Wordy Puzzle Blog

Take a look at the latest blog posts here at Wordy Puzzle - why not join in via the comments section on blog posts that are of interest to you?

100 Hat Riddle Interview Question Solution
A riddle or lateral thinking puzzle that has existed in a variety of guises for a long period of time has recently been featured in the news, both because it is initially baffling but also because there have been reports of some companies using this...
Added: 25 Feb 2016

New Fun Games Added Today
You told us you wanted more word games, so we listened! Today and yesterday mark the start of two new fun games in the words section - and as with all the fun games here at Wordy Puzzle, they are completely free to play for all members. The games...
Added: 29 Jul 2015

Wordwheel Player Update
We hope you are all enjoying playing the great range of puzzles we have available online here at Wordy Puzzle. We just wanted to let you know that we have implemented the most common piece of feedback we have received, which is to do with the...
Added: 28 Jul 2015

Writing A Themed Kriss Kross Puzzle
Writing a themed puzzle is generally more difficult than writing a non-themed puzzle. This is usually because there are relatively few words on a theme, and therefore this will restrict the options for the particular puzzle type you are creating. This...
Added: 28 Jun 2015

Why No Wordsearch At Wordy Puzzle
We have a huge range of word puzzles here at Wordy Puzzle, representing all the major puzzle types. All of them, that is, apart from the wordsearch puzzle. Just in case you've not come across it before, a wordsearch is a simple word puzzle that features...
Added: 21 Jun 2015

Solving US Crosswords As A Brit
British solvers who venture across a US crossword, perhaps when on holiday, will notice that it is a very different beast. The main difference you'll notice is that there are so many more clues and answers in a grid of a given size, and that answers...
Added: 14 Jun 2015

Quick Crossword Writing Tips
Writing a quick crossword may sound very straightforward, but it is actually difficult to write a good puzzle. Indeed, many newspaper puzzles are written by hand by the people that also write the cryptic puzzles, you just generally do not realise it. The...
Added: 07 Jun 2015

Novelty Crossword Types
There are many different types of crossword. The most common standard types are the cryptic crossword, the quick crossword and the general knowledge crossword. However, if you look around, you'll find lots of crossword variant puzzles, some very...
Added: 31 May 2015

How Much Can You Sell Crosswords For?
One of the most common questions that people have when they start writing crosswords, is what the going rate is. However there is no clear answer, as it varies on so many different factors. These include: - The grid size: generally the larger the...
Added: 24 May 2015

Creating A New Type Of Word Puzzle
Creating a new type of puzzle is always exciting. Here are some suggestions as to how to go about the process: Firstly, you need the idea. This is obviously the most important element. The best way to go about this is often to look at an existing...
Added: 17 May 2015

Become A Cryptic Crossword Writer
Are you interested in crosswords, and would like to become a crossword author? Then this could be your chance to get your puzzles published on our expanding website! We are currently looking for some new, talented crossword writers to create puzzles...
Added: 15 May 2015

What Makes A Valid US Style Crossword Grid?
All the puzzles on Wordy Puzzle, at the time of writing, use the British style of crossword grid and also spelling. Here we look at what the US style of crossword grid is like. With US grids, every white square in the grid is checked. The term...
Added: 01 May 2015

Solving Aids And Solving Crossword Clues
When it comes to solving crosswords, where do you stand on the debate with regard to using solving aids? Some people think that there is something "wrong" with using solving aids - in the very particular sense that it is a form of cheating, whilst for...
Added: 30 Apr 2015

Crossword Solvers Tend To Be Good At Scrabble
People who are good at solving crosswords also tend to be good at playing scrabble, which is interesting, as they are very different games. So why is this? Well, the most likely reason is that they both involve words and a good vocabulary. Obviously...
Added: 29 Apr 2015

Dictionaries And Help With Writing Crossword Clues
For anyone who has written crossword clues, or anyone who is about to, there is one great realisation that dawns on you fairly on in your clue-writing career: dictionaries are surprisingly ineffective at helping you write crossword clues. There are...
Added: 28 Apr 2015

The Differences Between US And UK Crossword Grids
British and US crossword grids are very different. This is not something you might expect to be the case, but any puzzle lover who visits the other country soon realises that they are very different beasts. It starts very much with the grid. With US...
Added: 27 Apr 2015

