After first gaining popularity around 100 years ago, the level of challenge cryptic crosswords can provide to players has helped maintain their appeal with word game fanatics. Due to their advanced level of difficulty when compared to ordinary crosswords, they make use of various types of wordplay to conceal the answer that is needed.
What is a Cryptic crossword?
Although the difficulty of cryptic crosswords is harder than a traditional crossword, the objective of the game and its gameplay remain the same. The only difference between the two is the way in which the hints are formed.
- Players are shown a grid with black and white squares. White squares are spaces for letters to be entered, with black squares acting as separators.
- Next to the grid a number of cryptic hints are provided to the player to solve.
- Hints are not intended to be taken at face value and instead must be solved by finding hidden meanings within.
- Each hint will also display a number or numbers in brackets beside it to indicate the number of letters in the answer. For multiple words, each number will be separated by a comma.
- Once an answer has been found, it should be entered into its corresponding squares in the grid provided.
- Words can be written and corrected as many times as necessary until the solution is eventually found.
- The cryptic crossword will be complete when all solutions have been entered correctly.
If you are in the middle of a cryptic crossword and have already identified some letters within the remaining answers, try using WordsRated’s Word Finder to complete the puzzle! Simply enter the word length as provided by the hint and your known letters into the “contains” field, hit “search” and discover a list of potential solutions from our dictionary!
Cryptic crossword hint examples and tips
A number of different hint types are possible within cryptic crosswords, challenging the avid puzzler in a multitude of ways. Sometimes, indications can be spotted within the hints given to point the player in the right direction, so make sure to pay attention to detail!
Anagrams
One type of popular wordplay used frequently within cryptic crosswords is the anagram (like those seen in Wordle), whereby certain words or letters must be jumbled to form an entirely new term.
Hint: Fully developed blend of tea and rum (6)
Answer: Mature
Due to the word “blend”, the player is encouraged to rearrange the letters of “tea” and “rum” to find the answer, which also acts as another meaning for “fully developed”.
Anagram tip: To identify an anagram in a cryptic crossword, be aware of words such as change, mix, jumble, muddle and random.
Charades
As typically used in the game of charades, the answer is broken into its component parts and the hint makes references to these in a sequence.
Hint: Mafia man coming after you (4)
Answer: Udon
In this example, “udon” (a thick noodle), contains the word “don” which is another word for a Mafia boss and the letter “u” which sounds the same as “you”. In the hint, “coming after” also indicates the order of the two parts of the word.
Charades tip: To find charades within a cryptic crossword, try to spot words such as after, before, besides, follows and leads.
Containers
With container hints, the answer is broken down into different parts, with one part embedded within another.
Hint: Mammals that fly around hot tubs (5)
Answer: Baths
For this container example, hot tubs are a type of bath and the answer “baths” has the letters of the word “bats” (mammals that fly) surrounding it, in order to embed the answer.
Containers tip: For containers that are included in a cryptic crossword, look for words such as around, circles, contains, surrounds and wraps.
Deletions
Another common cryptic crossword clue is the deletion. For these, a letter or letters should be removed from the beginning, middle or end of the word initially found. What’s more, deletions can even happen in an alternating order.
Hint: National prime minister beheaded (7)
Answer: Israeli
With this example, “national prime minister” refers to “Benjamin Disraeli”. However, as the word “beheaded” is used at the end of the phrase, it indicates that a letter or letters must be removed from the start to find a new word. As such, we find the solution “Israeli”.
Deletions tip: To identify deletions in a cryptic crossword, search for words such as alternatively, beheaded, clipped, gutted and trimmed.
Double definitions
One of the most simple types of wordplay to solve within a cryptic crossword is a word with two definitions.
Hint: Religious experience necessary to achieve a goal (10)
Answer: Conversion
We can see how the answer can be a definition for either “religious experience” and “achieve a goal” within the sentence. The answer can even apply to the sentence in its entirety.
Double definitions tip: To solve cryptic hints of this type, try to search for related words or synonyms to the words provided until the answer is uncovered.
Hidden words
In certain hints, the answer will be hidden within one or multiple words within the provided phrase.
Hint: Foreign currency found in a remote part (5)
Answer: Dinar
The “Dinar” currency answers the hint itself and can also be found written in order within words 3, 4, 5 and 6 for the player to spot.
Hidden words tip: To identify when hidden words are present within a cryptic crossword, be aware of words such as found, hides, inside, veils and within.
Homophones
With homophone cryptic crossword clues, the player will normally receive an indication that the answer should sound the same as another word.
Hint: A country sounded musical (6)
Answer: Grease
Here we can see that “Grease” relates to the famous musical, but sounds exactly the same as the country “Greece”, which is referenced at the start of the hint.
Homophones tip: If homophones are present within a cryptic crossword, they will usually use words such as audible, heard, said, sound, and vocal.
Reversals
Reversal cryptic crossword clues indicate that the solution can form another word or words when seen backwards or upside down.
Hint: They keep together but may be cut back (4)
Answer: Pins
From this we can see that the solution word “pins” refers to items that can hold things together. In addition, the second part of the phrase “may be cut back” refers to “snip”, which is the reverse spelling of the answer.
Reversals tip: To identify reversals within a cryptic crossword, be on the lookout for words such as back, backward, flipped, turned and up.
Spoonerisms
Spoonerisms are a rarer type of cryptic crossword clue which have a mixed reputation within the community of solvers. For these, the first letters of a phrase are swapped to make a new phrase.
Hint: Protein source Spooner’s son spotted (3,4)
Answer: Boy seen
From this hint, “protein source” is intended to refer to the food “soy bean”. This is a Spoonerism for the phrase “boy seen”, which corresponds to the second part of the hint, “boy spotted”.
Spoonerism tip: These types of hints will always include the word “Spooner” within them to indicate to the puzzler that this type of word play will need to be applied.
Combination clues
Multiple clue types can also be used in combination with each other to increase the complexity of a cryptic crossword hint. This is more commonly seen in longer hint phrases.
Hint: Two plus eleven minus one, amazingly (6)
Answer: Twelve
Incredibly, this hint can be solved by using the literal meaning in addition to its hidden meaning. The literal meaning of 2 + 11 – 1 = 12 gives the solution, which then needs to be spelled out. However, using the letters themselves, TWO + ELEVEN – ONE also results in the letters needed to form TWELVE spelled out. Furthermore, “amazingly” is given to indicate that the solution will surprise you, pushing the solver to notice the anagram.
Combination clues tip: For these more unique clues, you will need to become familiar with all of the different hint types in order to combine them. Remember to be on the lookout for words associated with each type of hint, helping you discover the solution word.
What are some famous cryptic crosswords?
For the most dedicated of word game players, certain cryptic crossword editions are known to be beneficial due their mentally stimulating clues. Having built a strong reputation with dedicated players, the most popular editions are often available in print or online and include:
- US Newspapers
- The Globe and Mail (difficulty: moderate)
- The New Yorker (difficulty: hard)
- The New York Times (difficulty: moderate)
- AARP (difficulty: less challenging)
- The Washington Post (difficulty: moderate)
- UK Newspapers
- The Daily Telegraph (difficulty: hard)
- The Daily Mail (difficulty: moderate)
- The Metro (difficulty: less challenging)
- The Financial Times (difficulty: very hard)
Note: The difficulty levels provided are in relation to other cryptic crossword puzzles and are intended to act as a guide only. Each player may find specific puzzles harder or easier based on their specific knowledge and experience.