#Number crosswords puzzles how to#

See anything you definitely know? Those are your ‘gimmes.’ Are there any fill-in-the-blanks clues? Those are usually the easiest. Pick out the clues that are meant to be the easiest and tackle them first. When you start a puzzle, get comfortable, pour yourself a glass of your favorite beverage - it’s important to stay hydrated - and then scan the clue list before solving. The more puzzles you solve, the easier it gets.” - Howard Barkin, 2016 champion of the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament It's fun, really! There is no shame in missing an answer or not finishing the puzzle. For the ones you don’t know, if it's something way out of your knowledge comfort zone, look it up and read a bit more about it. “Try to solve as much as you can in each puzzle, and don't stress when you can't finish one. It even happens to advanced solvers, so don’t let it get you down if you don’t know something or need to change an answer. That’s what erasers and the backspace key are for. It’s also useful to read Wordplay and other puzzle blogs, which helped me internalize the tricks and tropes of crossword clues while I was learning the ropes.” - Dan Feyer, seven-time champion of the American Crossword Puzzle TournamentĪnd don’t worry if you make a mistake.

The more you solve, the better you’ll get. The brain works in weird and wonderful ways, and when you start solving crosswords consistently, you will feel really good when you can say, “Hey, I know that one!” “Do more puzzles. Once you’ve learned some of the shorter answers and how they are clued, you can almost be sure you’ll see them again. And once you log in, you can save your progress across all the digital platforms. Show Will Shortz who's boss by attempting the puzzle!” - Megan Amramįirst, decide how you want to solve: Are you a print-only person? Do you enjoy the extra help that comes from playing on the web or on-the-go with the app? If you subscribe, you get access to all the daily puzzles and the archive. Crossword puzzles are not about intelligence, they are about keeping your mind nimble and knowing what the sneaky trickster Will Shortz is asking of you. I do The New York Times crossword puzzle every day, and I once tried to shoot a basket on the wrong hoop when I was on my 6th grade basketball team. “I understand how intimidating starting the crossword can be, but the bottom line is, believe in yourself. Amram is a devoted solver and has also made a puzzle that ran in The New York Times. We’ve even included some tips and encouragement from the puzzle pros to help keep you motivated, like our very funny friend, Megan Amram, a writer for television shows like “The Simpsons” and “The Good Place.” Ms. It would be impossible to cover every instance of clueing, but we can get you up and running.

#Number crosswords puzzles how to#

We’re here to let you in on some of the rules that most clues follow, and to teach you how to read those clues so that they become easier to solve. Becoming a good solver is about understanding what the clues are asking you to do. If you’ve ever picked up a crossword puzzle and said to yourself, “I am not smart enough” or “I don’t have a big enough vocabulary for this,” please allow us to let you in on a little secret: A crossword puzzle is not a test of intelligence, and solving is not really about the size of your vocabulary. They make you a calmer and more focused person.” – Will Shortz, New York Times crossword editor and NPR puzzle master.