Using Our Online Puzzle Solving Tools
We have online player tools for a large range of different word puzzles. These include arrow words, pangrams, general knowledge crosswords, quick crosswords, wordwheels, word ladders, word fit, skeleton crosswords, A - Z puzzles, codewords, cryptograms...
Added: 26 Apr 2015

The Benefits Of Solving Word Puzzles
There are many benefits to solving word puzzles. First and foremost, doing so is a very inexpensive hobby, puzzles are fun and satisfying to solve, and word puzzles provide a very effective form of 'brain training'. As opposed to solving logic puzzles...
Added: 26 Apr 2015

Tips On Solving Cryptogram Puzzles
Cryptogram puzzles are very satisfying to solve. However, they can also prove rather tricky and take some time to crack, so they can also be frustrating - just like other tricky puzzles such as cryptic crosswords. How should you tackle a cryptogram?...
Added: 25 Apr 2015

Introduction To Word Fit Puzzles
Word fit puzzles are one of those types of puzzle that have a huge range of different names: you might know it as letter fit, or kriss kross, or indeed as criss cross. Whatever you know it as, the rules are the same: place each word into the grid once....
Added: 24 Apr 2015

Does Brain Training Work?
Does brain training work? This is a big question, and there have been several tests and surveys carried out - some more scientific than others - to try and establish the truth. Anecdotally at least, several people say that they have experienced...
Added: 23 Apr 2015

Deconstructing Cryptic Crossword Clues
In order to solve a cryptic crossword, you need to be able to break the clue down into its separate parts. In most cases, this requires successful analysis as to which part of the clue is the straight definition, and which is the cryptic part. Then...
Added: 22 Apr 2015

Crossword Championships And Speed Solving
If, like most people, you plod along when solving a cryptic crossword, then have you ever watched a crossword championship? These events are truly incredible, where the best solvers literally read the clues and write answers in at the same time!...
Added: 21 Apr 2015

Cryptic Clues That Refer To Other Clues
Clues that refer to other clues in the grid are quite common when solving cryptic crosswords, and also occasionally appear in quick crosswords, although less often. In the latter case the referencing is usually quite straightforward, such as simply an...
Added: 20 Apr 2015

Cryptic Crosswords And Common Abbreviations
When learning to solve cryptic crosswords, you will encounter many abbreviations, some of these will be obvious, whilst others you will just learn over time, if you don't know them initially. Obvious ones include compass points, such as east = E and...
Added: 19 Apr 2015

Cryptic Crosswords: Know Your Setter
When you solve cryptic crosswords, one of the best things to do is to follow those in a particular newspaper or major publication. That's because this will enable you to see who sets each puzzle, and over time you will get used to the style of each...
Added: 18 Apr 2015

Cryptic Crosswords: Hidden Word Clues
One type of cryptic crossword clue is called the 'hidden word' clue. As the name suggests, the answer here is actually hidden in the clue. This sounds like it would be far too easy, but actually these answers can be very hard to spot - even when you...
Added: 17 Apr 2015

Cryptic Crossword Anagram Indicators
When solving a cryptic crossword one thing you can be sure of is that there will be some anagram clues, or partial anagram clues, in the solving mix. Some cryptic crosswords have over 50% of the clues containing anagrams in some form, whilst even the...
Added: 16 Apr 2015

Solving Double Definition Cryptic Clues
One of the main types of cryptic crossword clue is called the double definition. With this clue type, as the name suggests, you will be presented with two different clues that both lead to the same answer. Unlike many cryptic clues, both of the...
Added: 15 Apr 2015

Punctuation In Cryptic Crossword Clues
When you start solving cryptic crosswords, you will notice that some clues contain punctuation. Whereas in English there are set rules as to where and how to use punctuation, and what the punctuation means, with cryptic crossword clues this is not...
Added: 14 Apr 2015

Homophone Clues In Cryptic Crosswords
Cryptic crossword clues, as you'll have seen through this series of blog posts, come in various distinct types, and the list we've covered is not even exhaustive! One of the clue types that people often struggle with is the homophone clue, or...
Added: 13 Apr 2015

