Forum > General Discussion
Three-letter words
fhadpe:
RE: a limited number of non-words/names (abbreviations, acronyms etc.) and a limited number of three-letter words in a puzzle.
Given that a limited number is best, is it feasible to submit a puzzle, for example, with 10% non-words/names (about 7 in a 15 x 15) and also have 20 three letter words?
Or should the combined number of non-words (7) and three-letter words not exceed 20?
mmcbs:
The two things (non-words and 3-letter entries) are separate issues.
DarlaFanbridge:
Sometimes using a lot of three-letter words is something that cannot be helped. I mean, the software I use does not have the ability to count three-letter words, unless I overlooked something.
mmcbs:
Darla - just curious about what software you're using. Crossword Compiler shows the word count using FILE/STATISTICS/WORDS. It's a pretty standard thing to be able to know, so I should think other software has a similar feature.
DarlaFanbridge:
Forgot to mention, Darla is not my real first name. I use Darla in my username, but I am actually Jonathan. Sorry for causing any confusion.
As for software, I use CrossFire. I created another thread earlier today asking about publications that use CrossFire. I know it has the ability to count the number of words and number of black squares in the grid. I am thinking there is a feature that counts the number of words based on letter count - but I will have to check it out.
I really would love to submit puzzles to the LA Times, but they do not accept CrossFire-created puzzles. I did learn, however, they use Across Lite, which is a free software. But then again, it's possible that if you submit crosswords using a free software, you may not get paid for your work. If you get paid for your work, you should use a software you paid money for - at least, that's what my logic thinks.
That said, I am going to consider purchasing the professional version of Crossword Compiler someday.
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