How to Get Better at Crosswords: A Step-by-Step Plan From Monday to Saturday

If you want to know how to get better at crosswords, the honest answer is: solve a little every day, start with easier puzzles and climb one step at a time, and learn the handful of clue conventions that experienced solvers take for granted. Most improvement comes from pattern recognition, not genius. Once you know that a clue in the past tense needs an answer in the past tense, that "?" means a pun, and that a few short words show up constantly, puzzles that once looked impossible start to open up.

This guide gives you a step-by-step plan, from your first Monday-level grid to a Saturday-level challenge. Along the way you'll learn the weekday difficulty ramp, the rules clues quietly follow, the solving techniques tournament champions use, and what research says about expert solvers. All the example clues are our own.

How to Get Better at Crosswords: The Short Plan

Here's the whole plan on one screen. The rest of the article explains each step.

1. Pick the right level. Start with easy puzzles you can mostly finish. Struggling through puzzles that are far too hard teaches you very little.
2. Solve every day. Short, regular practice beats occasional marathons.
3. Learn the clue conventions. Tense, number, abbreviations, question marks and fill-in-the-blanks follow rules.
4. Collect the repeaters. Keep a list of the short words that keep coming back.
5. Review the answers. When you get stuck, check the solution afterward and figure out why each answer is right.
6. Move up one level at a time. When you can finish a level comfortably most days, try the next.

That's it. There's no secret trick, but there are plenty of small skills that add up. Let's go through them.

Understand the Weekly Difficulty Ramp

Many American newspapers, most famously The New York Times, make their daily crossword harder as the week goes on. Knowing this ramp is the single most useful fact for a beginner, because it tells you where to start.

In a 2002 interview with The Seattle Times, Times crossword editor Will Shortz explained that Monday themes are usually straightforward, while later in the week they get trickier, with puns, quotations, added or dropped letters, or rebuses (more than one letter, or a symbol, in a single square). Friday and Saturday puzzles often have no theme at all, more open white space and longer words, which makes them harder. Constructor Patrick Merrell, quoted in Time Out New York, added that Thursday's puzzle makes a big jump in difficulty and usually has an unusual twist.

Day	What to expect	What it trains
Monday	The easiest. Direct clues, a simple theme, familiar words	Basic conventions and confidence
Tuesday	A little harder; the theme may need a bit more thought	Vocabulary and steady pace
Wednesday	Midweek; more wordplay and a few tricky clues	Reading clues more flexibly
Thursday	A big jump, usually with a gimmick such as a rebus	Spotting tricks and rule-breaking themes
Friday	Often themeless, with long answers and clever clues	Lateral thinking and wide knowledge
Saturday	Usually the hardest, often themeless, with very sly clues	Patience and deep pattern recognition
Sunday	A bigger themed grid; the difficulty level varies by publisher	Stamina and theme spotting

Not every publisher follows this exact pattern, but the idea of a ramp is common. If your paper or app doesn't label difficulty by day, look for "easy," "medium" and "hard" labels instead. Our easy crosswords, medium-difficulty crosswords and hard crossword puzzles follow the same step-by-step idea.

Learn the Clue Conventions

Crossword clues follow unwritten rules. Experienced solvers know them so well they don't notice them. Learning them on purpose can speed you up more than any other single step.

Match tense, number and part of speech

The answer must match the clue grammatically. Constructor Patrick Merrell, in his Time Out tips, put it plainly: if the clue is plural, the answer is plural, and the same goes for tense. That gives you letters for free.

• A clue like "Ran quickly" needs a past-tense answer, such as SPED or DASHED.
• A clue like "Garden tools" needs a plural, so the answer probably ends in S, such as RAKES or HOES.
• A clue like "Bravest" needs a superlative, often ending in -EST.

Will Shortz made the same point in a 2002 article for The New York Times, reprinted by the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament: plurals and third-person verbs often end in S, past tenses in -ED, and comparatives and superlatives in -ER and -EST. Pencil those endings in early.

