Crosswords and other puzzles can keep you entertained for hours in a fun way; it is also known that they keep the mind active. They are excellent teaching tools that allow you to engage students and encourage them to relate concepts to the right words. For some people, creating a crossword puzzle is just as rewarding as solving it. The process can be very simple or very complex, depending on how interested you are in the project.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Making a Simple Crossword
Step 1. Decide the size of the grid
If you are looking to create an official, standardized looking crossword puzzle, then there are specific parameters you need to adhere to. If, on the other hand, you have decided to prepare an informal crossword puzzle, you can use the size of your choice.
In case you are using an online crossword puzzle generator or dedicated software, your choice may be limited within a number of available templates. If you are making a puzzle by hand, the size of the grid depends only on your personal tastes
Step 2. Make a list of words for the crossword puzzle
These are usually chosen based on the theme. The theme or definition that suggests it can also become the title of the puzzle. The most common topics are foreign languages or cities, words from a certain historical period, famous people and sports.
Step 3. Arrange the words in a grid pattern
This part of the process is as complex as solving the crossword puzzle. Once the terms are organized, you will be able to black out any unused boxes.
- In US-style crossword patterns, there should be no "single terms" that is, not connected to other words. Each letter should be part of a vertical or horizontal word and be totally connected to others. In English-style crosswords, however, single words are also allowed.
- If the solution to a definition is a sentence and not a single term, you shouldn't leave gaps between words.
- You don't have to worry about capitalizing proper names, as a crossword puzzle is usually completed with words written in capital letters. Solutions do not include punctuation.
- Many crossword programs arrange words automatically. All you have to do is indicate the size of the grid, enter the terms and definitions.
Step 4. Assign a number to the first box of each word
Start in the upper left corner of the outline and divide the words into vertical and horizontal, so that you have the term "1 vertical" and "1 horizontal" and so on. This procedure is quite challenging and many people prefer to use software instead of doing the job manually.
If you are using a crossword generator, the program can handle the numbering automatically
Step 5. Make a copy of the crossword puzzle
At this point each box indicating the beginning of a word should be numbered, but in addition to this detail, the outline should be empty. If you are making a puzzle by hand, be aware that this step will be a bit laborious. However, if you have decided to use specific software, the program will do everything automatically. Set aside the completed pattern for later use as a solution. You can make as many blank copies as you need.
Part 2 of 3: Inventing Definitions
Step 1. Start with some simple definitions
These are also called "quick" or "straightforward" definitions and are generally the easiest to solve. An example would be "Equine riding" = HORSE.
If you are making a crossword puzzle for educational purposes or you don't want it to be extremely complex, then you can only use straight definitions. If you prefer a more difficult puzzle, you should either avoid them altogether or use them very rarely
Step 2. Another level of difficulty is represented by indirect definitions
These sometimes involve some kind of metaphor or require a lateral thinking approach to resolve. An example would be: "Half of the dance" = CHA or CAN (referring to Chacha or Cancan).
The creators of crosswords often highlight these types of definitions with a "maybe" or a "who knows" placed at the beginning or with a question mark at the end
Step 3. Use cryptic definitions
These are very popular in English crosswords. Sometimes you can also find schemes composed only with this type of clues which are defined with the title "cryptic crossword". In normal crosswords, cryptic definitions generally end with a question mark. These are based on puns and usually require different levels of interpretation to solve. Within this kind of definition there are many "sub-categories".
- Definitions cryptic as well they are essentially puns. For example: "The triangle where short shorts disappear" = BERMUDA, since the term "bermuda" indicates both a garment and the islands that give their name to the notorious area where planes and ships disappear.
- The cryptic definitions two-faced they expect to find the solution to the clue and then the corresponding word read from right to left. For example "Lo tese Ulisse" = OCRA since Ulysses stretched out his ARCO which read on the contrary is precisely OCRA.
- THE palindromes they are similar to the two-faced, but should not be confused. In practice we need to find an anagram that can be valid as a solution to the definition. For example "Municipality in the province of L'Aquila" = ATELETA because the word does not change when reading it from right to left (it is a palindrome).
Step 4. Organize the definitions by forming a list
Associate each with a number according to the arrangement of the words in the diagram. List all horizontal definitions in one group, sorted by increasing number, and do the same for vertical ones.
Part 3 of 3: Making Official Crosswords
Step 1. Use the standard size
Simon & Schuster is the original publisher for crosswords and has introduced standard parameters used by the creators of this type of puzzle. The grid must respect one of these dimensions: 15 × 15, 17 × 17, 19 × 19, 21 × 21 or 23 × 23. The larger the size of the scheme, the more complex the puzzle will obviously be.
Step 2. Make sure the diagram is symmetrical along the horizontal rotation axis
In this context, the term "diagram" refers to the arrangement of the black squares on the grid. These should be positioned in such a way that they can rotate the pattern without their position changing.
Step 3. Avoid short words
Those consisting of two letters are never allowed and those of three should be used very rarely. If you can't think of long words, remember that sentences are allowed.
Step 4. Use verifiable terms
With a few exceptions, the words in your crossword puzzle should be in the dictionary, atlas, textbook, almanac, and so on. Some arguments may lead you to ignore this rule a bit, but try not to overdo it.
Step 5. Each word must be used only once
If one of the phrases in your crossword puzzle is: "lost in the sea", you shouldn't use "sea salt" as well. Again there may be circumstances that do not allow you to respect the rule to the letter and there is always a certain level of tolerance, but try not to abuse it.
Step 6. Keep long words in mind
A typical feature of well-crafted crosswords is that longer terms are closely related to the theme of the puzzle. Not all crosswords have a topic, but most of the best ones do.
