The crossword solver’s reference desk
Everything a solver needs in one place: plain-English guides, reviews of the free dictionaries and pattern finders, a short history of the puzzle, and a hand-checked directory of the best crossword sites. No puzzles are hosted here; we point you to the good ones and teach you how to finish them.
Directory
40 links · checked monthlyPlay online(10)
Daily puzzles from newspapers and independents
- ›NYT Crosswordmon easy → sat hard
- ›USA Todaybeginner
- ›LA Timesintermediate
- ›Washington Postintermediate
- ›The Guardianall levels
Type the letters you have, get candidates back
- ›One Acrossclue + pattern
- ›Crossword Trackerclue database
- ›WordPlayssolver + anagrams
- ›XWord Infonyt database
- ›Crossword NexuspatternNEW
Definitions, synonyms and word origins
- ›OneLookwildcards
- ›Merriam-Websterdefinitions
- ›Thesaurus.comsynonyms
- ›Etymonlineword origins
- ›Britannicafacts
Constructing(6)
Build, fill and publish your own
- ›Crossword Labsbrowser
- ›Ingridbrowser
- ›Crossword Hobbyistbrowser
- ›Crossfiremac / win
- ›Spread the Wordlistword list
Books(5)
Solving, constructing and history
- ›How to Conquer the NYT Crosswordamy reynaldo
- ›Thinking Inside the Boxadrienne raphel
- ›Crossworldmarc romano
- ›The Compleat Cruciverbalistkurzban & rosen
- ›Ximenes on the Art of the Crosswordd. s. macnutt
Daily write-ups, forums and podcasts
- ›Rex Parkerdaily blog
- ›Diary of a Crossword Fienddaily blog
- ›Wordplaycolumn
- ›r/crosswordforum
- ›r/NYTCrosswordforum
Guides
All guides »Beginner’s guideStart here
Grid anatomy, clue conventions, and how to finish your first Monday.
12 min read
Solving strategiesIntermediate
Working the crossings, spotting misdirection, and when to leave a corner.
15 min read
Dictionary & toolsReference
Which free lookup tools are worth using, and what each one is good at.
8 min read
Types of crosswordsReference
American, cryptic, diagramless, acrostic, and variety puzzles compared.
10 min read
HistoryReading
From Arthur Wynne’s 1913 word-cross to apps and indie constructors.
14 min read
CrosswordeseCheat sheet
The short words that turn up constantly, with their usual clues.
5 min read
Recently added
- Sep 2Crossword Nexusin Solvers & pattern tools
- Aug 28AVCXin Play online
- Aug 14Ingridin Constructing
- Aug 7Fill Me Inin Community & blogs
- May 1How to Conquer the NYT Crosswordin Books
Word of the week
ERNE
noun — a sea eagle; the vowel-heavy bird every constructor keeps in reserve.
Typical clue: “Sea eagle”
Solver tools
- OneLookpattern
- One Acrossclue solver
- Merriam-Websterdictionary
- Crossword Trackerclue lookup
- WordPlaysanagram
- XWord InfoNYT database
Quick tips
- Start with what you know. Skip around; every sure letter helps a crossing.
- Match the part of speech. A clue ending in -ed wants a past tense answer.
- A question mark means wordplay. Don’t read the clue literally.
- Learn the crosswordese. OREO, ARIA, ALOE, ETNA, ERIE show up weekly.
- Use pencil. Confident wrong answers are the biggest trap.
Clue abbreviations
| Abbr. | abbreviation expected |
| Hyph. | hyphenated answer |
| 2 wds. | two-word answer |
| Var. | variant spelling |
| Slang | informal answer |
| Fr. | French word |
| Lat. | Latin word |
| Sp. | Spanish word |
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