How to Solve Cryptic Crosswords (2023)

FAQs

How to Solve Cryptic Crosswords? ›

The keys to solving Cryptic Crosswords are recognizing where the two parts separate and which is standard definition and which is wordplay. Types of wordplay common in Cryptic Crosswords are anagrams, reversal, charades, concealment, container, homograph, homophone, deletion, lettering, and literal.

The keys to solving Cryptic Crosswords are recognizing where the two parts separate and which is standard definition and which is wordplay. Types of wordplay common in Cryptic Crosswords are anagrams, reversal, charades, concealment, container, homograph, homophone, deletion, lettering, and literal.

WHAT MAKES A CROSSWORD CRYPTIC? For those new to the game, we reveal the secret in a nutshell: The clues each have two parts. One part is a normal definition of the answer; the other is an additional hint using wordplay. Having two hints in each clue might seem a big giveaway to solvers.

Insert words inside of other words to solve container clues.

Look for indicator words such as “within,” “around,” “in,” “inside,” and “retain” to identify a container clue. Container clues require inserting either letters or words inside of another to form a new word, which will hint at your answer.

Unlike regular crosswords, which typically ask the solver to find a synonym for a word or phrase, cryptic crosswords use clues that are deliberately misleading. Solvers have to ignore this reading and look instead for a grammatical set of coded instructions to lead them to the correct answer.

And there's no question that solving cryptic crosswords gives your brain a good work-out. In our paper on crossword expertise, we suggested that cryptic crossword solving exercises a wide range of cognitive faculties, such as: The general capacity to analyze, reason, problem-solve and think 'on one's feet'

A cryptic crossword is a crossword puzzle in which each clue is a word puzzle. Cryptic crosswords are particularly popular in the United Kingdom, where they originated, Ireland, Israel, the Netherlands, and in several Commonwealth nations, including Australia, Canada, India, Kenya, Malta, New Zealand, and South Africa.

You already know that the number in brackets at the end of the clue shows the number of letters in the answer. Sometimes this may be written (3,4) meaning the answer consists of two words, the first of three letters and the second of four letters.

How do you solve a cryptic crossword for beginners? ›

Happily, “girl” is rarely nowadays used in a clue to indicate the letters BIRD or BIT in an answer.

Some crosswords use the ellipsis (...). If one clue finishes with an ellipsis and the next clue starts with one, the inference is that the two clues are connected. Sometimes they are and you will have to solve one in order to solve the other but in many cases the two clues can be read independently.

Literal Clues: In a special type of clue called an &lit the clue's definition and cryptic halves are the same (“and literally so”). You may also see the term all-in-one for these types of clues. This is usually indicated by an exclamation point at the end of the clue.

KING. May be a bits-and-pieces indicator indicating the letter K or R or the letters CR, ER, GR or REX.

Answer: Cryptic Crosswords. According to academics, any novice can be taught how to solve these brainteasers in just 12 months but to be an expert takes up to nine years.

FINALLY. May be a bits-and-pieces indicator indicating the last letter of a word.

Make guesses. Sometimes when you're stuck, the only way to move forward is to make an educated guess and see how that affects the puzzle. Lightly pencil in the letters you're uncertain about so that you know to confirm them later.

Similarly, some people solve crosswords to learn more about a subject or to improve their English. In these cases, looking up answers helps them to achieve their goal, meaning it's not cheating.

These features mean that crossword puzzles cause large areas of your cortex to be active, and stimulate new connections in your brain. The hippocampus will then remember those new connections, strengthening both your hippocampus and cortex.

What is hardest day of week for crossword? ›

Mondays have the most straightforward clues and Saturday clues are the hardest, or involve the most wordplay. Contrary to popular belief, the Sunday puzzles are midweek difficulty, not the hardest. They're just bigger. A typical Monday clue will be very straightforward and drive you almost directly to the answer.

The crossword puzzle was invented in the United States but cryptic ones are a British creation – and have never taken off over there.

Researchers determined that, out of the participants who eventually developed dementia, those who frequently did crossword puzzles demonstrated a much slower decline in memory. On average, crossword puzzles provided about a two and a half year delay in memory decline compared to those who did not do crossword puzzles.

If you have ever tackled a cryptic crossword you will have come across the name Spooner or the term spoonerism for a clue where initial letters are swapped e.g. 'fight the liar' for 'light the fire'.

