Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of Terms

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of TheCrossword.org (the "Site"), including all content, tools, and services provided therein. By accessing or using the Site, you agree to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy Policy.

2. Description of Service

TheCrossword.org provides free crossword puzzles, a clue answers database, word tools (such as the crossword solver, anagram solver and word finder), and related articles. The Site is free to use and does not require you to create an account or log in.

Puzzle progress and statistics are stored only in your own browser's local storage. We do not store them on our servers and cannot recover them if they are cleared. See our Privacy Policy for details.

We may modify, suspend, or discontinue any part of the Site at any time without notice.

3. Acceptable Use

You may use the Site for personal, non-commercial purposes. You agree not to:

• Scrape or systematically copy content from the site without our written permission (normal search engine indexing is fine)
• Use automated tools to access the site at rates that place unreasonable load on our servers
• Attempt to access areas of the site or systems you are not authorised to access
• Use the site to distribute spam, malware, or harmful content
• Copy our word lists, clue database or tools wholesale to build a competing service
• Reproduce or distribute our puzzle content without written permission
• Circumvent or attempt to circumvent any security measures
• Impersonate any person or entity, or misrepresent your affiliation with any entity

4. Intellectual Property

Our content

All content on TheCrossword.org, including puzzles, clue text, software, design, graphics, and written content, is owned by TheCrossword.org or used under licence (for example, open-source software and dictionary word lists). This content is protected by copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws.

You may not reproduce, distribute, display, or create derivative works from our content without our prior written permission, except that you may print a single copy for personal, non-commercial use.

Feedback

The Site does not host user accounts, comments or other user-generated content. If you email us feedback, suggestions or corrections, you agree that we may use them to improve the Site without any obligation to you. We won't publish your name or message without your permission.

5. Puzzle Content

The crossword puzzles on the Site, including the daily crossword and the mini crossword, are original works created for TheCrossword.org. We do not republish puzzles from newspapers or other publishers. The clue answers database and word tools are provided for personal, informational and educational use.

You are welcome to share your solve time or a link to a puzzle. Reproducing a full puzzle grid or clue set on another platform is not permitted without our written consent.

6. Third-Party Links and Content

The Site may contain links to third-party websites. These links are provided for your convenience. We do not control third-party sites and are not responsible for their content, privacy practices, or availability. Visiting third-party sites is at your own risk.

The Site displays advertising served by Google AdSense and its partners. We do not endorse advertised products or services, and any dealings with advertisers are solely between you and the advertiser. How advertising cookies are used is explained in our Privacy Policy.

7. Disclaimers

No warranty. The Site is provided on an "as is" basis without warranties of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement.

Accuracy. While we make every effort to ensure puzzle content and clue answers are accurate, we do not warrant that all content is error-free. If you spot an error, please let us know.

Availability. We do not guarantee uninterrupted access to the Site. We may modify or discontinue any feature at any time.

8. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, TheCrossword.org and its operators shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of the Site, even if we have been advised of the possibility of such damages.

Because the Site is provided free of charge, our total liability to you for any claim arising from your use of the Site shall not exceed one hundred US dollars (US$100). Nothing in these Terms limits any liability that cannot be limited under applicable law, or any rights you have as a consumer that cannot be waived.

9. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless TheCrossword.org and its operators from any claims, damages, losses, liabilities, and expenses (including legal fees) arising from your violation of these Terms or misuse of the Site.

10. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws applicable in the place where the Site's operator is established, without regard to conflict of law provisions. If you use the Site as a consumer, you also keep the protection of any mandatory laws of the country where you live. Before bringing any formal claim, please contact us so we can try to resolve the issue informally.

11. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page shows when they were last revised. Your continued use of the Site after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the new Terms. If you do not agree with changes, please discontinue use of the Site.

12. Contact

If you have questions about these Terms, please contact us:

• Email: [email protected]
• Contact page: thecrossword.org/contact/