Types of Crossword Puzzle Grids

Series Summary

A crossword is a word puzzle that normally takes the form of a square or rectangular grid of black and white squares. The goal is to fill the white squares with letters by forming words or phrases and solving clues which lead to the answers. In languages that are written from left to right, the answer words and phrases are placed in the grid from left to right and from top to bottom. The black squares are used to separate the words or phrases. Squares in which answers begin are usually numbered. The clues are then referred to by these numbers and a direction.

Depending on difficulty, themes, audience, and the creativity of the creator, crossword puzzles can vary greatly within a number of permutations. In this free video series, a published crossword puzzle creator will teach you how to make your own crossword puzzles. You'll hear tips on finding words, choosing the right words, and writing definition clues for cryptic crossword puzzles. You'll also learn how to write themed crossword puzzles, how to make a crossword grid, and how to design a crossword grid. With this advice and these tips, you'll be able to be creative and challenging as you like when creating your own crossword puzzles.

Video Transcript

"So, you want to write a crossword puzzle. Where do you start? The first thing is deciding what type of grid you're going to use. And a good grid marks the difference between a real crossword puzzle and an amateur effort. Usually a crossword puzzle grid is square and it has what is known as rotational symmetry. Which means if you turn it the grid actually remains the same. Most crossword puzzles you turn it 180 degrees and, apart from the numbers, the pattern of the blocks is exactly the same. Some of them have also 90 degrees symmetry. So you can just turn it 90 degrees and the grid itself remains the same. Now what type of grid are you going to do with that? A standard size is 15 squares by 15 squares. And if you want to make it look like a professional effort you don't do something like this."