Crossword solvers have a language all their own. Spend a little time on puzzle blogs or forums and you will see people talking about Naticks, revealers, and crosswordese as if everyone knows what they mean. This glossary explains 40 of the most useful terms, grouped by topic, so you can follow the conversation and understand how puzzles are built.
Grid and Structure Terms
1. Grid
The pattern of white and black squares that makes up the puzzle. American daily grids are commonly 15x15, while Sunday puzzles are often 21x21.
2. Square (or Cell)
A single box in the grid that holds one letter, or occasionally more in special puzzles.
3. Black Square (or Block)
A shaded square that separates answers. Black squares are not filled in.
4. Across
Answers that run horizontally, from left to right.
5. Down
Answers that run vertically, from top to bottom.
6. Entry
Any answer written into the grid.
7. Cross (or Crossing)
The point where an across and a down answer share a square. Using crosses is one of the most important solving techniques.
8. Symmetry
The arrangement of black squares so the grid looks the same when rotated 180 degrees. Most American puzzles follow rotational symmetry.
9. Checked Letter
A letter that belongs to two answers. In American grids nearly every letter is checked; in British cryptic grids, many are unchecked.
10. Unches
Short for unchecked letters, meaning squares that belong to only one answer. The term is common among cryptic solvers.
11. Corner
One of the four sections of a grid. Solvers often describe a puzzle by saying a particular corner was the last to fall.
12. Section
A region of the grid connected to the rest by only a few squares. Tightly closed sections can be hard to break into.
13. Stack
Two or more long answers placed directly on top of each other or side by side, often seen in themeless puzzles.
Theme Terms
14. Theme
A unifying idea that connects several long answers, such as a shared pun, hidden word, or wordplay trick.
15. Theme Entries
The answers that carry the theme, usually the longest in the grid.
16. Revealer
A theme entry, often near the bottom of the grid, that explains what the other theme answers have in common.
17. Themeless
A puzzle with no theme, focusing instead on lively vocabulary and challenging clues. Late-week puzzles are frequently themeless.
18. Rebus
A square that holds more than one letter, a word, or a symbol. Rebus puzzles are a favourite way for setters to surprise solvers.
19. Meta
A puzzle with a hidden final answer that you must find after completing the grid, using clues contained in the solution.
20. Wordplay
Any trick involving the form of words, such as puns, anagrams, or added and removed letters.
Fill and Vocabulary Terms
21. Fill
All the non-theme answers in a grid. Good fill is fresh, familiar, and fun; weak fill relies on obscure or awkward entries.
22. Crosswordese
Short words that appear far more often in crosswords than in everyday life because their letters are convenient for constructors. Examples include ERNE, a sea eagle, and ESNE, an Anglo-Saxon labourer.
23. Partial
An answer that is a fragment of a phrase, usually clued with a blank, such as A LOT from a clue like "Thanks ___".
24. Abbreviation
An entry that is shortened, typically signalled in the clue by an abbreviation of its own or by words like "for short".
25. Natick
A square where two obscure answers cross, so that a solver who does not know either answer has no fair way to work out the letter. The term comes from a crossing involving the town of Natick, Massachusetts, discussed on a well-known crossword blog.
26. Plural of Convenience
An unusual plural used mainly to make a grid work, often viewed as a weakness in fill.
27. Seed Entry
A word or phrase a constructor chooses first and builds the rest of the grid around.
Clue Terms
28. Clue
The hint that leads to an answer.
29. Misdirection
Clue writing that leads you toward the wrong meaning. A clue's capitalised first word, for example, can disguise a proper noun.
30. Question Mark Clue
A clue ending in a question mark, signalling a pun or non-literal meaning.
31. Fill-in-the-Blank
A clue with a missing word, such as "Better late ___ never". These are often the easiest way into a grid.
32. Cross-Reference
A clue that points to another clue, for example "See 17-Across".
33. Definition
In cryptic crosswords, the part of the clue that plainly defines the answer, usually at the start or end.
34. Indicator
In cryptics, a word that signals what kind of wordplay to use, such as "mixed" for an anagram or "back" for a reversal.
35. Anagram
A word or phrase formed by rearranging the letters of another, a mainstay of cryptic clues.
36. Surface Reading
The apparent meaning of a cryptic clue as an ordinary sentence, which usually disguises its true structure.
People and Solving Terms
37. Constructor (or Setter)
The person who creates the puzzle. Americans usually say constructor, while British solvers say setter.
38. Editor
The person who reviews, adjusts, and approves puzzles and clues before publication.
39. Speed Solving
Solving a puzzle as quickly as possible, often against a timer or in tournaments.
40. DNF
Short for "did not finish", used by solvers to describe a puzzle they could not complete without help.
Using the Glossary
You do not need to memorise every term to enjoy crosswords, but knowing the vocabulary helps in two ways. First, it makes puzzle blogs, solving guides, and forums much easier to follow. Second, many of these words describe techniques: once you know what a revealer is, you will start looking for one; once you know about crosswordese, you will recognise those familiar short entries instantly.
If you want to put these terms into practice, try our guides How to Solve Crossword Puzzles: Tips, Tricks, and Expert Strategies and Cryptic Crosswords for Beginners.
Find Daily Answers on CrosswordVibe
Hit a Natick or a tricky rebus? CrosswordVibe publishes daily crossword answers and clue solutions for popular puzzles, so you can confirm a crossing and keep your streak alive.
Bookmark CrosswordVibe and check in whenever a clue has you stumped.