CRUCIVERB.COM

Constructing => General Discussion => Topic started by: Quintin Foutz on October 11, 2021, 05:13:48 PM

Title: Difficulty Avoiding Obscure Words
Post by: Quintin Foutz on October 11, 2021, 05:13:48 PM
So at my High School, I decided to help the school newspaper by trying to make a NYT-style crossword. I am not using a formal theme for the weekly crosswords, instead, I am using two words of the week. This week the words are "ambivalence" and "visage." One of the problems I have found though as a rookie cruciverbalist is that no matter what words I choose, I keep running into obscure or weird letter combinations. I downloaded Patrick Berry's "Crossword Constructor's Handbook", so I know some basic tricks, but for some reason, I keep running into a dead-end, and I don't know why. Here's the crossword I have so far. I think that any bit of advice might help.
Title: Re: Difficulty Avoiding Obscure Words
Post by: mmcbs on October 11, 2021, 05:17:57 PM
Are you using construction software and a curated word list? With those tools you should be able to get a decent fill. Without them you will have difficulties.
Title: Re: Difficulty Avoiding Obscure Words
Post by: Quintin Foutz on October 11, 2021, 05:56:59 PM
I can't afford any fancy software. There are only two softwares that I have access to, Crossword Hobbyist and Onelook.com. It does make things a little difficult.