Cryptic Definition Clues In Cryptic Crosswords
One of the rarer clue types to be encountered when solving cryptic crosswords is called the "cryptic definition". How does this vary from the other clue types, and what does it mean? Well, it varies from them in this very important way: there is...
Added: 12 Apr 2015

Solving & Lit Clues In Cryptic Crosswords
When you are solving cryptic crosswords, most of the clue types that you come across are fairly intuitive: for instance a double definition clue fairly obviously involves two definitions that lead to the same answer. And an anagram clue, sure enough,...
Added: 11 Apr 2015

Cryptic Crossword Solving: General Tips
In the series of articles on cryptic crossword solving, we've covered a huge range of different clues, with articles that look at each type of clue. So by now you should be familiar with the types of clue that might be thrown at you, if you've been...
Added: 10 Apr 2015

Wordwheel Solving Tips
When it comes to solving wordwheel puzzles, then there are only really two methods you can use to solve the puzzle: systematic or random. The random method is probably the more common: here you simply look at the letters in the grid, and allow your...
Added: 09 Apr 2015

Why Are Crosswords So Popular?
One question that is often asked is why are crosswords so popular? The same question is also applied to the other famous word puzzle, the wordsearch, and also to the relative newcomer on the block in the world of logic puzzles (not number puzzles!) - the...
Added: 08 Apr 2015

What Makes A Valid Crossword Grid?
What constitutes a valid crossword grid varies from country to country. Here we focus on what counts as a valid grid in the UK. - Firstly, the grid dimensions should be odd, eg 13 x 13 or 15 x 15; these are the two most common grid sizes. In the vast...
Added: 07 Apr 2015

What Is A Pangram?
Most commonly people have not heard of the word pangram. If they have, then they often get it confused with tangram. Although they share the first letter, that is all that there is common between them. A tangram is something lots of kids do at school...
Added: 06 Apr 2015

What Is A Nina?
Well, the first thing to say about Nina, is that it is a name. But in the context of crosswords, it means something quite different indeed. A nina virtually always only appears in cryptic crosswords, and some authors are well-known for including them...
Added: 05 Apr 2015

Tips On Writing Crossword Clues
Writing crossword clues is a difficult art form, and there is no doubt that lots of practice is essential to getting it right. It is also worth noting right from the start that the style and balance of clues you write will depend very much on the type of...
Added: 04 Apr 2015

Tips On Filling In A Crossword Grid
Writing a crossword is one of those many tasks in life that may seem very easy - until you come to do it! And many don't even think about the grid-filling part, simply the clue writing. Here we look at filling the grid, which must be done before you come...
Added: 03 Apr 2015

Tips On Solving A-Z Puzzles
Every A-Z puzzle starts the same: with a completed crossword grid, save for the small matter of 26 squares being blank, and you as the solver must decide which letter from A-Z fits in each empty square, with the important caveat that each letter appears...
Added: 02 Apr 2015

Skeleton Crosswords And Symmetry
Skeleton crosswords are one of the hardest puzzles there are, and certainly one of the hardest crossword variants - probably alongside the cryptic crossword with the specialist solving skills that puzzle requires. Like the cryptic crossword, one's...
Added: 01 Apr 2015

Skeleton Crossword Solving Tips
Solving skeleton crosswords can be quite tricky, and experience helps. For those new to solving this puzzle type, what tips can we offer you to help you crack the Wordy Puzzles skeletons and thus gain the many points available for solving this tricky...
Added: 31 Mar 2015

Quick Crossword Solving Tips
Solving a quick crossword is both straightforward and difficult. Difficult because, with many short clues, there are often multiple words that fit each answer until you have crossover letters in place, and straightforward in that the solving method does...
Added: 30 Mar 2015

Obscure Words In Cryptic Crosswords
As a general rule, quick crosswords tend to have words in them that are fairly common. It is rare to have a quick crossword that uses more than one word you won't have heard of, and in most cases you will know all words in this genre of crossword...
Added: 29 Mar 2015

Novelty Crosswords: Anagram Puzzles
An anagram crossword is a novelty type of crossword puzzle, in that it is a crossword variant that is both rare and is fundamentally different to a normal crossword puzzle. As you may have guessed, in an anagram crossword the clues are replaced with...
Added: 28 Mar 2015

