Crossword Puzzles


	Crossword Puzzles 101 If you are new to crossword puzzles, this page is for you. It explains what a crossword is and how to best tackle those clues. What Are Crosswords? Crosswords are word puzzles laid out in grids, with black and white squares. The white squares are filled with letters to form words or phrases that pertain to clues you are given. The black squares are spacers between words. Typically the white square that begins a word is numbered and corresponds to a clue number. The answer to the clue for 1-across would fit into the puzzle starting at the white square with a 1 in it. The clues are sorted into across and down columns. The Parts Of A Crossword Title Some crosswords will have a fun title name, others will just state whether they are easy, medium, hard or challenging. The Grid Most crossword grids consist of black and white squares set into a square or rectangular pattern. There are also diagramless puzzles where the squares are all white and not numbered. The Clues Clues are numbered and sorted into across and down columns for both diagramless and regular crosswords. Crosswords that you find in newpapers are symmetrical. The grid of black and white squares remains the same when the puzzle is upside down. The answers are densely set and interlock. Every letter is used in both an across word and a down word. Freeform crossword puzzles have no particular shape and are not published in newspapers as a general rule. They are most often found in puzzle books. The answer words for freeform puzzles generally intersect in only a few places. The photo to the left is a sample of a symmetrical crossword puzzle. If you turned the grid upside down it would look the same as it does upright. Help Solving Crossword When you have chosen a crossword to solve, the first step is to read the clues and note those that you think you can answer easily. The down column generally will contain the most easy to solve clues, so start with that column first. Write the answer next to the clue and do a quick check of the puzzle to see if you have the correct number of letters to fit into the grid. Once you have a few answers written down, start placing them in the grid. Work the grid from the words you have put into place. It's easier to solve some of the clues when you have a letter already in place. Crossword Helpers The best crossword helpers to have are a college level dictionary and a crossword dictionary. I have a copy of Webster's Encyclopedia of Dictionaries that was found at a used book sale. It contains a regular dictionary as well as a x-word dictionary, medical and science dictionaries and more. It cost me less than a dollar! Look around and you'll be amazed at the bargains you can find. Crossword Puzzles 101 to Home Page ADD TO YOUR SOCIAL BOOKMARKS: Blink Del.icio.us Digg Furl Google Simpy Spurl Technorati Y! MyWeb
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