Novelty Crosswords: Anagram Puzzles
As you may have guessed, in an anagram crossword the clues are replaced with anagrams of the answers. So if the answer to 1 across is 'scale' then the clue might be 'laces' or a random shuffling of the letters in the word, such as 'sleca'.
The aim of the puzzle, then, is to simply solve all the anagrams and thus to fill the crossword grid, just like with a normal puzzle.
Clearly this variant of the puzzle is fun if you enjoy solving anagram puzzles, and most people do. The best way to tackle these puzzles is to adopt the following strategy:
- Start with the smallest clues, as it is usually easiest to spot these answers.
- Be careful whenever you think you've found an answer that there is only one valid anagram, and not several. If you find more than one, you might want to note them down.
- Once you've got an answer, enter it in the grid and use the information to help you solve other anagrams. If you are solving on paper you might want to cross out the letter(s) you have found from the clue it affects to help you solve the puzzle.
And that's pretty much all there is to it - by ensuring that you start with the smaller and therefore easier anagrams first, and always checking for multiple solutions as you go along, you should be able to solve any anagram crossword this way. Just be careful that the puzzle is of a type that doesn't include proper nouns or multiple word answers (the puzzle would usually state if this is the case) as if so you can get stuck for ages looking for dictionary words without realising the answer might be a town or person's name, for instance.
If you have any particular tips on solving anagram crosswords, then feel free to share them below.
Date written: 28 Mar 2015
Comment on this post
You must be logged in to comment - please Register or Login
Cryptic Crossword Anagram Indicators
When solving a cryptic crossword one thing you can be sure of is that there will be some anagram clues, or partial anagram clues, in the solving mix.
Some cryptic crosswords have over 50% of the clues containing anagrams in some form, whilst even the...
Added: 16 Apr 2015
The Benefits Of Solving Word Puzzles
There are many benefits to solving word puzzles. First and foremost, doing so is a very inexpensive hobby, puzzles are fun and satisfying to solve, and word puzzles provide a very effective form of 'brain training'.
As opposed to solving logic puzzles...
Added: 26 Apr 2015
Wordwheel Player Update
We hope you are all enjoying playing the great range of puzzles we have available online here at Wordy Puzzle.
We just wanted to let you know that we have implemented the most common piece of feedback we have received, which is to do with the...
Added: 28 Jul 2015
New Fun Games Added Today
You told us you wanted more word games, so we listened!
Today and yesterday mark the start of two new fun games in the words section - and as with all the fun games here at Wordy Puzzle, they are completely free to play for all members.
The games...
Added: 29 Jul 2015
Solving US Crosswords As A Brit
British solvers who venture across a US crossword, perhaps when on holiday, will notice that it is a very different beast.
The main difference you'll notice is that there are so many more clues and answers in a grid of a given size, and that answers...
Added: 14 Jun 2015
Back to Puzzle Blog
Puzzle Types:
