Stackword: Crossword for Tech

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Inspiration

Technology shapes everyday life, but the words behind it can feel like a wall of jargon. Stackword turns that vocabulary into clues, giving builders and curious learners a satisfying break that can also teach them something.

What it does

Stackword offers carefully written crosswords about computing, software, the web, open source, mobile, cloud, security, AI, and the culture of making things. Players can solve a free weekly edition, browse the archive, use checks or reveals for a nudge, review their results, and collect words and explanations in the Wordbook. The first five archive editions are free; editions 6–100 are part of the Space Collection.

How we built it

Stackword is a native Swift app built with SwiftUI for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Its crossword catalog and solving experience are backed by app data models and local persistence, with CloudKit support when iCloud is available. Game Center supports optional player status and scores. RevenueCat manages access to the Space Collection purchase.

Challenges we ran into

The main challenge was making the experience feel good both as a quick daily puzzle and as a larger archive: clue reading, grid entry, progress recovery, results, and collection access all need to work together. Supporting Apple platforms also meant checking layouts and interaction patterns across device sizes. CloudKit cross-device sync still needs confirmation and is tracked in the project's manual test plan.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Stackword has a complete solve loop, a 100-edition tech crossword archive, a free weekly edition, a Wordbook, spoiler-free result sharing, and optional Game Center features. The iOS 1.0 has passed App Review and is awaiting manual release.

What we learned

A good puzzle app needs more than a grid and clues. Reliable saving, clear next steps, readable layouts, useful answer context, and a fair way to expand the catalog all shape whether players want to return.

What's next for Stackword

Learn from early player feedback. Then prioritize improvements based on where players get stuck, which editions they finish, and how the archive and Space Collection perform.

Built With

• bitrig
• cloudkit
• game-center
• revenuecat
• swift
• swiftdata
• swiftui