How to Solve a Crossword: Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners

The Basics of a Crossword Puzzle

At the very core of them, crossword puzzles are a grid-based word game that tasks players to find words or phrases in order to solve them. The grids consist of white squares to enter letters and words in, and black squares that separate the words. The density of the black and white squares tends to differ with each crossword and each crossword variation as they usually depend on the constructor or the type of crossword.

Crosswords also tend to follow specific rules as they typically have 180-degree rotational symmetry, which essentially means that the crossword remains the same when turned upside down. That’s just half the crossword as the clues form the other half of the puzzle, and they are provided with every puzzle. They’re usually created by the constructor of the crossword and are provided for both the down and across entries, and follow certain rules depending on the type of crossword.

So much so, that many publications have themed crossword puzzles with themed clues as well as more complicated crosswords that use a lot of wordplay, puns, and such to misdirect the solver.

Understanding the Clues: Definitions, Wordplay, and Puns

The black and white grid is only one half of a crossword with the other half being the clues that allow a solver to guess what word fits in what specific section of white squares. These are typically numbered and thus correspond with the spaces within the grid, and usually have separate lists for across and down clues. Thus, as a result, each clue is created to help the solver find a specific word or phrase that fits the space while intersecting with other answers within the grid.

It's why clues come in various shapes and sizes, and it’s why looking at the way a clue is created can often tell the solver what type of crossword puzzle they’re solving. That’s because the way constructors create clues depends on the crossword they’re creating as cryptic crosswords have a different format for the clues while American crosswords have a different one. Thus, clues can often range from the straightforward to more playful or cryptic ones that tease and misdirect the solver.

Common Clue Types You’ll Encounter as a Beginner

Crossword constructors often use various grammatical and language techniques to help misdirect and confuse solvers, depending on the type of crossword they’re creating. Definitions are mainly used in straightforward clues as they directly describe the answer in crossword clues. Both puns and wordplay, however, are used more as linguistic tricks to help confuse solvers.

Wordplay includes anagrams, homophones, double meanings, and more which are methods that constructors use to trick and confuse solvers. There are limits as each clue will lead to an answer and not simply run the solver ragged. Puns are more of a playful clue and are often indicated by a question mark at the end of the clue to help give the solver an indication as to what type of clue it is.

There are other methods for spotting clues including tense, plurality, and parts of speech in the clue, that all provide hints about the answer.

Using the Crosses: How Intersections Help Solve Puzzles

Intersections are a big tool in any solver’s arsenal as they play a key role in solving any crossword puzzle even the toughest ones around. That’s because an intersection is basically where the across and the down entries meet, offering solvers a different way to tackle a tough clue. It allows them to deduce the clue without too much effort which is why many experts suggest tackling one side of the puzzle first, in order to build momentum.

Furthermore, this method is also very useful when it comes to the tougher clues or even unfamiliar terms as the intersections will provide some hint towards what the word could be. From there, it does, however, depend on the player’s vocabulary to make the most of the situation. Another way intersections prove useful is as a built-in checking system as if the crossing letter doesn’t fit either the across or the down section, then the player knows they’ve made a mistake.

Difficulty of Crosswords

The difficulty levels of crosswords tend to vary as they are often influenced by factors such as the complexity of the clues, solver experience, and even grid design. Thus, as a result, crosswords have different levels ranging from the novice level to expert as seen in the New York Times. The publication’s crossword increases by difficulty over the course of the week, with the Monday crossword said to be the easiest while the Saturday puzzle is said to be the toughest.

As the difficulty level rises, the harder it becomes to solve the clues as the easier puzzles feature straightforward clues, medium-level puzzles have less common vocabulary and some even utilize wordplay. That is always the case when it comes to the harder puzzles as constructors use wordplay, complex themes, obscure references, and more to misdirect users.

Helpful Resources for Learning Crossword Solving: Apps, Books, and Websites

Crossword puzzles are a delightful and entertaining way for players to bide time while also improving various cognitive abilities as well as their vocabulary and linguistic skills. That’s because a crossword puzzle challenges a solver to utilize multiple parts of their brain, which provides players with an engaging but challenging way to improve their mental acuity. However, while there are a catalog of options across the internet, it is tough to find the right resources to help improve one’s crossword solving.

That being said, here are a few Apps, Books, and Websites that can help:

Websites

• XWord Info: This website contains an archive of the New York Times crossword as well as statistics.

• Cruciverb.com: This website has a list of common resources and theme types for constructors

• Wordlisted: This a tool used to search within word lists, which is useful for constructors when creating themes

• Squares: A browser-based tool that can be used for collaborative puzzle solving to help novices gain a better understanding of crosswords.

• American Crossword Puzzle Tournament website: This website contains information on competitions for players to challenge themselves as well as archives of celebrated puzzles from the tournament.

Books

• Crossword Constructor's Handbook by Patrick Berry

• Easy ESL Crossword Puzzles

• Funster Crossword Puzzle Book for Adults

Apps

• World's Biggest Crossword (iOS/Android)

• CodyCross (iOS/Android)

• Deutschtrainer A1 (iOS/Android)