The big conventions at a glance

Convention	What it signals	Example (our own clue)	Answer
Question mark at the end	Wordplay or a pun; don't take the clue literally	Stand-up guy?	COMIC
Abbreviation in the clue ("abbr.," "Dept.," "St.")	The answer is abbreviated too	Univ. teacher	PROF
Fill-in-the-blank ( ___ )	Complete a familiar phrase	"Easy ___ it"	DOES
Foreign place or language named	The answer is in that language	Friend in France	AMI
"e.g.," "for one," "say," "perhaps"	The clue is an example of the answer, not a definition	Oak, for one	TREE
Quotation marks around a clue	The answer is something you'd say	"Got it!"	ISEE
Informal tag ("informally," "slangily")	The answer is casual or slang	Refrigerator, informally	FRIDGE
Cross-reference ("See 17-Across")	The answers are linked; solve the other first if you can	With 17-Across, a dessert	(depends on the grid)

A couple of these deserve extra attention.

Question marks

A question mark at the end of a clue is the constructor winking at you. It says: this clue isn't a straight definition. "Stand-up guy?" sounds like a description of an honest person, but the question mark points to a pun on stand-up comedy. When you see a "?", ask what else the clue could mean.

Fill-in-the-blanks

These are usually the easiest clues in the grid. Both Shortz and Merrell recommend starting with them, because a familiar phrase often comes to mind instantly. Shortz's example of a good starting point was a fill-in-the-blank clue you're sure of.

Multiple meanings

Shortz also advised solvers to consider every meaning of a clue word, because constructors often avoid the most obvious one. "Bass" could be a fish or a low voice. "Lead" could be a metal or a verb. "Bow" could be a ribbon, the front of a ship, or bending at the waist. If one meaning isn't working, switch.

Solving Technique: Where to Start and How to Move

How you move around the grid matters almost as much as what you know. Here's an approach built from the advice of experienced solvers and constructors.

1. Skim for gimmes

Read through the clues quickly and fill in anything you're confident about. Fill-in-the-blanks, short words and anything in your own area of expertise are good bets. Merrell suggests starting with three-letter words: there aren't many of them, so they're often easy footholds.

2. Build from what you have

Once you have a few letters, work the crossing clues. Every letter you place gives you a hint for another answer. A good rhythm is to stay in one area, building outward, rather than jumping around the grid at random.

3. Focus on word beginnings

Shortz recommends working from the start of a word rather than the end, because word beginnings vary more and give stronger hints. If you have the first two letters of an answer, you've narrowed it down a lot. The last two letters ("-ING," "-ED," "-ER") are often less helpful.

4. Guess, but hold it loosely

Make guesses. Crosswords reward them. But don't cling to an answer that isn't fitting its crossings. Shortz passed along a tip from a top solver: use lighter pencil marks for guesses and darker ones for answers you're sure of.

5. Use letter odds when stuck

When you're down to one empty square, try running through the alphabet. Start with the most common letters. In ordinary English, E, T, A, O, I, N, S and R are the most frequent, according to a letter frequency table from Cornell University. Shortz noted that the second letter of a word often turns out to be R, L, H or a vowel. And if a combination looks impossible, like PTB at the start of a word, you've probably made a mistake somewhere.

6. Take a break

Merrell says top solvers and constructors often mention this one: when you're stuck, walk away. A fresh look later, even ten minutes later, often reveals answers that seemed hidden before.

7. Check everything at the end

Read every clue, Across and Down, and make sure each answer fits. The crossings act as a sanity check. Shortz recalled that a single misspelled word once cost a top competitor a championship, so even experts double-check.

A Worked Solve: Thinking Through a Tiny Grid

Let's put the technique together on a very small puzzle we made for this guide. It's a 3-by-3 grid with no black squares, so every letter belongs to one Across answer and one Down answer.

