How to Solve Crossword Puzzles Faster: 12 Tips From Seasoned Solvers
Stuck on the Thursday puzzle? Learn how crossword clues really work, from abbreviations and wordplay to 'crosswordese', and start finishing more grids.
In this article
Crossword puzzles look intimidating at first, but solving them is a skill, and like any skill it improves quickly with a few strategies. Once you learn how constructors think, clues that once seemed impossible start to make sense. Here are twelve tips experienced solvers use.
Start with what you know
1. Fill in the blanks first. Fill-in-the-blank clues ("___ and void") are usually the easiest entries in the grid. Scan for them first to get letters on the board.
2. Jump around. You don't have to solve in order. Skim all the clues, fill what you're sure of, and use those letters as footholds.
3. Work the short words. Three- and four-letter answers have fewer possibilities, and each one gives you letters for longer crossing answers.
Learn the rules clues follow
4. Match tense and number. A clue in the past tense has a past-tense answer. A plural clue usually means a plural answer, which often ends in S.
5. Watch for abbreviations. If a clue contains an abbreviation ("Org." or "Abbr."), the answer is abbreviated too.
6. A question mark means wordplay. A "?" at the end of a clue signals a pun or trick. A classic example: "Flower of London?" isn't a plant. It's THAMES, the river that flows through London. Think sideways.
7. Foreign-language clues get foreign answers. "Friend, in France" is AMI. "Yes, in Spanish" is SI.
Build your crossword vocabulary
8. Learn "crosswordese." Certain short words appear constantly because their letter combinations are useful to puzzle constructors: ERIE, OREO, ALOE, EPEE, ESNE, ETNA, ARIA and OLEO. You'll start recognizing them quickly.
9. Pay attention to themes. Many puzzles have a theme tying the longest answers together. Solving one theme entry often helps you crack the others.
Strategies when you're stuck
10. Guess in pencil. Write in a likely answer and see if the crossings confirm it. Common endings like -ING, -ED, -ER and -EST are often safe bets.
11. Take a break. Stepping away and coming back with fresh eyes often makes a stubborn clue suddenly obvious.
12. Progress through the week. Many daily newspaper crosswords, including the New York Times, get harder as the week goes on, with Monday the easiest. Start early in the week and work your way up.
Keep practicing
The more puzzles you solve, the more patterns you'll recognize. Looking up an answer you couldn't get isn't cheating. It's how you learn the next one. Want a quick warm-up? Try our free daily word scramble and trivia quiz.
