How to Do a Crossword Puzzle

By eHow Hobbies, Games & Toys Editor

Do a Crossword Puzzle

Rate: (23 Ratings)

Crossword puzzles provide hours of wordplay enjoyment, and they also increase your vocabulary. With some practice and a few hints, you'll be scribbling down the answers with ease.

Flag Article

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

Almanacs
Atlases & Maps
Crossword Dictionaries
Pencils
Erasers

Step1

Use a pencil so that you can erase mistakes easily.

Step2

Fill in obvious answers, both across and down.

Step3

Look at across questions and down questions again to see if anything new pops up - an easy answer you didn't notice before or one that has now become clear because of the letters that are filled in.

Step4

Look for multiples in clues, such as 'friends.' Put an S in the last position, which may help you figure out adjacent words.

Step5

Pay attention to clues in the past tense. Try putting ED in the last two positions. (This doesn't always work, however.)

Step6

Familiarize yourself with frequently used - and often obscure - little words that crossword assemblers need to fill in niches here and there.

Step7

If you're completely stumped, put the puzzle down for a while and try again later. Or look at the clue another way - for example, maybe 'Getting to first base' refers to romance rather than baseball.

Tips & Warnings

If the clue contains an abbreviation, then the answer is also an abbreviation.
A question mark at the end of a clue means the answer is somehow sneaky or a pun. For example, one New York Times puzzle creator, Manny Nosowsky, gave 'Where a person uses an ID to get mail?' as a clue to the answer 'Idaho.'
The highly esteemed New York Times puzzles are easiest on Monday and get progressively harder throughout the week, with a larger puzzle on Sunday.
Helpful aids include a crossword dictionary, an atlas and an almanac.

Comments

jimdris said

Flag This Comment

on 1/10/2008 I like to work the puzzle for an hour, and then go to Google for the meanings of words, geographical locations, etc.

Becca said

Flag This Comment

on 1/9/2008 I never use outside sources. I always feel like I'm cheating! When I'm completely stumped I give it to my husband. He usually gets a few more clues and then I can build on his additions.

Anonymous said

Flag This Comment

on 1/15/2008 I've noticed that the crossword puzzle have themes, which are generally the longest words, or an obscure letter like U or Z may appear more often. Look for a clue like "there are 7 of these letters in this puzzle."

Anonymous said

Flag This Comment

on 1/15/2008 Sometimes it helps to write the alphabet on the page. If you're stuck, you can go through the alphabet to try and get something. It can sometimes trigger something in your head. It may also be helpful to separate the vowels and consonants.