Across

• 1. Pet that purrs
• 4. "You ___ here" (words on a mall map)
• 5. Number of fingers on two hands

Down

• 1. Feline
• 2. Exist, for more than one
• 3. Perfect score, in some contests

Here's how a solver might think it through, step by step:

1. Skim for gimmes. 4-Across is a fill-in-the-blank, and the phrase on mall maps is "You ARE here." That's three letters, so ARE goes in the middle row.
2. Use the easiest crossing. 1-Across, "Pet that purrs," is three letters: CAT. Now the top row is C-A-T.
3. Check the Downs. 1-Down, "Feline," starts with C and has A in the middle (from ARE). CAT fits perfectly, so the bottom-left letter is T.
4. Match the grammar. 2-Down, "Exist, for more than one," needs a plural verb form. With A on top and R in the middle, ARE fits: "they are." The bottom-middle letter is E.
5. Fill the last answers. 3-Down starts with T (from CAT) and has E in the middle (from ARE). "Perfect score, in some contests" with T-E-? is TEN. That makes the bottom row T-E-N, which matches 5-Across, "Number of fingers on two hands."

	1	2	3
Row 1	C	A	T
Row 2	A	R	E
Row 3	T	E	N

That's a toy example, but it shows the whole method in miniature: start with the gimme, build outward, let grammar give you letters, and confirm each answer with its crossings. In a real puzzle you'll repeat that loop hundreds of times. The more often you do it, the faster each loop becomes.

Build the Knowledge Crosswords Reward

Crosswords draw on general knowledge, and some areas come up far more than others. Merrell's advice in Time Out was to build vocabulary, follow current events and know famous names. Here are the areas worth a little attention:

• Geography. Short place names, rivers, lakes and capitals fit grids easily. Knowing your Great Lakes and a few European rivers pays off.
• Music and opera. Band names, singers and opera terms (an ARIA is a solo song) are common.
• Classic film and TV. Actors with short names show up often, along with famous characters.
• Sports. Team names, positions and famous athletes appear regularly, especially in American puzzles.
• Science basics. Chemical symbols, units of measure and simple anatomy make tidy short answers.
• Roman numerals and abbreviations. These are handy filler, so learn to read them quickly.
• Common foreign words. Simple words in Spanish, French and Latin turn up often, usually flagged by the clue.

You don't need to study these like a textbook. Just notice what keeps appearing in the puzzles you solve, and look it up when you're curious. Over months, your crossword knowledge grows on its own, and it's surprisingly useful in everyday life too.

Learn the Repeaters

Crosswords have their own vocabulary. Solvers call it "crosswordese": short, vowel-heavy words that show up in grids far more than in everyday life. OLEO (margarine), ERNE (a sea eagle), ETUI (a small needle case) and ANOA (a small wild buffalo) are classic examples. In his 2002 tips, Shortz advised learning frequent crosswordese such as ESTE and ANOA, and noted that modern puzzles also repeat pop-culture names like ANI (as in the singer Ani DiFranco). He also observed that a three-letter rock band in a crossword is almost always R.E.M. or E.L.O.

The easiest way to learn repeaters is to keep a running list. Every time a word you didn't know appears a second time, add it with its usual clue. Within a month you'll have a personal cheat sheet, and you'll start filling those squares without thinking. Our separate guide to crosswordese covers the classic words and why constructors use them.

Themes, Rebuses and Late-Week Tricks

Once Mondays and Tuesdays feel comfortable, the next hurdle is the trickier stuff. Understanding how themes work makes a big difference.

Spotting the theme

A themed puzzle has several long answers that share an idea. Often the longest Across answers are the theme entries, and sometimes one answer (called the "revealer") explains the connection. Shortz explained that grids are symmetrical under 180-degree rotation, so a long theme answer in one part of the grid is usually balanced by one in the matching spot on the other side. If you find one theme answer, look for its partner.

Once you see the theme, use it. If the first theme answer hides an animal inside a phrase, the others probably do too. The theme becomes a powerful hint.

