This update includes a variety of the under the hood fixes to improve gameplay, especially in Write & Rung.

This update fixes some under-the-hood issues with crosswords. (If you loaded a crossword that didn't work, and we fixed it on the server, the app was shy about showing you the fixed crossword later. We've cleaned up that shyness.)

Sometimes you see an app say it has bug fixes and improvements and you think to yourself, "Yeah, right. C'mon, what'd you REALLY do?!" Well the truth is: This release contains a lot of bug fixes and improvements! The biggest improvement? The triumphant return of leaderboards for Mini crosswords and full-size crosswords! They were lost, but now are found.

Recent updates include a brand new game (Write & Rung), a new score/timer-free option (Zen Mode), and the new Friends feature so you can compare scores with friends. This release includes bug fixes and improvements for all of those features!

Recently, we launched a brand new Word Ladder game. It didn't work for some users on iOS 18. This release makes the game fully functional for iOS 18 users. We also recently launched Zen Mode, available in Settings, for players who don't want to see high scores and timers. This update also introduces friend lists! Add your friends who use the app so that you can compare your high scores with each other.

We JUST launched a brand new daily puzzle in Lex.Games, Write & Rung. Maybe your solve times are incredible! But maybe solve times stress you out.  Introducing Zen Mode! If you enable Zen Mode in the app's settings, Lex.Games will no longer show timers or your solve times. And if you visit the Leaderboards, instead of seeing all the high scores, you'll simply get a motivational quote of some sort instead. Zen Mode is for folks who play for the joy of solving puzzles, rather than racing the clock or competing against anyone else.

Version 3.0 introduced a brand new game — Write & Rung: Build word ladders by solving clever crossword-style clues. But, unsurprisingly, Version 3.0 of Lex.Games ALSO introduced a handful of small bugs. This release makes scrolling and sorting easier in Write & Rung, plus includes the game in the settings for better organizing your Lex.Games home screen. Good luck!

A brand new game! Write & Rung is a word ladder game. Solve a handful of clues to uncover a series of words each just one letter apart from each other. Order the word ladder correctly, and two more clues appear — the top and bottom rungs of the word ladder. Can you solve all the words? This big update also includes a slew of bug fixes, improvements to Mini Crosswords, and more.

Crosswords, crosswords, crosswords. Full-size ones and mini ones. They've received a lot of improvements over the last few updates. This release contains a few more such fixes. You're worth it.

A wise person once said you can please some of the people some of the time, and some of the people some of the time, but you can't please some of the people some of the time. I have no idea what that means, but I do know that recent improvements that dramatically improved gameplay in a few games for users with small screens inadvertently made life WORSE for people with larger devices. This release is the Goldilocks version, where we're making things look great on all screen sizes, all of the time. If you felt stymied by a small keyboard on Crosswords or Mini Crosswords, this version is for you. And if you're on a smaller device, we're optimized for you, too. Hooray!

This release includes even more fixes for smaller screens. It also improves how we handle hints/reveals in Crosswords and Minis, and cleans up a few other bits of functionality. You can't spell "functionality" without "fun" — and trust me, I'm sure! I write word games all day!

Small screens are people, too! Some folks with smaller devices were having trouble reading Crossword and Mini Crossword clues. This updates addresses those issues and also includes various other under-the-hood fixes and improvements.

We JUST released a fix for Letter Opener which... didn't fix Letter Opener. This Letter Opener fix ACTUALLY fixes Letter Opener, which is a far better Letter Opener fix, in our opinion. This release also includes visual improvements to dark mode in Crosswords and Mini Crosswords.

There was a pretty significant issue with Letter Opener. Specifically, on the 22nd of February 2026, it stopped working. That would be entirely my fault. The good news is, it's fixed now, and I have been severely punished. This release also includes other minor bug fixes and under-the-hood improvements, and still includes recent updates you know and love improving Crosswords, Mini Crosswords, By A Vowel, and more.

