Solving Aids And Solving Crossword Clues
Some people think that there is something "wrong" with using solving aids - in the very particular sense that it is a form of cheating, whilst for other people it is just common sense, and doesn't count as cheating at all. People tend to divide into one particular camp: where do you stand? Let us know in the comments field below.
Certainly most people, at some point, will have used some sort of solving aid. Some draw distinctions between different levels of assistance.
The least contentious is usually the use of a tool to look up an anagram answer: when you have the letters CRATE then you can use an anagram finder online to instantly see that this is also an anagram of react, trace, caret and more besides (bonus points for working that out!) These tools are particularly useful for longer anagrams that can be quite tedious and time consuming to try and solve by hand, and far from enjoyable too.
Next up in level is probably the word suggester: this is where you enter C?A?E into a tool, usually online website, and then it tells you all the words that fit - like crate and craze and so forth. Some people think using an anagram dictionary or solver is fine but that looking up words is cheating, as effectively you're just looking for the answer rather than really thinking about what it could be.
Considered also cheating by some is the use of synonym dictionaries, particularly with quick crosswords, where you can find the answer for most clues just by looking it up in the synonym dictionary. What's this word for quick, that's five-letters long? Look up 'quick' in the thesaurus, and you'll find 'rapid' fairly, well, rapidly - and that might just be the answer.
Of course there are a range of other aids available - from simply looking at the solution to using tools online such as the Wordy Puzzle tool that tells you if you enter a letter incorrectly in the grid: not something that many people would consider to be cheating, but perhaps some purists do.
Which solving tools and aids do you use, and do you consider it cheating? We'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below.
Date written: 30 Apr 2015
Comment on this post
You must be logged in to comment - please Register or Login
Learning To Solve Codewords
Learning to solve codewords takes patience: they are one puzzle type that you definitely get better at over time, and can find extremely difficult the first few puzzles you solve. After that you will find tactics that work for you, and will be able to...
Added: 26 Mar 2015
Does Brain Training Work?
Does brain training work? This is a big question, and there have been several tests and surveys carried out - some more scientific than others - to try and establish the truth.
Anecdotally at least, several people say that they have experienced...
Added: 23 Apr 2015
100 Hat Riddle Interview Question Solution
A riddle or lateral thinking puzzle that has existed in a variety of guises for a long period of time has recently been featured in the news, both because it is initially baffling but also because there have been reports of some companies using this...
Added: 25 Feb 2016
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
What Is A Nina?
Well, the first thing to say about Nina, is that it is a name. But in the context of crosswords, it means something quite different indeed.
A nina virtually always only appears in cryptic crosswords, and some authors are well-known for including them...
Added: 05 Apr 2015
Back to Puzzle Blog
Puzzle Types:
