Crossword Solvers Tend To Be Good At Scrabble
Well, the most likely reason is that they both involve words and a good vocabulary. Obviously to solve crossword puzzles, and particularly cryptic puzzles, you need to have a very good vocabulary. To excel at scrabble you need to have a superb vocabulary, and particular knowledge of the very scrabble-esque words that only appear in that world, for instance the myriad 2, 3 and 4 letter words that aren't used in the real world but are essential for that game.
As well as a good vocabulary being important for both games, scrabble is very much anagrams + knowledge of words + some scrabble tactics. Clearly there is some crossover with anagrams, as many crosswords include one or two anagrams (quick crosswords), whilst cryptic crosswords often have up to around 50% of the clues having some element of an anagram in them, so there is crossover there too.
Although the puzzles are also sufficiently different it can be seen that they do have these notable similarities. Indeed, people who like word puzzles are quite likely to also be good at word puzzles (people don't usually like things that they are not good at, in terms of participation).
It would be interesting to know if there is more crossover between cryptic crossword solvers and scrabblers than there is with those who simply do quick and possibly general knowledge crosswords, or if no such correlation exists.
Whether crossword or scrabble champions are "smarter" is a matter of opinion, and probably aficionados of each will come down on their own side! Certainly a scrabbler will generally have a 'better' vocabulary, in terms of knowing obscure words using weird letter combinations, whilst a crossword solver you would expect to have a better general knowledge, particularly a cryptic or general knowledge puzzle solver.
Do you play both puzzles - if so which do you enjoy more and why; does getting better at one puzzle help you also get better at the other, or do you see them as very separate? Please do share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.
Date written: 29 Apr 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
Tips On Writing Crossword Clues
Writing crossword clues is a difficult art form, and there is no doubt that lots of practice is essential to getting it right. It is also worth noting right from the start that the style and balance of clues you write will depend very much on the type of...
Added: 04 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
Quick Crossword Writing Tips
Writing a quick crossword may sound very straightforward, but it is actually difficult to write a good puzzle. Indeed, many newspaper puzzles are written by hand by the people that also write the cryptic puzzles, you just generally do not realise it. The...
Added: 07 Jun 2015
Cryptic Definition Clues In Cryptic Crosswords
One of the rarer clue types to be encountered when solving cryptic crosswords is called the "cryptic definition".
How does this vary from the other clue types, and what does it mean?
Well, it varies from them in this very important way: there is...
Added: 12 Apr 2015
Back to Puzzle Blog
Puzzle Types:
