Back to browse
Updated – A dual crossword puzzle where two crosswords share one grid

Updated – A dual crossword puzzle where two crosswords share one grid

by daveoshawrus·May 1, 2026·4 points·2 comments

AI Analysis

●●SolidBig BrainNiche Gem

Two crosswords sharing one grid creates a clever constraint for puzzle solvers.

Strengths
  • Shared grid mechanic forces unique letter intersections not found in standard puzzles.
  • Iterative difficulty tuning based on community feedback shows responsive development.
  • Keyboard accessibility improvements address specific user-reported friction points.
Weaknesses
  • Extremely niche appeal limited to hardcore crossword fans.
  • Single mechanic novelty may not sustain long-term engagement.
Category
Target Audience

Crossword enthusiasts, puzzle solvers

Similar To

New York Times Crossword · Forkle (previous version)

Post Description

Thank you to everyone who offered feedback on my Hacker Show post for Forkle last week. I had some fantastic input from a few of you, which I have now integrated into the game.

Major & Minor Improvements:

- Much easier. I was getting a lot of feedback that the puzzle was too difficult, from here, reddit and others. This was for a number of reasons, but I have made best efforts to simplify the puzzles.

- Improved checking : One user advised that common crossword proactive is to have more "checking" where letters intersect. This has been increased, within the possibility of a shared grid.

- Increased number of shared letters - I have attempted to add more shared letters to puzzles which makes them easier, more fun, and more in the spirit of the game.

- Ensured that copy and paste is accessible via keyboard shortcut on main game screen.

- Ensured that rules for vocabulary and grammar logic for clues are more tightly regulated. One comment mentioned plurality of a clue but not an answer. This is poor crossword form, and now improved.

- Addressed enhanced tracking bug in Firefox (still could be an issue)

Thank you to everyone, I want to make the game fun to play. Feel free to check out the new puzzles today and this week, which are improved. I may have to reduce the difficulty once again, but will see!

Original Post :

Forkle (forkle.co.uk) is a daily word game where two thematically linked crosswords occupy the same grid simultaneously. Every tile contains two letters - one belonging to each puzzle - displayed as a diagonal colour split. Where the two puzzles intersect, some tiles share the same letter, giving you a foothold into both crosswords at once. The mechanic has two layers: the shared grid, and the connected themes. Each day's two crosswords are thematically paired around a central idea. For example, a previous puzzle was "Same House, Different Kingdoms" - same home, same humans, entirely different worlds. One crossword is the dog's world, the other is the cat's. The themes are chosen to be related but distinct, which creates an extra layer of satisfaction when the connection clicks.

The constraint of forcing two crosswords into one physical space turns out to create genuinely interesting solving decisions - sometimes the two puzzles help each other, sometimes they fight.

Built solo over a few months using React, Python, Supabase, Fly.io and Resend. Three months of daily puzzles pre-loaded. Launched two weeks ago.

Would love feedback from anyone willing to try it.

Similar Projects

Gaming●●Solid

I Made a Math Crossword

The project grafts hexadecimal arithmetic onto a tiled crossword mechanic — you pick squares or shapes that represent a target hex number, with difficulty toggles, a timer, and an on-demand hint (press H). The UI is clean and immediately playable, but the core idea is a clever niche twist rather than a broad innovation; it could use better onboarding, scoring explanation, and shareable hooks to make it stick.

Niche GemCozy
keepamovin
203mo ago