Blog

News, guides, and stories from the crossword community.

Jun 9, 2026·3 min read

Klew v1.4: Sign In Without a Password, Achievements, and a Calmer Finish

v1.4 of Klew for iOS is live. Sign in with a code instead of a password, earn achievements as you solve, and finish on a cleaner screen with rate-and-review built in. Plus better sharing and optional daily reminders.

Release Notes
Jun 7, 2026·3 min read

Klew v1.3: Leaderboards, a Crown for the Fastest Solve, and Where You Stand

v1.3 of Klew for iOS is live. Every puzzle now has a leaderboard, the finish screen shows how your solve stacks up, a crown lands when you post the fastest time, and a new global Standings ranks solvers by skill rating.

Release Notes
Jun 7, 2026·4 min read

Points and Skill Rating, Explained

Klew keeps two numbers as you solve: points for showing up, and a skill rating for how good you are. Here is what each one means, what moves it, and why they are different.

Guides
Jun 5, 2026·3 min read

Klew v1.2: Points, Skill Rating, and a Home Screen That Keeps Score

v1.2 of Klew for iOS is live. Every solve now earns points and a skill rating, the home screen fills in as you go, a weekly recap rounds up your week, and you can share a clean solve to challenge a friend.

Release Notes
May 31, 2026·3 min read

Fathom: the word you measure with your arms

How a word for your outstretched arms became both a unit of ocean depth and what you do when you finally understand something.

Etymology
May 31, 2026·2 min read

Swell: from the open sea to a swell guy

One Old English verb meaning 'to puff up' fanned out into ocean swells, Victorian dandies, and 'things are going swell.' Same root, doing the same thing the whole way down.

Etymology
May 18, 2026·2 min read

Klew v1.1: Profile Redesign and Easy Mode by Default

v1.1 of Klew for iOS is live. A redesigned Profile tab, easy mode as a first-class choice during onboarding, and a fix to the All Sizes achievement.

Release Notes
May 17, 2026·4 min read

A Long Time Coming: Klew for iOS Is Live

Klew v1.0 is on the App Store. The whole project started with an iPad, an Apple Pencil, and the simple wish to solve a crossword the way it feels on paper.

Release NotesStory
Mar 25, 2026·5 min read

Why Building Crosswords Makes You a Better Solver

Constructing puzzles teaches you how grids work, how clues mislead, and how to think in patterns. It's the fastest way to level up your solving game.

Crosswords
Mar 18, 2026·3 min read

How to Import .puz Files to Klew

A complete guide to getting your crossword puzzle files into Klew on iOS and web, from iCloud to xword-dl.

Guides
Mar 18, 2026·2 min read

Why We Built Klew

We wanted a crossword app that respects your time: free puzzles, no ads, and a daily mini you can solve in minutes. Here's why.

StoryCrosswords