Crosswords and Mini Crosswords recently scored a Lex.Games overhaul for the better — but a few bugs creeped in. We have now squashed those bugs as if they were insignificant picnic-ruiners. They are gone. The layouts are much improved when playing and solving, as are the win screens that appear upon solving a crossword. Additionally, users with smaller phone screens — and/or larger font sizes — had troubles with the keyboard on Cryptograms and Six Appeal. Those layout issues are now but a distant memory. But you know what we'll never forget? How much I love you. Thanks for playing!

The just-released 2.08 update improved Crosswords, Mini Crosswords, and By A Vowel. But sometimes improvements can cause tiny bugs. This... this was one of those times. This release fixes an issue with Mini crossword archives and cleans up a few under-the-hood issues. Hooray!

This update sports significant overhaul to Crosswords and Mini Crosswords, with a significantly improved interface, bug fixes, and overall betterness, as defined by the Betterness Institute of Word Games™, of which I am the sole member AND president. (It was unanimous.) Also in this update is a bit of a glow up for By A Vowel. What's a glow up? I guess it's what my kids call a makeover? I'm old. Anyway, I love you. Rate and review and stuff. You're aces.

Sometimes, certain puzzles didn't fit on the screen if you used the Larger Fonts accessibility setting. It's far less fun to solve puzzles that you can't see all of. This release also includes some clean up for By A Vowel and Cryptograms.

Mind Control — the game might just remind you of Mastermind! — got a bit broken this week. I think the game knew I went on vacation, and decided to break then. No worries, though. I came home from vacation, and before I even finished unpacking, I fixed the bug. This release has that Mind Control bug fix!

This version fixes two bugs. You know, I really hate bugs. Bug #1: I'm not perfect. Every once in a while, a puzzle has a typo in it. When this happened with Cryptogram puzzles, if I corrected that typo on the server, the app didn't update fast enough to show that the typo was fixed. That meant a) you probably saw the typo, and b) many, many people (kindly!) wrote to me about the typos. So I'm really solving problems for both of us with this fix. Bug #2: Daylight Saving Times changes in the US made older puzzles crash instead of loading for some users. Date math is hard. This bug was embarrassing. It's fixed forever now.

Sometimes, we just say "bug fixes and improvements," because the fixes themselves are almost embarrassing to share. This is one of those times. Okay, fine, I'll tell you. A persnickety Lexicogs bug that *still* showed the wrong puzzle number sometimes is finally fixed. Let us rejoice together!

Bug fixes! Improvements! And love!

This is the pumpkin spice season of app updates. Here's why: It's delightful and harmless, even if you pay no attention to it. By A Vowel interface issues are fixed. Cryptogram timing bugs are squashed. And an occasional numbering issue afflicting Lexicogs is handily addressed. And if you like Lex.Games, be sure to check out my new Cryptograms by Lex.Games app, too!

Version 2.0 brought a slew of improvements, including a brand new game — Cryptograms! Version 2.01 brings bug fixes and improvements, including fixes for external keyboard support on Six Appeal, and some interface issues on By A Vowel.

It's the big 2.0 upgrade of Lex.Games! The biggest new feature is a BRAND NEW GAME. Say hello to Cryptograms. If you've never played a cryptogram-style puzzle, you're in for a treat. You'll solve quips and quotes by figuring out a letter cipher — meaning every letter has been replaced with another letter of the alphabet. Crack the code to see the funny one-liner! But a BRAND NEW GAME isn't enough. There's also a slew of both bug fixes AND improvements. I know. I'm excited, too. Among the fixes: FINALLY: External keyboard support for Six Appeal FINALLY: Better iPad layouts for certain games that looked funny on the iPad (looking at you, By A Vowel and Six Appeal) FINALLY: Letter Opener shows you all the word stats you could hope for after your round is over, including the words ONLY YOU found Also, some much-requested needs were addressed: You can reorder the games so that your favorites are on top. (But aren't they all your favorites?! Or in the UK, your favourites?) And everyone's favorite "You did it!" win jingle no longer pauses whatever you're listening to. So you can hear a song of victory WITHOUT interrupting your favorite podcast. All this, and more. Check it out! And as always, I'm incredibly grateful for your reviews, and love it when you tell your friends all about Lex.Games.