How to solve a crossword

Start where the grid is most constrained, and let each answer make the next one easier.

Solving is not a matter of knowing more words. It is a matter of order — the same puzzle is far easier attacked in the right sequence.

Where to start

Fill-in-the-blank clues first. They have the fewest possible answers and no wordplay to unpick.

Then short answers. Three and four-letter words have limited possibilities and give you crossing letters cheaply.

Then anything you are certain of, anywhere in the grid. Certainty matters more than position.

Crossing letters do the work

An answer with three crossing letters filled is a much smaller problem than the same clue cold. After every entry, look at what it crosses — an answer you dismissed as impossible often becomes obvious with one letter in place.

This is why filling anywhere beats working systematically through the numbers.

Read the clue in two parts

Most clues contain a definition and something else. The definition is usually at the start or the end, and it defines the answer directly. The rest is wordplay pointing at the same answer another way.

Find the definition first. If a clue could split two ways, try both — recognising which part is the definition is most of cryptic solving.

Signals

• A question mark flags a pun or a stretched meaning.
• "Perhaps" or "maybe" often marks an example of a category rather than a synonym.
• Abbreviations in the clue usually mean an abbreviation in the answer.
• Plural clue, plural answer. Tense matches too — a past-tense clue wants a past-tense answer.

When you are stuck

Leave it and come back. Crossing letters accumulate while you work elsewhere, and a clue that was opaque is often trivial with two more letters. Staring is the least productive thing you can do.

Frequently asked questions

Where should I start?

Fill-in-the-blank clues, then short answers, then anything you are sure of regardless of position. Certainty is worth more than working in order.

How do I know which part of a clue is the definition?

It is nearly always at the very start or the very end, never the middle. When a clue could split either way, test both readings against the letters you have.

Is it cheating to check a letter?

It is your puzzle. Revealing a single letter to break a deadlock usually teaches you more than abandoning the grid.