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Jan 16, 2024 · Struggling to complete a crossword puzzle? You've come to the right place! From starting with the easiest answers to finding hints in the clues, we'll cover all the best strategies for solving a crossword puzzle, below. Let's get started!
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Jul 2, 2023 · Whether you’re new to crossword puzzles or you’ve been solving them for years, there are always ways to improve your skills. In this article, we’ll cover everything from basic strategies to advanced techniques that will help you tackle even the most difficult puzzles.
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- Tackle fill-in-the-blanks first. These clues tend to be easier to fill in than others. Rather than starting with the first clue and going in order, scan through all of the clues and look for some easy “gimmes.”
- Fill in 3- and 4-letter words you know. Short words are usually simpler to solve than the longer answers. While some short words might be more challenging, you still have a good chance of finding a few that you can answer.
- Check the tense and number in the clues. The answers in the puzzle will match the tense and number in the clue. Even if you don’t know the exact word for the clue, you can make assumptions based on how the clue is written.
- Look for formatting hints in the clues. Punctuation and add-ons in the clues tell you how the answer is formatted. Since crossword constructors want to give you a challenge, they may try to play a few tricks on you that are easy to catch.
- Start with the easy puzzles. Crossword puzzles come in a range of difficulty levels, from beginner to expert. As a beginner, it's best to start with the easy puzzles and work your way up.
- Read the clue carefully. The key to solving crossword puzzles is to read the clues carefully. Each clue is designed to provide you with a hint or piece of information that will help you fill in the answer.
- Look for wordplay. Crossword clues often use wordplay to provide hints or mislead you. For example, a clue might say "I'm a tree," but the answer is actually "elm."
- Work with the letters you know. As you start filling in the puzzle, you'll come across letters you know for sure. Use these letters to your advantage by filling them in first and working around them.
- Fill-in-the-Blank Clues. Fill-in-the-blank (FITB) clues are generally the simplest clues to solve. They are easily spotted in the clue list so go through these first.
- Check the 3-, 4- and 5-Letter Words. Looking at the grid, go over the clues for any 3-, 4- and 5-letter words. There are relatively few acceptable words of this length in the English language and so the same words tend to occur in many puzzles.
- Clues Obey Rules. A clue will always be written in the same part of speech as the answer. Check clues that call for answers ending in S, ED, EST or ING. Often these endings can be penciled in (but not always).
- Guess. Pencil in lightly any guessed answers. (If solving puzzles online, don't be afraid to enter any guessed answers. They're easily erased with the click of a button.)
Nov 20, 2017 · A crossword puzzle is not a test of intelligence, and solving is not really about the size of your vocabulary. Becoming a good solver is about understanding what the clues are asking you to...
When you start off a new crossword puzzle you really want to get the ball rolling and fill in some letters as quickly as you can. The best way to do this is to look for the clues that are easiest to solve first.