Rebuses

A rebus puzzle puts more than one letter, or a symbol, into a single square. It's a common Thursday trick. The tell-tale sign is an answer you're sure of that simply won't fit, because it's one square too long. When that happens, ask whether a group of letters such as STAR, HEART or ONE might be packed into one box.

Themeless puzzles

Friday and Saturday puzzles are often themeless, with lots of long answers and sly clues. They reward patience. Find any foothold, even a single short word, and work outward slowly. Long answers in themeless puzzles are often lively everyday phrases, so try saying possible answers out loud.

A Step-by-Step Plan From Monday to Saturday

Here's a sample eight-week plan. Adjust the pace to suit you: some people move faster, some slower, and both are fine. The point is to stay at a level where you can finish most puzzles with effort, then step up.

Weeks	Daily practice	Focus	Move on when
1 to 2	One Monday-level or easy puzzle a day	Learn conventions: tense, number, abbreviations, fill-in-the-blanks	You finish most easy puzzles without looking anything up
3 to 4	Alternate Monday and Tuesday levels	Start a repeaters list; review every answer you missed	Tuesdays feel about as hard as Mondays used to
5	Wednesday-level puzzles, with Mondays as warm-ups	Question-mark clues and multiple meanings	You can finish a Wednesday with a few lookups
6	Add one Thursday-level puzzle a week	Look for gimmicks and rebuses	You can spot the trick in most Thursdays
7	Add one Friday-level puzzle a week	Themeless solving: footholds, patience, saying answers aloud	You can finish one or two sections of a Friday unaided
8 and beyond	Mix of levels; try a Saturday	Stamina and flexibility	Keep going; Saturdays take most people months, not weeks

Two pieces of advice make this plan work. First, don't skip the reviewing. Merrell recommends looking at the next day's answers to see how clues are written and where you go wrong. Second, don't feel bad about looking things up while you're learning. As long as you go back and understand the answer, a lookup is a lesson, not a failure.

If you like big weekend grids, mix in a Sunday-sized puzzle too. Our Sunday crossword puzzles guide explains what to expect from the larger format.

Practice Methods That Work

It's not just how much you solve, it's how you solve. These habits make each puzzle count for more.

Solve daily, even briefly

Merrell noted that past tournament winners reportedly solve about ten puzzles a day. You don't need to do that. One puzzle a day, every day, will take you a long way. Regularity matters more than volume.

Champion Dan Feyer is a striking example of what volume can do. According to a 2010 New York Times profile by Denise Grady, reprinted by the ACPT, Feyer had solved only occasionally until he saw the 2006 crossword documentary Wordplay. He then started solving about 20 crosswords a day, roughly an hour daily, and went from a middling rookie finish in 2008 to fourth place in 2009 and the championship in 2010. That's an extreme case, but the principle holds: steady, deliberate practice works.

Review every miss

When you finish (or give up), go through every answer you didn't get. Ask: what did the clue mean? Which convention did I miss? Was it a repeater? This is where most real learning happens. Our crossword puzzles with answers make this easy, because the answer key is right there.

Practice on paper and on screen

Both have advantages. Screens make it easy to track your time and keep a streak. Paper lets you scribble, guess lightly and see the whole grid at once. Feyer practiced on a computer but switched to paper before competitions, because the layout is different. If you find small print hard to read, try large print crossword puzzles.

Time yourself, but not always

Timing yourself on Monday-level puzzles is a nice way to see progress. But don't time every puzzle. On harder days, the goal is to finish, not to race.

Solve with someone

Solving with a partner, a friend or a family member is a great way to learn. You'll each know different things, and talking through a clue often unlocks it.

What Research Says About Expert Solvers

Psychologists have studied what makes top crossword solvers different. The findings are encouraging, because they suggest skill comes largely from experience.

Experts have strong working memory and reasoning

A 2014 study in Applied Cognitive Psychology by Michael Toma, Diane Halpern and Dale Berger, "Cognitive Abilities of Elite Nationally Ranked SCRABBLE and Crossword Experts," compared elite crossword and Scrabble competitors with college students who had similar SAT scores. Both expert groups outperformed the students on all the cognitive measures, and the crossword experts scored higher on an analogies test. The authors concluded that these experts' verbal and visuospatial working memory work together at very high levels. (Working memory is the mental "scratch pad" you use to hold and juggle information for a short time.)

