Crossword and word-search help

Crosswords reward a mix of vocabulary, pattern recognition and lateral thinking. These approaches help with both quick (straight) crosswords and the cryptic kind.

Start with the easy clues

Fill in the short answers and the clues you are sure of first. Each letter you add helps the clues that cross it. Work around the grid rather than finishing one corner.

Use the crossing letters

When you know some letters of an answer, you have a pattern, such as T _ A _ E. That is where a pattern search helps. In the word unscrambler, use Starts with, Ends with, Contains and Word length. For pattern-based searching of this kind, set the length, then use the starts-with and ends-with boxes for the known end letters.

Learn crossword conventions

• A question mark at the end of a clue often means the answer involves wordplay or a pun.
• Abbreviations in the clue suggest abbreviations in the answer.
• A foreign word in the clue usually means a foreign word in the answer.
• Plural clues have plural answers, and past-tense clues have past-tense answers.

Cryptic crosswords

A cryptic clue has two parts: a plain definition, usually at the start or end, and a piece of wordplay that also produces the answer. Common wordplay types include anagrams (look for indicator words such as mixed, broken or wild), hidden words (the answer sits inside the clue text), reversals, and charades (smaller words joined together). Use the anagram solver on the letters of the fodder to check your idea quickly. Read what is an anagram for background.

Word-search puzzles

Look for unusual letters first, such as Q, Z, X and J, because they appear less often and limit where a word can sit. Scan for the first and last letter of each word in the list, and remember that words can run in any direction, including backwards and diagonally.