is part of both an 'across' word and a 'down' word) and usually each answer must contain at least three letters.
Please help improve this article by introducing citations to additional sources.Ī person works on a crossword puzzle in the subway, New York City, 2008Ĭrossword grids such as those appearing in most North American newspapers and magazines feature solid areas of white squares. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. This section relies largely or entirely on a single source. Many variants of crosswords are popular around the world, including cryptic crosswords and many language-specific variants. The earliest crosswords that resemble their modern form were popularized by the New York World in the 1910s. The first white square in each entry is typically numbered to correspond to its clue.Ĭrosswords commonly appear in newspapers and magazines. Each white square is typically filled with one letter, while the black squares are used to separate entries. ( Learn how and when to remove this template message)Ī crossword (or crossword puzzle) is a word game consisting of a grid of black and white squares, into which solvers enter words or phrases ('entries') crossing each other horizontally ('across') and vertically ('down') according to a set of clues. Please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of all important aspects of the article. This article's lead section may be too short to adequately summarize the key points.