A crossword can look intimidating when every square is empty. The useful thing to remember is that you do not have to solve it in order. One familiar clue can give you a foothold, and each answer you enter supplies letters for another. Progress usually comes from moving around the grid, testing possibilities, and returning to clues with new information.

This beginner’s guide explains how to solve crossword puzzles with a calm, repeatable routine. It focuses on standard American-style crosswords, such as the daily puzzles published by the Los Angeles Times and The New York Times. The examples are made up for this guide, so they do not reveal today’s answers.

How a crossword puzzle works

Each numbered clue corresponds to an entry in the grid. Across answers run horizontally, while Down answers run vertically. Black squares separate entries. In a standard puzzle, each white square holds one letter, and a letter shared by an Across entry and a Down entry must work for both answers.

Count the available squares before settling on a word. A clue might suggest several reasonable answers, but their lengths narrow the choices. Spaces and punctuation in a phrase are normally left out of the grid, so an answer that looks like one long word may actually be a short expression.

Some puzzles use special rules, such as more than one letter in a square. Unless the puzzle gives you a reason to suspect a trick, begin with the standard one-letter approach. Read any title or instructions before you start; they may explain something unusual.

Start with a quick, low-pressure first pass

Read through the Across clues and fill only the answers you feel reasonably sure about. Then do the same with the Down clues. Skip anything that makes you stop for too long. Your goal on this pass is to collect useful starting letters, not to prove that you know everything.

Fill-in-the-blank clues, familiar phrases, and subjects you enjoy can be good places to begin. If you know gardening, music, or geography, let that knowledge do some of the work. Another solver may find different clues easy, and that is part of what makes crosswords interesting to solve together.

On paper, a pencil makes tentative entries easy to change. In a digital puzzle, use a pencil or draft mode if one is available, or simply remember which answers were guesses. Treating an uncertain word as fixed can make an entire corner seem impossible.

Read the clue for grammar as well as meaning

Match the kind of word being requested

A clue that asks for a plural noun generally needs a plural answer. A past-tense verb often points toward a past-tense answer. These small details are useful filters when several synonyms come to mind. Before changing an answer, read the clue again and check whether your candidate fits its grammar.

For example, an invented clue such as “Walked without hurry” might lead you to consider STROLLED. “Walks without hurry” suggests a different form. The precise answer still depends on the available squares and crossing letters, but the wording tells you where to begin.

Watch for shortened forms and wordplay

A clue containing an abbreviation, or wording such as “for short,” may call for a shortened answer. A question mark often signals a playful or unexpected interpretation. These conventions are clues themselves, although they are not a substitute for checking the crossings.

Try reading a troublesome word in more than one sense. “Bank” might suggest money, a river, or a turn in flight. “Spring” might be a season, a coil, or a movement. If the obvious meaning goes nowhere, changing the meaning can be more productive than searching for increasingly obscure synonyms.

Let crossing letters test your guesses

After your first pass, return to entries with several letters already filled. A pattern such as S _ O _ E gives you more information than an empty five-letter space. Keep both the clue and the pattern in mind; a word that fits the squares is not automatically a word that answers the clue.

When a crossing creates a strange sequence, inspect the answers you entered with the least confidence. It is often easier to correct one attractive guess than to invent an unlikely word for every entry around it. Work outward from answers you can explain clearly.

A useful check is to ask, “Why does this answer fit?” If you cannot connect it to the clue, leave it tentative. A fully filled grid can still contain mistakes, while a nearly finished grid with well-supported answers gives you a stronger base for the final clues.

Look for a theme, but do not force one

In a themed crossword, a group of answers may share a pattern, a topic, or a wordplay device. Longer entries can offer clues to what is happening. A revealing answer may explain the relationship after you have already filled part of the grid.

Once you suspect a theme, test it against more than one entry. If it only explains one answer, it may be a coincidence. Let the ordinary clues keep you moving while the larger idea becomes clearer. Some puzzles are themeless, so not every grid needs a hidden connection.

Where to play and find crossword answers

For the original puzzles, visit the Los Angeles Times daily crossword or The New York Times crossword page. Check the publisher’s current access options and choose the puzzle you want to solve.

If you are working on the Los Angeles Times puzzle and one clue stops your progress, checking la times crossword answers can help you compare that clue with a solution. Match the puzzle date and answer length before putting the word into your grid.

The same approach works when you consult nyt crossword answers: look up the particular clue you need, then return to the puzzle and use the new crossing letters. Checking one answer can leave plenty of solving for you to enjoy.

Decide how much help you want before opening a solution page. A hint, a single answer, and a complete filled grid are different levels of assistance. If you have finished for the day, reviewing a missed answer can also be useful: notice whether the difficulty came from vocabulary, a misleading meaning, or an earlier guess.

Build a crossword routine you enjoy

Give yourself permission to leave a puzzle unfinished. A short session with a few satisfying discoveries is still worthwhile. If you start circling the same clues without fresh ideas, take a break and return later. The next reading may bring a meaning that did not occur to you before.

You can also alternate between different kinds of word games. The clue-reading habit you use in a crossword carries over to daily Lexigo puzzles, while the open-ended word search in Spelling Bee offers a different challenge. Visit our word game guides when you want to try another format.

Common crossword questions

Do I have to start at 1-Across?

No. Start anywhere you recognize an answer. Moving between Across and Down clues is a useful way to build momentum.

What if two answers seem equally possible?

Keep both in mind until crossing letters settle the choice. Do not force a guess simply because it came to you first.

Is looking up an answer cheating?

For a personal puzzle session, you can choose the amount of help that makes the game enjoyable. If you are taking part in a competition, follow its rules instead.

Why does a correct-looking word cause problems?

It may fit the clue loosely but disagree with a crossing, or it may use the wrong tense or number. Recheck the clue, the entry length, and your least certain neighboring answers.