Do I need to sign up?

No. You can play right away, without an account.

Where is my progress saved?

In your browser (localStorage). It never leaves your device: if you switch browser, use private browsing or clear the site's data, your collection starts again from zero.

Do accented letters count?

No: Pokémon names are written with plain letters only, without spaces or symbols.

I found a mistake in a clue.

Write to us: the contact details are on the About us page.

How to play – PokèVerba

PokèVerba is a daily crossword where every answer is the name of a Pokémon. Each clue describes the Pokémon by its data (type, home region, evolutions, size, colour, habitat) without ever naming it. There is a new edition every day, the same for everyone.

The rules in short

Tap or click a square in the grid: the word it belongs to and its clue light up.
Type the name of the Pokémon. The cursor moves on by itself, letter by letter.
Tap the same square again to switch between across and down where two words cross.
When you think you’re done, press Check: whole words that are right flash yellow, wrong ones turn red. Words you haven’t finished are not judged. You get 5 checks per crossword: once they’re used up, a full grid still gets a final check, which closes the crossword if everything is right. Right letters stay locked: you can’t erase them by mistake, and the cursor skips them as you type.
Press Check: every word that is completely right catches its Pokémon and adds it to your collection, even if the grid isn’t finished yet.

Keyboard controls

Arrow keys: move between squares (and change direction).
Space: switch direction (across or down) on crossing squares, or advance to the next square.
Enter / Shift + Enter: jump to the first square of the next or previous word.
Backspace: delete and go back to the previous letter.
Click a clue in the list to jump straight to its word.

Regional crosswords

Besides the crossword with every Pokémon (“All regions”), the buttons above the grid let you pick the Kanto one: a daily puzzle with only first-generation Pokémon. More regions will come later.

Streak, collection and sharing

Every day you complete the crossword, your streak goes up by one. Skip a day and it starts again from zero. The Pokémon you guess go into your collection, which fills up edition after edition.

Once you finish the crossword, you can tap Share result to copy a clean, spoiler-free summary with the edition, your time, how many times you pressed Check, and your current streak, ready to send without spoiling the answers for anyone else.

If you give up, you can spend 40 tokens on Show solution to see every answer: the Pokémon you had already caught stay, the ones from the missing words don’t, and your streak doesn’t grow.

Tokens

Playing earns you tokens. Every day there are three quests: complete a crossword (+10), complete one without hints (+10) and catch a new Pokémon (+5). There are also achievements, unlocked once: your first crossword, 3, 7 and 30-day streaks, Pokémon in your collection and more. You’ll find them all, each with its reward, in the Achievements tab.

You spend tokens on hints: Reveal letter (5) writes the right letter in the selected square, Reveal word (15) writes the whole selected word and Show solution (40) reveals the full grid. Checking stays free.

Tokens have no monetary value: they can’t be bought, sold or traded. Your balance is saved only in this browser: clearing the site data deletes it.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to sign up?: No. You can play right away, without an account.
Where is my progress saved?: In your browser (localStorage). It never leaves your device: if you switch browser, use private browsing or clear the site’s data, your collection starts again from zero.
When does the new crossword come out?: At midnight, Italian time.
Do accented letters count?: No: Pokémon names are written with plain letters only, without spaces or symbols.
I found a mistake in a clue.: Write to us: the contact details are on the About us page.