For unknown reasons, many people believe that the ability to solve crossword puzzles is a gift bestowed upon a select few at birth. This is entirely false. Crossword puzzles aren’t an unchangeable test of your vocabulary or intelligence; they’re a skill that anyone can learn.
A crossword puzzle requires more of your brain than any other word game or puzzle. Experienced puzzlers take into account not only the literal meaning of each clue but also similar ones they’ve seen before, frequently repeated answers, syntax quirks, puns, cultural references, and, of course, the puzzle’s theme. Unfortunately, this means that crossword puzzles can be intimidating to newcomers.
Everyone starts somewhere, and regardless of where you are now, here are some crossword alternatives to begin with to help you improve.
kills to get you started with crosswords
Consider what skills will make you a good crossword solver before deciding which games will help you solve crosswords. For example, what does it take to be good at crossword puzzles?
You’ll need an extensive vocabulary and excellent spelling skills. Knowing a lot of synonyms and being familiar with the thesaurus will also help. Crossword clues frequently appear to have more than one answer. You’ll have better luck finding a crossword answer quickly if you know a lot of synonyms.
Of course, knowing a lot of trivia will also help you with crossword puzzles. For example, many crossword clues make specific references to people, places, or events. So knowing a bit of a lot will help you solve crossword puzzles better.
If spelling, vocabulary, and trivia are necessary for crossword puzzle solving, then crossword puzzle games will focus on these skills.
Crossword Puzzles
Now, what better way is there to get better at crosswords than playing crosswords?
The only way to improve at crossword puzzles is to do them frequently, and the best way to do this is to incorporate them into your daily routine. Begin by tackling a few puzzles from the Crosswords Answer 911 website for a couple of hours every day.
Find entertaining puzzles from tens of publishers, including the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times Daily, Newsday.com, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and many others!
If cryptic crosswords are your thing, check out The Guardian. Some organizations, such as Queer Qrosswords and Puzzles for Progress, will even send you original themed puzzles as a “Thank you” for your charitable contributions. However, remember that each publication has its style—mastering the tricky clue phrasing in a Saturday New York Times puzzle won’t necessarily translate to a Post puzzle, and vice versa.
Word Search puzzles can help you improve your vocabulary and spelling, as well as your pattern recognition skills, language learning, and problem-solving abilities. Word searches come in a range of sizes and themes.
Scrabble
Scrabble is a board game for about two to four players. Alfred Mosher Butts, an American architect, designed it in the 1930s. Interestingly, it’s a word game, similar to crossword puzzles. Players attempt to score points by forming words on a game board with a set of lettered tiles provided to them. Each tile features only one letter of the alphabet. The game board is made up of 15 x 15 squares. Mental stimulation, stress relief, vocab and spelling improvement, lower blood pressure, and memory improvement are all advantages of playing scrabble (and other board games). To add a speed component, try Bananagrams too.
Pictionary
Pictionary is a charades-inspired word guessing game. It was first released in 1985 and is intended for two players or two groups of two players. Each team has one player given a category card with a list of words to sketch. First, the word must be drawn in a picture without using any letters or numbers by the player. The rest of the team must then guess what has been removed. When the team correctly guesses the word, points are awarded.
Playing Pictionary can help you improve your ability to connect words with concepts, relieve stress, release endorphins, improve bonding/socializing skills, and improve your ability to visualize concepts and ideas.
Chess
Chess has a fascinating history. The game’s exact origins are unknown, but it can be traced back to the 6th century AD. It is said to have originated in India and then spread to Persia. Chess is an absolute favorite in many households, regardless of its origin. The game is heavily based on strategy and logic, with the primary goal being for a player to checkmate the opponent’s King.
Chess can help you improve your problem-solving skills, increase your IQ, improve your memory, prevent brain diseases like Alzheimer’s, and give your brain a good workout on both sides.
The Wiki Game
Do you ever visit Wikipedia to learn something simple, like the scientific name of a plant, only to find yourself reading about 1700s fashion trends? The Wiki Game is a game based on this Wikipedia wormhole. It will assist you in quickly drawing connections between seemingly unrelated things, such as in themed crossword clues.
Conclusion
You don’t necessarily have to be a crossword puzzle expert to enjoy solving complex or straightforward puzzles. However, when you sit down to work on any crossword grid, you’ll most likely have a better time because you’ll be putting the skills you’ve learned playing these games to use. It’s also important to remember that playing crossword puzzles is the best way to master them.
