How to easily solve a crossword puzzle
Crossword Puzzle – Here are the ways to easily solve the word game consisting of a grid of black and white squares that is usually found in newspapers.
Pay attention to the day of the week
The timing matters when it comes to solving this kind of puzzle. Newspaper companies release a variety of puzzles throughout the week. Based on the article in Mental Floss, a newspaper tends to have a theme linking all the answers together. In order not to have a hard time solving the puzzles, start with Monday’s puzzle.
Punctuation can tip you off
Usually, clues that end in a question mark are almost always hinting at some kind of wordplay. The prompts follow certain formulas. Learning these formulas will give you an edge in solving the puzzles.
Jump around
You don’t have to start always 1-across. Scan the page and find the easiest words to fill in first. Some clue formats are easier than others. Shorter words are usually easy to solve and ompass directions (NNE, SSW, etc.) are a standard three-letter answer in crossword puzzles.
Grammar matters
Take a closer look at how the clue is phrased when you are having a hard time. Grammar can play a role in this. If the clue is written in the past tense, the answer is most likely in the past tense. This also includes clues that are in the plural form.
Crossings are your allies
When you solve words that intersect, it will give an easier way to solve other words. You can also use crossings to check your work as you go.
Mistakes are part of the game
There is nothing wrong when you keep on changing your guesses as you go. This is the reason why you have a delete option, whether it is in a newspaper or a game application.
Keep common words in mind
Take note of the common words often used in puzzles. Mostly words with many vowels are often used to string longer answers together.
Stick with the same source
Different editors may have specific clue formats and if you keep on changing your source, you will have a hard time solving different puzzles.