Login:

Password:





Who's online? | Login | Leaderboard | Anagrams

Punctuation In Cryptic Crossword Clues

When you start solving cryptic crosswords, you will notice that some clues contain punctuation.

Whereas in English there are set rules as to where and how to use punctuation, and what the punctuation means, with cryptic crossword clues this is not the case. The punctuation is in fact often misleading, and there to make you parse a clue incorrectly.

Therefore the main piece of advice is very simple when it comes to crossword clues and punctuation - IGNORE IT! For most people this is actually surprisingly hard to do since we just parse clues as they read, complete with the punctuation. Therefore some solvers like to cross out the punctuation in a clue before reading it.

The punctuation, in summary, is often used just to make the clue read more nicely but has no other purpose, or the punctuation is actually there to actively mislead you. So again, ignore most punctuation.

Are there exceptions? Well yes, of course there are in the world of cryptic crosswords!

One example is the apostrophe. If an apostrophe is used to show that a letter is missing from the clue, then this usually is there to suggest the same is true of the answer. Sometimes with the apostrophe 's' combination, like cook's, you will need to turn this into 'cook is', perhaps for an anagram. So don't just dismiss all punctuation, but in almost all instances the comma, hyphen, brackets and full stop can be ignored.

Another piece of punctuation not to ignore is the question mark: this (and, less frequently, the exclamation mark) are used to suggest that there is something a little quirky going on with the clue: for instance that the clue is actually a cryptic definition if the question mark is at the end of the clue, or that some lateral thinking is required if the question mark appears elsewhere in the clue. Sometimes the question mark is just used to show you that the setter is really stretching the possible meanings of a word or being a bit cheeky in the usage.

The exclamation mark can tell you that this is an &Lit clue (see the blog post on those if you don't know what they are), or it could just mean the definition is novel but intuitive - not something you would come across in the dictionary, but (hopefully) fair enough in the sense that it will be immediately obvious once you have the answer, or the answer is presented to you.

Do you have any examples of misleading punctuation in clues, or otherwise, or any questions? Feel free to post in the comments section below.
Date written: 14 Apr 2015



Comment on this post

You must be logged in to comment - please Register or Login

Other Blog Posts You Might Find Interesting...

Using Our Online Puzzle Solving Tools
We have online player tools for a large range of different word puzzles. These include arrow words, pangrams, general knowledge crosswords, quick crosswords, wordwheels, word ladders, word fit, skeleton crosswords, A - Z puzzles, codewords, cryptograms...
Added: 26 Apr 2015


Skeleton Crosswords And Symmetry
Skeleton crosswords are one of the hardest puzzles there are, and certainly one of the hardest crossword variants - probably alongside the cryptic crossword with the specialist solving skills that puzzle requires. Like the cryptic crossword, one's...
Added: 01 Apr 2015


Novelty Crossword Types
There are many different types of crossword. The most common standard types are the cryptic crossword, the quick crossword and the general knowledge crossword. However, if you look around, you'll find lots of crossword variant puzzles, some very...
Added: 31 May 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


Computers And Cryptic Crosswords
One of the debates that pops up from time to time is around cryptic crosswords and computers - and specifically whether a computer program can be written to create a good cryptic crossword. Now, in this debate it is generally assumed that what is...
Added: 19 Mar 2015




Back to Puzzle Blog


Puzzle Types:
Arrow word Puzzles
Pangram Puzzles
General Knowledge Crosswords
Quick Crosswords
Wordwheels
Word Ladders
Word Fit
Skeleton Crosswords
A to Z Puzzles
Codewords
Cryprograms Online
Every Letter Counts