That doesn't mean you need to be born with those abilities. Experts in many fields build specialized memory through years of practice, and analogies are exactly the kind of "this is like that" thinking that crossword clues train.

Expertise takes years, and most people start as adults

A 2016 survey of 805 cryptic crossword solvers by Kathryn Friedlander and Philip Fine, published in Frontiers in Psychology, found that the median solver started at about age 18, and the top experts had a median of around 37 years of solving behind them. Respondents spent roughly 45 to 60 minutes a day on puzzles, about one or two crosswords. The researchers found no significant difference in weekly solving time between expertise groups, which suggests that how you practice, and for how many years, may matter more than cramming.

The fun is the "Aha!"

The same survey found that the "Aha!" moment of cracking a clue was the top-rated reason people solve. That's worth remembering. If you choose puzzles at the right level, you'll get more of those moments, and you'll want to keep going. Puzzles that are far too hard rob you of that reward. If you're curious about the brain side of all this, our article on whether puzzles are good for the brain looks at the evidence.

Getting Faster: Speed Tips From Tournament Solvers

Speed isn't the point for most solvers. But if you enjoy timing yourself, or you're curious about competitions, tournament solvers have refined some useful habits.

The American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, which began in 1978, scores solvers on correct words plus a bonus for finishing early, according to its history page. Dan Feyer holds the record with nine titles. In 2026, 803 people competed solo in person, plus pairs and online solvers.

Shortz's 2002 article collected speed tips from top competitors:

• Keep the pencil moving. Read the next clue while you're still writing the previous answer.
• Work by zones. Some champions finish one section at a time and avoid rereading clues.
• Read in blocks. Another approach is to read several clues in a row, such as a run of Down clues, then write all the answers at once.
• Stay relaxed. Solving at your usual pace tends to improve speed and cut mistakes.
• No outside help in competition. Dictionaries and searches are fine for practice but not allowed at a tournament.

For a sense of scale: in the 2002 Seattle Times interview, Shortz said an expert might finish a Sunday Times puzzle in 12 to 14 minutes, and Feyer's best Monday times in 2010 were under two minutes. Don't let those numbers discourage you. They're the crossword equivalent of Olympic sprint times.

How to Use Hints and Lookups Wisely

Almost everyone who gets good at crosswords used help along the way. The trick is using it so that you learn, rather than just finishing. Here's a simple ladder, from least help to most. Try each step before moving to the next.

1. Walk away. Give it ten minutes, or come back after a meal. You'll be surprised how often the answer appears.
2. Re-read the clue differently. Change the stress, try another meaning of each word, or check whether the clue is an example ("for one") rather than a definition.
3. Check one letter. Many apps let you reveal a single square. One letter is often enough to unlock a whole answer and its neighbors.
4. Look up a fact, not the answer. If the clue is about a person or a place, look up that fact in a reference book or online, then work out the answer yourself.
5. Reveal the answer, then explain it. If you do give up on a clue, don't just move on. Make sure you understand why the answer fits. Write it on your repeaters list if it's likely to come back.

Shortz's 2002 article draws the line clearly: dictionaries and searches are fine for practice, but not allowed in competition. So use them as training wheels. As your skill grows, you'll find yourself reaching for them less and less, and finishing a puzzle with no help at all will feel even better.

Staying Motivated When a Puzzle Beats You

Every solver has days when a puzzle simply wins. That's normal, even for experts. A few mindset tips help you keep going.

