An independent alternative for more puzzle play
BonusPuzzles.com is an independent browser-game project for people who enjoy Bonus-style word, logic and crossword challenges and want to continue without another subscription. It is focused on six related puzzle experiences, rather than a collection of unrelated arcade games.
- One Clue Word — Five rounds of written clues, five-letter answers and unlimited guesses.
- Triple Connections — Nine words, three hidden categories and four mistakes to work with.
- Color Trails — Follow bending letter paths, uncover a theme and find its spanning word.
- Mini Mystery — A compact 5×5 crossed grid with Across and Down clues.
- Easy Crossword — Roomier 11×11 original crossed grids and approachable clues.
- Crossword Stories — Themed 15×15 original crossed grids with longer centerpiece answers.
All six games are free to play without an account. Daily offers a shared New York-date selection; Unlimited and Practice support repeat sessions. Weekly puzzles separates dated new original releases from curated selections, while the original library helps you replay a chosen set.
What the original library contains
| Collection | Current authored content |
|---|---|
| One Clue Word | 505 individual clues, arranged into 101 fixed five-round packs |
| Triple Connections | 301 nine-word grouping boards |
| Color Trails | 49 whole-board themed letter-path puzzles |
| Crosswords | 71 grids: 25 Mini Mystery, 21 Easy Crossword and 25 Crossword Stories |
These are finite collections. Unlimited means there is no daily play cap, not that every click creates a never-before-seen puzzle. Newly authored releases have their own dates and puzzle IDs on the weekly page. The eight repeat selections remain available separately; a new rotation of those selections is not a new content release.
How quality is checked
Data checks cover five-letter answers and legal word membership, populated hints and explanations, valid pack references, and three distinct groups of three words. Letter-path checks verify adjacency, non-reused cells, a spanning theme and complete board coverage. Crossword checks cover letter intersections, entry numbering, clue coverage and connected grids.
Those checks establish specific structure and rule facts. They do not prove that every clue has only one human interpretation, that no alternate grouping is reasonable, or that every item received independent editorial review. The data retains its actual review state. Worked explanations and a correction channel help make the intended reasoning inspectable.
Our games and third-party names
The games use this project’s clues, category boards, paths, crossed grids and independent interface. References to Wordle in 1, Connections 3×3, Colorful Strands, Mystery Mini, Easy Mode Crossword and Special Crossword explain the comparison. They do not mean this site is an official NYT product or supplies its paid puzzle sets.
Read the access and alternatives guide for the official-versus-independent distinction. The older Mini Mystery branded route remains a playable address for the same game whose primary page is Free Mini Crossword.
Rules, corrections and privacy
The six-game rules explain feedback, mistakes, paths, crossing letters, assistance and result sharing. For a correction, include the game, mode, date and completed challenge link when available; describe the competing answer or full alternative grouping. See the feedback instructions or email [email protected].
Progress is saved in the current browser when storage is available, without account-based synchronization. Read the current privacy notice and the independence statement.