This finding suggests that there was differences of attention between pre and post-test. It can be concluded that crossword puzzle can increase attention of the students with ADHD. Discussion: It is recommended for teachers and parents of ADHD children to give them crossword puzzle game everyday at school or at home.

Research has shown that completing crossword puzzles can help to relieve stress, improve intellectual well-being, assist in learning a new (or specialized) language, and much more! Something else to note is that crossword puzzles are beneficial for children and adults alike. Take a look…

A clueless crossword is in many ways very similar to a regular crossword. It consists of a grid of black and white squares, and the player must enter valid words or terms into the white squares so that all words going across and down are valid. Unlike a regular crossword, there are no clues for each word.

You is a homophone of U, which represents "upper-class". Non-U. If "posh" or "upper-class" is U, then its opposite is non-U.

The asterisks at the start of the theme clues aren't there to mark the theme clues—they stand in for the letters Star.

A typical homophone clue in a cryptic crossword is this one: Remained sober, so we hear (6) ? You should read this as: a word meaning remained which sounds the same as a word meaning sober. The fact that this is a homophone clue is signalled by the indicator so we hear.

What do circled on crossword mean? ›

Circles in a crossword highlight a theme for the puzzle. They either spell out what the theme is, words or letters related to the theme, and/or are in a pattern illustrating that theme. They provide extra clues to how each needs to be filled out.

In an anagram, the letters of one or more words are rearranged to form another word or phrase. The solver can spot this type of clue by identifying the anagram indicator, a word that implies change, disarray, uncertainty or failure. Examples include doctor, model, organised, resort, wild and shattered.

“Exempli gratia” or “e.g.” which translates to “for example,” is used to introduce examples in a list format.

Identifying an Abbreviation in a Clue

Most of the time, abbreviations have a period at the end of two to three letters. Some common crossword abbreviations include: Fr. – French.

Abbreviations such as ... P. Even if you've missed out on sheet music, as a solver, you associate the word “piano” with P. This is “piano” as in “play this bit quietly”, rather than the instrument – but setters concoct their clues so that they seem at first to be about the instrument.

Speaking of foreign words, if the answer is a foreign word, the clue will often include another word from the same language. If not, then you might see a specific indication such as (fr.) or (sp.). For example HOLA might be clued as Hello (sp.), Hello in Spanish, or Juan's Hello.

Essentially, comma say means that the entry and the clue can mean the same thing, in certain contexts, but they're not a perfect 1-to-1 definitional match.

An ellipsis ( ... ) consists of three evenly spaced periods and is used to indicate the omission of words or suggest an incomplete thought. In general, an ellipsis should be treated as a three-letter word, with a space, three periods and a space. (Western Michigan University is ...

Parentheses either indicate additional information to the clue or indicate that the word within the parentheses when combined with the answer completes a phrase. The use of "with" within a clue also indicates the completion of a phrase.

What does hyph mean in crosswords? ›

Matching Answer. Confidence.

In this type of clue the answer sounds like another word, which is indicated in the clue by a sound-alike indicator, such as 'we hear', 'on the radio', 'reported', 'it's said' etc. So: 'Agree to a perfume, reportedly' (6). In this clue the definition is 'agree' and the indicator is 'reportedly'.

Short exclamations are sometimes clued by a phrase in square brackets, e.g., "[It's cold!]" = BRR. When the answer can only be substituted for the clue when preceding a specific other word, this other word is indicated in parentheses.

“ERA” is the most common word in crossword puzzles, as well as “ARE,” “AREA,” and “ORE,” according to Gaffney.

Cheap (anag.) (5) ? An anagram clue in a cryptic crossword is rather more sophisticated than this, and will normally consist of three parts: a definition; the letters to be rearranged (sometimes referred to by crossword fans as the 'anagram fodder'); and an indication that the letters are to be rearranged.

Puzzles provide a much better opportunity to relax, making it easier to fall asleep and properly switch off.

So-called "fluid intelligence", or the ability to "make the mind jump through hoops" while solving problems, is directly linked to the ability to untangle cryptic clues, researchers found.

In fact, 37% of those doing crossword puzzles did show at least a two-point improvement. This means that crossword puzzles can improve thinking and memory almost as much as an FDA-approved memory-enhancing medication.