• Count partial wins. Finishing one corner of a Friday puzzle is real progress if you couldn't start one a month ago.
• Drop back a level now and then. Solving an easier puzzle on a busy day keeps your streak alive and reminds you how far you've come.
• Keep a simple log. Note the date, the difficulty and whether you finished. Looking back after a few weeks shows progress you might not feel day to day.
• Remember why you started. The Friedlander and Fine survey found that the "Aha!" moment was the top reason people solve, ahead of any outside reward. If a puzzle stops being fun, pick an easier one and get the fun back.
• Celebrate the strange words you learn. Part of the charm of crosswords is collecting odd facts and words you'd never meet otherwise.

Common Mistakes That Hold Solvers Back

• Starting too hard. Saturday puzzles are a poor place to learn. Begin with easy grids and climb.
• Ignoring grammar. If you write a singular answer for a plural clue, every crossing will go wrong.
• Taking clues literally. Especially when there's a question mark. Always ask what else a word could mean.
• Refusing to erase. Use pencil (or the app's delete key) freely. Good solvers change answers all the time.
• Never checking answers. Without reviewing misses, you'll repeat the same mistakes.
• Getting stuck in one spot. Move to another part of the grid and come back later with more letters.
• Thinking you need to be a "word person." Merrell noted that many top solvers are mathematical thinkers who decode how letters fit together, not necessarily word experts.

Try It Yourself: A Clue Conventions Quiz

Each clue below uses one of the conventions from this article. We wrote them for this quiz. Try to name the convention and the answer before you peek.

1. Hurried (3)
2. Pine, for one (4)
3. Mon. follower (3)
4. "Better late ___ never" (4)
5. Sea, in Spain (3)
6. Couch potato's spot? (4)
7. "Not on your life!" (5)
8. Kids' playground fixtures (6)

Answers:

1. RAN: past tense to match "Hurried"
2. TREE: "for one" means pine is an example
3. TUE: "Mon." is abbreviated, so the answer is an abbreviation too
4. THAN: fill in the familiar phrase
5. MAR: the answer is in Spanish
6. SOFA: the question mark signals the playful clue; a "couch potato" sits on a sofa
7. NOWAY: quotation marks mean the answer is something you'd say (written NO WAY, without the space)
8. SWINGS: plural clue, plural answer

If you got most of these, you already know more conventions than many casual solvers. Now put them to work on a real grid.

Keep Practicing With Your Own Puzzles

Making puzzles is a surprisingly good way to get better at solving them, because writing clues teaches you how clue conventions work from the inside. Our free puzzle maker lets you type your own words or pick a theme, choose a puzzle type, and print it with an answer key. Try writing a crossword with a few past-tense clues, a plural or two and a fill-in-the-blank, then swap puzzles with a friend. For a steady supply of grids to solve between your own creations, visit our daily crossword puzzles page.

Six Solving Slip-Ups and Their Fixes

This table pairs each habit that holds solvers back with a better way to handle it.

Slip-up	What goes wrong	Better habit
Starting too hard	Saturday puzzles are a poor place to learn	Begin with easy grids and climb
Ignoring grammar	A singular answer for a plural clue sends every crossing wrong	Match tense, number and part of speech
Taking clues literally	You miss puns, especially when there is a question mark	Ask what else a word could mean
Refusing to erase	Wrong answers stay in the grid	Use pencil or the delete key freely, as good solvers change answers all the time
Never checking answers	You repeat the same mistakes	Review every miss and ask which convention you missed
Getting stuck in one spot	Time passes with no progress	Move to another part of the grid and come back later with more letters

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the fastest way to get better at crosswords?

Solve a puzzle at the right level every day, and review every answer you missed. Start with easy puzzles you can mostly finish, learn the clue conventions such as matching tense and number, and keep a list of repeating short words. When easy puzzles feel comfortable most days, step up one level. Daily practice with careful review builds the pattern recognition that experienced solvers rely on far faster than occasional attempts at very hard puzzles.

Which day's crossword is the easiest?

In The New York Times and many other papers that follow its pattern, Monday is the easiest and the puzzles get harder through the week. Thursday usually brings a jump in difficulty and a gimmick such as a rebus. Friday and Saturday are often themeless and the hardest of the week. Sunday is a larger themed grid. If your puzzle source doesn't follow a weekly ramp, look for easy, medium and hard labels instead.

