FAQs
The crosswords are designed to increase in difficulty throughout the week, with the easiest on Monday and the most difficult on Saturday. The larger Sunday crossword, which appears in The New York Times Magazine, is an icon in American culture; it is typically intended to be a "Thursday-plus" in difficulty.
How to get better at New York Times crossword puzzle clue? ›
Pick out the clues that are meant to be the easiest and tackle them first. See anything you definitely know? There's no better boost to your solving ego than filling in a few entries right off the bat. You can confirm whether an answer is right by solving the entries that cross it.
Does the nyt crossword get harder throughout the week? ›
The goal is to fill the white squares with letters, forming words or phrases that cross each other, by solving clues in the Across and Down columns which lead to the answers. The New York Times Crossword increases in difficulty from Monday to Saturday.
Is the NYT Sunday crossword the hardest? ›
Mondays have the most straightforward clues and Saturday clues are the hardest, or involve the most wordplay. Contrary to popular belief, the Sunday puzzles are midweek difficulty, not the hardest. They're just bigger.
What is the world's longest crossword puzzle? ›
Holding The Guinness World Records record for its size, this crossword hangs on a full 7' by 7' of wall space and has 28,000 clues for over 91,000 squares. It's a challenge that can take months, even up to a year, to complete.
Do you get better at crosswords with practice? ›
Don't give up: Crossword puzzles can be challenging, but don't give up too easily! Keep working at it and remember that practice makes perfect. Before long, you'll be solving even the most difficult of puzzles.
Is it good to do crossword puzzles before bed? ›
As doing a puzzle helps to ease your body and mind, they can lead to more consistent sleeping habits. Stress and anxiety is a big cause of insomnia, so focusing on a good puzzle could be what you need to let your brain wind down before bed.
What is the acceptance rate for the New York Times crossword puzzles? ›
What is the acceptance rate when submitting a crossword puzzle to the NYT? - Quora. The acceptance rate is between 4% and 7%.
Is there a trick to crossword puzzles? ›
Tackle the easiest clues first.
Scan through the clues, and knock out all the easiest ones. Not only will this give your gameplay some structure, but also it'll give you an ego boost! Typically, fill-in-the-blank clues are the easiest. For example: “___ of Oz.”
How do you know if a nyt crossword has rebus in it? ›
According to The New York Times crosswords editor, Will Shortz, “A 'rebus' in a crossword is anything that gets entered in a square that's not a single letter of the alphabet.” That can mean you have to jam more than one letter into a square or use digits.
- Fill standards *have* improved substantially in the past decade or so, owing in part to widespread adoption of construction software, but also a sharp rise in the number of people who submit crosswords to the NYT (and thus increased pickiness).
How hard are Tuesday crosswords? ›
Monday is the easiest puzzle, and then Tuesday is a little harder, climbing up to Saturday, which is the hardest day of the week.
What are the difficulty levels for the New Yorker crossword puzzles? ›
Mondays through Thursdays, we'll publish themeless puzzles that decrease in difficulty throughout the week, with a new beginner-friendly puzzle on Thursdays. You'll also find something new on Fridays: a themed puzzle, of light-to-moderate difficulty.
What is the hardest crossword in the world? ›
A renowned British crossword maker called Marc Breman created in 2018 what's thought to be the world's hardest cryptic crossword to date. Not only are the clues fiendishly hard, but the crossword itself is rather large, with 64 clues.