Novelty Crosswords: Missing Vowel Puzzles
A missing vowel puzzle is a type of crossword variant that, as the name implies, is rather light on vowels! The puzzle is presented as a normal crossword, but with a novel twist: instead of orthodox clues, all the answers appear under the grid, BUT...
Added: 27 Mar 2015

Learning To Solve Codewords
Learning to solve codewords takes patience: they are one puzzle type that you definitely get better at over time, and can find extremely difficult the first few puzzles you solve. After that you will find tactics that work for you, and will be able to...
Added: 26 Mar 2015

Introduction To Wordwheel Puzzles
Word wheel puzzles are one of the simplest of all word puzzles, and belong to the set of word puzzles that are, essentially, anagrams. If you have ever played the game Countdown, then you will know the aim is to find the single longest word you can...
Added: 25 Mar 2015

Introduction To Cryptogram Puzzles
Cryptogram puzzles can look quite intimidating to start with. They present you with what looks like total gobbledegook, but is in fact simply a piece of intelligence English that has been scrambled, in a particular way. Here is how the scrambling...
Added: 24 Mar 2015

Introduction To Arrow Words
Arrowwords are a common crossword variant, and are also very popular with a set of dedicated solvers who much prefer them to standard crosswords. The difference between standard crosswords and arrowwords is more than cosmetic. The cosmetic difference...
Added: 23 Mar 2015

Introduction To Every Letter Counts Puzzles
Every letter counts is a version of the crossword puzzle created here at Wordy Puzzle, so you won't have come across it before (unless someone else has come up with the same idea elsewhere). The aim of the every letter counts puzzle is to solve a...
Added: 22 Mar 2015

How To Solve Anagram Clues
Solving anagram clues is different for quick and cryptic crosswords. With quick crosswords, the anagram is always indicated, either by (anag) or (anagram) written after the clue. In contrast, with cryptic crosswords, it is never quite clear what the...
Added: 21 Mar 2015

General Knowledge Solving Tips
Solving general knowledge puzzles, surprisingly enough, requires a considerable amount of general knowledge. So far, so obvious. But how do you go about getting the knowledge that you require to solve a general knowledge crossword? Well there are...
Added: 20 Mar 2015

Computers And Cryptic Crosswords
One of the debates that pops up from time to time is around cryptic crosswords and computers - and specifically whether a computer program can be written to create a good cryptic crossword. Now, in this debate it is generally assumed that what is...
Added: 19 Mar 2015

Codeword Solving Tool
If you want help with solving codewords, then there are various tips and techniques that you can use, as outlined on other blog entries here at Wordy Puzzle. However, sometimes if you get completely stuck on a puzzle, then you might want some outside...
Added: 18 Mar 2015

Code Puzzles And Letter Frequencies
If you are interested in tackling the codewords on Wordy Puzzle, but are not sure how to get going with the puzzles, then here is one of many tactics you can use to help you crack open the puzzle: letter frequencies. You will no doubt know that some...
Added: 17 Mar 2015

All About Word Ladder Puzzles
The word ladder puzzle comes in two main versions. The first version of the puzzle lists clues alongside it, whilst the second version is open-ended with no clues alongside each rung of the ladder, and therefore is both more difficult to solve and may...
Added: 16 Mar 2015

Tips On Increasing Your Vocabulary
Increasing your vocabulary can be great fun, and certainly it doesn't need to be a chore. If you are interested in building your vocabulary, then chances are that you are interested in words anyway, so learning more will be that rare thing - a truly fun...
Added: 15 Mar 2015

Introduction To Points And Awards
Welcome to this introduction to the points and awards system here at Wordy Puzzle. When you complete a puzzle, you'll get more than just the satisfaction of completing the puzzle! As long as you don't use the 'show solution' button to reveal the...
Added: 14 Mar 2015

Welcome To Wordy Puzzle
Welcome to our brand new site, Wordy Puzzle. As the name suggests, this site will be all about word puzzles. If you love words and puzzles, then we hope you'll also love Wordy Puzzle. We're launching the site with a large range of different word...
Added: 13 Mar 2015