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PUZZLES FROM THE BEST SOURCES!
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Go Gold to get access |
Database WordList Feature
Cruciverb database users have previously been able to download the "all publishers" and the "nyt only" wordlists. There are four new files being offered. Both the "all" and "nyt" files now have a version that includes only words that have appeared at least three times in the database. Another includes only words that have appeared at least five times. This will take things a step further in eliminating unusable or less-than-ideal words in the wordlists.
| File | Publisher | Min. Count | Unique Words |
| all | All Publishers | 1 | 171,653 |
| all3 | All Publishers | 3 | 81,666 |
| all5 | All Publishers | 5 | 58,477 |
| nyt | New York Times Only | 1 | 109,084 |
| nyt3 | New York Times Only | 3 | 44,959 |
| nyt5 | New York Times Only | 5 | 29,828 |
It's nice to have the Today's Puzzles links on the right-hand column, but let's not forget about the subscription-based puzzles out there! If you want quality puzzles by some of the best in the business, look no further. Please give your support and subscribe!
| Name | Editor/Constructor | Delivery Day | Size | Cost | Action |
| Hub Crosswords | Pahk & Quigley | Sunday | 21x21 | From $3 per month | Subscribe |
| Crossword Nation | Liz Gorski | Tuesday | 15x15 | $19.99 per year | Subscribe |
| Matt's Crossword Contest | Matt Gaffney | Friday | 15x15 | From $3 per month | Subscribe |
| American Values Club | Ben Tausig | Thursday | 15x15 |
One year - $44.00 |
Subscribe |
| Fireball Crosswords | Peter Gordon | Thursday | 15x15 | $40.00 per year (45 puzzles) | Subscribe |
| Classic Canadian Crosswords | Barb Olson | Wednesday | 15x15 | $19.99 per year | Subscribe |
You may have noticed that it's not straightforward when trying to export a Crossword Compiler file such that it is properly formatted for submissions to the NYT. There is a solution. Try the NYT Submission Editor tool. You can export from Crossword Compiler to a .puz (Across Lite) file, then use the NYT submission editor for desired formatting. This tool was inspired by Alex Boisvert's PUZ to NYT Converter found on his Crossword Nexus site.
We are looking for fun, fresh, well-constructed crosswords that will appeal to a wide variety of solvers. 15x15 daily ($125 per puzzle); 21x21 Sunday ($300 per puzzle).
Full guidelines, including email address for submissions, can be found here.
Patti Varol, Editor
Christina Iverson, Assistant Editor
Some crossword puzzle sites no longer offer puzzles in Across Lite (.puz) format. Many solvers do not like the Javascript option. What to do? Look no further than the Crossword Scraper browser extension, available for both Chrome and Firefox.
The extension allows you to pull up a Javascript page, then click on the extension's icon (it's a small, black "down arrow" icon). You are then given a choice of saving the puzzle in .puz, .jpz or .pdf formats. Brilliant!
Find out more about the Crossword Scraper extension here:
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(from a recent forum post found here) Daniel Grinberg has just launched Crosstalk, a new crossword construction podcast in which he interviews other constructors about topics such as their working process, their favorite puzzles, and advice they'd give beginner creators. In the first episode, Rafael Musa discusses his favorite and least favorite aspects of construction, the software he recently switched to, his approach to collaboration, and which friend's puzzle he "really hated!" Episode 2 of Crosstalk featuring Rachel Fabi is out. Topics include mentorship, writing the Wordplay column, cryptics, fundraising for social causes, collaborating with a celebrity, and advice for new constructors. Podcast links are below: #1 Rafael Musa: Spotify Apple Amazon #2 Rachel Fabi: Spotify Apple Amazon #3 Sid Sivakumar: Spotify Apple Amazon
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What if every month was a crossword? The 2025 Crossword Calendar is a folding wall calendar where each month's grid doubles as an American-style crossword puzzle, with one letter to write in each day's square. Above the fold, each month has a set of clues for you to puzzle your way through. Creator: Adam Aaronson
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Curious about crossword puzzles of the past? Here are some from the Minneapolis Journal, 1934. Careful! The "Words" links show the answers, so solve the puzzle first! |
Here's another interview from among today's most prolific crossword puzzle constructors.
This second interview is with Gary Larson.
Like Paul Coulter (see previous intervew), Gary has not been constructing for that long but he sure pumps them out.
I've been doing interviews with some of today's most prolific crossword puzzle constructors. Some have not been at this game for that long but seem to be able to pump out puzzle after puzzle at an astonishing rate.
My first interviewee is Paul Coulter.
BONUS: Paul has provided one of his unpublished puzzles (see link at end of interview).
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Re: crosswordgiant.com
by cranberry44
May 21, 2025, 11:43:56 AM |
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Construction software for iPad
by SkaBro
May 20, 2025, 01:02:34 PM |
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Submitting to the NYT
by RickyK
May 19, 2025, 05:21:59 PM |
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Theme answer lengths
by SkaBro
May 19, 2025, 09:58:15 AM |
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Problem with Crosserville Clues: "No dupes found"
by John R. Conrad
May 17, 2025, 03:39:05 PM |