle between across and down.
- Black cells separate the words and cannot be filled.
- Clue numbers appear in the top-left corner of the starting cell for each answer.
- Answers range from three letters to nine or more. Every letter is shared between an across and a down word.
Strategy
- Scan for gimmes. Every grid has a handful of clues you can answer cold. Fill those first -- the crossing letters open up everything around them.
- Anchor on the long answers. Nine-letter words span most of the grid. Cracking one gives you a wall of crossing letters and can unlock an entire section.
- Work in clusters. Focus on one corner or section at a time rather than jumping all over the grid. Tight areas with a lot of short intersecting words often solve themselves once you get two or three in place.
- Re-read stubborn clues. Come back to a clue after filling in some crossing letters. Seeing _A_E instead of five blanks changes how you read the clue entirely.
Tips
- Short fills are underrated. Three-letter answers are usually common words (ERA, ORE, ATE). Fill them in fast and use those letters to attack the longer answers nearby.
- Think about word endings. English crossword answers often end in -ED, -ER, -ING, or -LY. If a clue points to a past tense or a comparison, try penciling the ending in first.
- Use hints strategically. If you're stuck, a single revealed letter in a long answer is more valuable than one in a three-letter word. Spend hints where they unlock the most crossings.
- Check the clock, but don't panic. The Maxi is meant to take a while. Steady solving beats frantic guessing. Your time improves naturally as you get used to the clue style.
How It Works
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A new puzzle every day at midnight
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