Is it cheating to look up crossword answers?

It's your puzzle, so you decide. When you're learning, looking up an answer and then figuring out why it's right is a perfectly good way to improve. Will Shortz has said it's fine to solve however you like. The one place outside help isn't allowed is in competition. Over time, try to rely on lookups less, because finishing a puzzle on your own is a big part of the satisfaction.

Should I solve crosswords in pen or pencil?

Pencil is the usual recommendation for learners and even for many experts, because changing answers is a normal part of solving. Tournament champions often use mechanical pencils. Some solvers use lighter marks for guesses and darker marks for answers they're sure of. Pen is a fun personal challenge once you're confident, but it doesn't make you a better solver, and on a phone or computer the question doesn't come up at all.

What does a question mark at the end of a clue mean?

A question mark tells you the clue isn't a straight definition. It's a signal of wordplay, a pun or a playful twist, so the obvious meaning is probably wrong. For example, a clue like Stand-up guy? might point to a comedian rather than an honest person. When you see a question mark, ask yourself what else each word could mean, and look for a joke hiding in the phrasing.

How long does it take to go from Monday to Saturday puzzles?

It varies a lot. Many people who solve daily become comfortable with Monday and Tuesday puzzles within a few weeks, and with Wednesdays within a couple of months. Fridays and especially Saturdays usually take much longer, often many months or more. Research on expert solvers suggests real expertise builds over years, so be patient. Finishing even one corner of a Saturday puzzle is real progress worth celebrating.

Do you need a big vocabulary to be good at crosswords?

A good vocabulary helps, but it isn't everything. Crosswords reward pattern recognition, flexible thinking about word meanings, and familiarity with conventions and repeating words. Constructor Patrick Merrell has noted that many top solvers are mathematical thinkers who decode how letters fit together. A study of elite solvers found their strengths lay in working memory and reasoning, including analogies. Much of that comes from practice rather than a huge word list.

What are the best crosswords for beginners?

Look for puzzles labeled easy, or Monday-level puzzles from a newspaper with a weekly difficulty ramp. Small grids, such as 5-by-5 minis, are another gentle way in. Puzzles with an answer key are especially useful, because you can check your work and learn from mistakes. Large print puzzles help if small type is tiring. The best beginner puzzle is one you can almost finish, so you get plenty of small wins.

How do expert crossword solvers get so fast?

Mostly through enormous practice. Champion Dan Feyer reportedly solved about 20 puzzles a day while training. Experts recognize common answers from just a letter or two, keep their pencil moving by reading the next clue while writing the last answer, and work in zones rather than jumping around. They also stay relaxed, because rushing causes errors. Speed is optional, though; most solvers simply enjoy finishing at their own pace.

Sources

We checked every source below while writing this guide. Last reviewed October 30, 2026, by Joan Ramos.

1. How to Be the Fastest Puzzler in Town (Will Shortz, 2002) (The New York Times, reprinted by the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament)
2. Entering the mind of a crossword whiz (Mark Rahner, interview with Will Shortz, 2002) (The Seattle Times, reprinted by the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament)
3. How to solve a crossword puzzle (James Y. Lee, with tips from Patrick Merrell, 2009) (Time Out New York, reprinted by the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament)
4. Dan Feyer, the Crossword Wizard Who Is Fastest of All (Denise Grady, 2010) (The New York Times, reprinted by the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament)
5. ACPT Capsule History (American Crossword Puzzle Tournament)
6. Cognitive Abilities of Elite Nationally Ranked SCRABBLE and Crossword Experts (Toma, Halpern and Berger, 2014) (Applied Cognitive Psychology)
7. The Grounded Expertise Components Approach in the Novel Area of Cryptic Crossword Solving (Friedlander and Fine, 2016) (Frontiers in Psychology)
8. English Letter Frequency (based on a sample of 40,000 words) (Cornell University, Department of Mathematics)