Show HN: I built a dual crossword puzzle where two crosswords share one grid (forkle.co.uk)

20 points|by daveoshawrus|1d ago|15 comments|Read full story on forkle.co.uk

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.

Comments (15)

15 shown

1. oidar|1d ago|context

Doesn't load on latest firefox.
2. daveoshawrus|1d ago|context

Thank you, I appreciate the feedback, I'll check it out.
3. daveoshawrus|1d ago|context

Would you mind trying now? If it still doesn't work, it could be Firefox Enhanced Tracking Protection blocking Supabase. Thank you for the feedback.
4. limbero|1d ago|context

I did the " Separated by a Common Flame" puzzle (you're doing something funky with copy/paste so I had to right click to copy the title and all the clues).
It's fun, but I have some pointers.
1. Try to follow NYT's cluing rules, like plural clues always have plural answers. I was tripped up by "Bark pieces soaked before scattering over coals (8)" having the answer WOODCHIP.
2. It's very difficult. I solve NYT pretty handily 7 days a week, and difficult crosswords in Swedish too, but I ended up using 21 hints, and not only because I rushed. The lack of crosses makes it a lot harder to get a lock on the grid.
3. There was some questionable cluing in general, like "Shredded cabbage side at every British barbecue (8)" for COLESLAW, which I would not consider a particularly British side, and "Shallow inflatable pool beside the barbecue (8)" for PADDLING. Omitting the noun for that type of compounded adjective-noun word is fine I guess but felt clunky.
I like the gimmick itself though!
5. daveoshawrus|1d ago|context

Thanks, I appreciate the feedback! I'll look into the plurality issue.
6. yuppiepuppie|1d ago|context

Nice!
This would be a perfect entry for https://hnarcade.com
7. daveoshawrus|1d ago|context

Thank you! I'll check it out :)
8. brenschluss|1d ago|context

The “featured on scrolllaunch” banner covers the keyboard.
9. daveoshawrus|1d ago|context

Thanks, yes that was a quick error I had to fix, hopefully works now. probably shouldn't be adding badges on launch day ha.
10. BoiledCabbage|1d ago|context

Nice to try something different.
My feedback was it seemed like it was interesting to make, but for me at least not really interesting to solve.
It felt more like solving two crosswords than a single combined one.
Places where lots letters are shared between the two make it interesting, but they're weren't many. Sharing a single vowel 'e' isn't too interesting. Otherwise the just share the length which I already know the length for a crossword clue.
It seems like there is a cool idea in there and keep working on it, it just isn't there for me yet.
11. daveoshawrus|1d ago|context

Thanks for the feedback. The additional factor which changes it from just two crosswords which happen to have the exact same grid is of course the shared letters as you said (the amount of these varies from puzzle to puzzle), but also it's that the clues are fully themed internally and connected to the other theme. Obviously I appreciate that it's not necessarily for everyone, and I appreciate the honest criticism. Cheers
12. daveoshawrus|1d ago|context

Really appreciate all the valuable feedback from everyone so far. New puzzles are published every day, so feel free to play more during this week and let me know what you think. Thanks everyone.
13. zem|22h ago|context

feedback as a crossword setter: published newspaper crosswords have rules around where you can have unchecked squares (where "checked" means "the same letter appears in two different words"). the most basic rule for new york times style american crosswords is "zero unchecked squares", and for british style blocked crosswords it is "no word should have two consecutive unchecked squares". not following either of those conventions gives the crosswords an amateurish feel, and also contributes to the "feels way too hard" feedback some other people have left.
14. daveoshawrus|22h ago|context

Thank you, I'll look into implementing those rules.
15. zem|21h ago|context

good luck! I will note that it's significantly harder filling a properly checked grid entirely with thematic words (I've done it but I certainly wouldn't want to do one a day), but in your case having a common letter in two overlapping words would count as checking so that might make things a bit easier.