How to Solve the New York Times Crossword Puzzle

Is the perfect breakfast sitting with a nice, hot cup of coffee and the Saturday New York Times Crossword? Perhaps it would be if you could ever figure out how to solve the New York Times crossword! Though it can be thoroughly frustrating, solving the New York Times crossword can also be one of the most rewarding self achievement around.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Pencil
• New York Times crossword

1. Look at the clues on the New York Times crossword and fill in the answers that you are most sure of, often these are the fill-in-the-blank questions. Build your other answers based on these.

2. Next, scan it for the three and four letter answers. Try to answer these first as there are relatively few of them in the English language. This will help you get crossing letters in some of the longer answers so that you will have more clues.

3. It is imperative to use a pencil when solving the New York Times crossword because you will likely get several wrong answers, or you can try your luck at guessing some answers. If your guess is wrong, you can easily erase. If it is right, you will know by consistently fitting the cross letters within it.

4. Know that a clue and its answer always follows a strict pattern. The best strategy to take from this is that the clue and its answer can always be used interchangeably in a sentence.

5. Strange things in the clue such as slang, abbreviations, foreign language are hints about the answer. They usually mean that the answer is not a standard English word, but may contain slang, abbreviations, or foreign language words.

6. Try to think outside of the box. A clue will often have more than one answer that fits. Your first answer may not be the correct one, try to think of all the possible meanings that your clue could possibly hold.

7. Pay attention to the title given to the New York Times crossword. Often the title will give away a pattern or theme for the entire puzzle which could facilitate answers.

8. Consider the age and interests of the crossword maker. The authors of the New York Times crosswords are notorious for constructing puzzles that reflect their era and personality.

Tips & Warnings

• Start with Monday's paper. The New York Times crossword increases in difficulty through the week, Monday being the easiest and Sunday being the most difficult. Work your way through the week and see how far you can get.
• A question mark at the end of a clue means that it is a tricky clue or that the clue does not fit the answer quite perfectly. This could signal a pun.
• If you get stuck, put it aside and return to it later. A fresh mind will often yield new answers.
• Use references, like a dictionary or encyclopedia if you have to.
• Watch for multi-word answers! There is no clue about how many words an answer could be.

Resources

• New York Times Crossword
• Want to Learn How to Write Articles that Pay?

[sidstemple]

on 10/11/2009 I can do the boston globe sunday crossword puzzle in 1/2 hour.so,which new york times daily puzzle would compare to that level? thanks

[jamilanette]

on 11/15/2008 I just added a link to New York Times Crossword online subsrciption in the resources section. Thanks for commenting!

[soanyway]

on 11/15/2008 Smart...Very good advice....ok, now to get a New York crossword puzzle...probably have one like it in the Sacramento Bee?! thanks