Welcome to Clued In, our brand-new monthly crossword puzzle series. Think of it as your sober brain’s favorite workout. Every month, we’re dropping a fresh puzzle packed with recovery terms, NA beverage brands, sober pop culture, and TSC insider references. The grid below is interactive. Are you more of an analog person? Grab a pen (or a pencil if you’re not that confident yet) and see how clued in you really are.
Prefer Pen and Paper? We love analog living too!
Clued In drops a brand-new themed puzzle the first of every month. Each issue dives into a different corner of sober culture. Subscribe to The Sober Sip so you never miss one.
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If you or someone you know is experiencing difficulties surrounding alcoholism, addiction, or mental illness, please reach out and ask for help. People everywhere can and want to help; you just have to know where to look. And continue to look until you find what works for you. Click here for a list of regional and national resources.
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What is Clued In?
Clued In is The Sober Curator’s monthly crossword puzzle. Every month we drop a brand-new puzzle packed with recovery terms, NA beverage brands, sober celebrities, pop culture references, and TSC insider knowledge. Think of it as a love letter to your sober brain. You earned those brain cells back. Time to put them to work.
How often does a new puzzle come out?
Once a month. We drop a fresh puzzle at the beginning of each month. Every issue has a different theme tied to our content pillars, so you’ll see everything from NA beverage clues to sober pop culture deep cuts to recovery terminology.
How do I play online?
Click on any white square in the grid to start typing. Here’s the cheat sheet:
- Click a cell to select it and start typing your answer
- Click the same cell again to toggle between Across and Down
- Click any clue in the sidebar to jump directly to that word
- Arrow keys move you around the grid
- Tab jumps to the next clue
- Backspace deletes and moves you back one square
- CHECK tells you which letters you got right (they’ll highlight green)
- REVEAL fills in all the answers (no judgment, we’ve all been there)
- RESET clears the whole grid so you can start fresh
Can I print it?
Yes! We’ve got a downloadable PDF version of every puzzle. Click the download button below the interactive puzzle, print it out, and go full analog. Pen or pencil is your call, but pencil users get zero judgment from us.
Where is the answer key?
For this first issue, the answer key is right here on this page. Starting in April 2026, the answer key will be available exclusively inside BACKSTAGE, our private cultural membership. Consider it motivation to either get really good at crosswords or join the club.
Is Clued In free?
The puzzle itself is always free. Always. Play it online, download the PDF, share it with your sober bestie. Inclusivity is baked into everything we do. The only thing that moves behind the BACKSTAGE curtain is the answer key starting in April.
Why is the grid 12×12-ish?
Because there are 12 steps. We thought about making it 13×13 for this first issue to fit all the words we wanted, but the spirit of 12 is absolutely intentional. Coincidence? We think not.
I’m stuck. Any hints?
A few things that might help:
- Start with the clues you’re most confident about. Fill in those letters first and let the intersections help you crack the harder ones.
- Pay attention to the clue voice. If it mentions a specific TSC column, NA brand, or sober celebrity, that’s a pretty direct hint.
- Use the CHECK button to see which letters you’ve nailed. Green squares are your friends.
- If all else fails, REVEAL exists for a reason. No one’s keeping score. (OK, we might add a score feature eventually. But not today.)
Can I share Clued In with friends?
Please do. Share the link, screenshot your completed grid, tag us @thesobercurator on any platform. If you want to get competitive about it, we fully support that energy. Bonus points if you time yourself and share your solve time.
I have an idea for a clue or theme. How do I submit it?
We love this. Email us at thesobercurator@gmail.com with “CLUED IN” in the subject line. Tell us your word, your clue idea, and why it belongs in the puzzle. If we use it, we’ll give you a shoutout. Our community has 500+ years of sobriety combined, so we know the best clues will come from you.
Will there be a Clued In archive?
Yes. As we build out the series, previous puzzles will be archived so you can go back and play ones you missed. Think of it as a sober rabbit hole you can fall into guilt-free.
I found a typo / something’s broken / I have feedback.
Tell us! Email thesobercurator@gmail.com