Check if the words look like anagram fodder. Read every clue, word by word and find the hidden meaning. Apart from a few clue types, this one is going to lead you astray. Shall I tell you one important solving tip? Here it is. You have to skim through the clues thoroughly to identify them first, fill them and spot crossing words if any. Anyone who has ever drawn letters out of the scrabbling bag can easily understand this.Ĭracking the answers of the anagrams and telescopic clues are the easiest. The clue in the daily crossword puzzle can be anagrams, homophones, hidden words, charades, containers, reversals, double definitions, cryptic definitions, substitutions, acrostics, letter shifting, letter exchange, and letter sequences.Īn anagram is the most common type of cryptic clue. Start by learning the cryptic clue structure and types. There is a smart logic in the way every clue is crafted. Know the clue typeĬryptic crossword is always tricky.
So, let’s have a clear picture of how to successfully solve cryptic crosswords: 1. If you cleverly find what the definition is, which either appears in the beginning or at the end of the clue, then solving is like a breeze for you. And the solver has to identify which wordplay it is.Ī standard cryptic clue involves wordplay and definition. Smart cryptic crosswordmakers take help of all these familiar lingual tricks to construct a puzzle (this makes the puzzle more interesting).
Wordplay is everywhere-in advertisements, newspaper headlines, memes and even in lame jokes. Once you master the tricks, cryptic puzzles become easier than standard crosswords. Are you an online crossword puzzle enthusiast who feels solving cryptic crosswords is a challenging task?