Forum > General Discussion

Questions about word repetition in a grid

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rgh:
I understand the requirement regarding no repetition of single words, or variants of them, like SEE, SEES, SAW, SEEN, etc. What about compound words, like ONELANE, ONETERM, ONESIDE, etc? I'm working on an open grid where I would like to have both ONELANE and ONETERM in the same quadrant (they don't cross). I have seen this kind of 'repetition' in NYT crosswords.

What about more obscure pattern repetition, like MADDASH and DASHCAM? I presume there should be no problem with this because DASH has different meanings in the two entries.

brasarehot:
I wouldn't include any two answers with the same word in it. I know it's been done in this format "One ___" and "____ One", but it's ugly. Redo your grid.

admin:
I would recommend against these repetitions, too. You know that ugly pimple is there, as does the editor. And so does the picky solver. Generally speaking, the people that should care the most are in that very same order.

jorkel:
Some editors are sticklers when it comes to having no word repeats, so tread carefully.

Other editors seem to occasionally make exceptions, but there may not be a consistent rule.  Other factors ... like a stellar theme and fill might trump any minor rule infractions.

Long multiword entries are encouraged in grid filling, but many of these entries contain similar short words like ONE, OF, OUT, THE, etc.  (These are often the words that don't get capitalized in a book title).  Their repetition is somewhat tolerated as long as neither entry is a stand-alone word.

Hardcore solvers do notice repetitions like ONELANE and ONETERM, but rank-and-file solvers generally don't, so an editor will use his best judgment on whether to allow it.

MADDASH and DASHCAM are both lively entries, and I personally would keep them in a grid as long as they aren't too close to one another.  This one is certainly worth leaving to the discretion of the editor.

-Joe K.

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