Cryptic Crossword Rules: How Clues Work and How to Solve Them

What is a cryptic crossword?

A cryptic crossword looks like an ordinary crossword: a grid, numbered squares, Across and Down clues. The difference is in the clues. Each one works on two levels. Read normally, it is a sentence that seems to be about something else entirely. Read as a cryptic, it splits into a definition of the answer and a piece of wordplay that builds the same answer another way.

Take "Fruit found in cheap lumber (4)". On the surface it is nonsense about timber. Cryptically, "Fruit" is the definition, "found in" tells you the answer is hidden inside the following words, and there it is: cheaP LUMber gives PLUM. Two independent routes that agree mean you can be certain the answer is right.

That double confirmation is what makes cryptics feel fair once you know the rules. They have a reputation for difficulty, but most of it comes from not knowing the conventions. This guide covers the conventions, the main clue types and a method that gets beginners finishing their first grids.

A short history

Early British crosswords borrowed the American format, but setters soon began adding puns, anagrams and allusions to their clues. The form took shape at The Observer, where Edward Powys Mathers, writing as Torquemada, set fiendish puzzles from 1926. The Times launched its crossword in 1930, and cryptic clues gradually became the standard in British papers.

Torquemada's successor at The Observer, Derrick Macnutt, who set as Ximenes, argued that every clue should be strictly fair, with a precise definition and wordplay that accounts for every letter. His book Ximenes on the Art of the Crossword is still read by setters. Another setter, Alistair Ferguson Ritchie (Afrit), summed up the principle in a line solvers still quote: "I need not mean what I say, but I must say what I mean."

Setters still use pseudonyms, and regular solvers learn each one's style. Cryptics are daily fixtures in the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and India, and have a smaller following in North America. Wikipedia's overview of cryptic crosswords covers the history in more depth.

The core rules

Almost every clue in a mainstream cryptic follows these conventions:

1. 1Every clue has a definition and wordplayThe definition is a plain (if sneaky) synonym of the answer. The wordplay is a second route to the same letters. Both must lead to one answer.
2. 2The definition is at the start or the endIt is almost never buried in the middle. Your first job with any clue is to test the first few words and the last few words as possible definitions.
3. 3Indicators tell you what to doWords such as "broadcast", "broken" or "crazy" signal an anagram, "in" or "some" can signal a hidden word, and "back" or "returning" a reversal. Learning the common indicators is most of the skill.
4. 4The surface is meant to misleadThe clue reads as a natural sentence, but punctuation and capital letters can be ignored or used against you. Break the sentence apart and consider each word on its own.
5. 5The enumeration gives the lengthThe numbers in brackets are the answer's letter count, with commas between words and hyphens kept, so (4,5) is two words and (5-3) is hyphenated.
6. 6Answers go into the grid as normalLetters read Across and Down as in any crossword. Standard blocked grids leave some squares unchecked, so each clue matters more.

Anatomy of a clue

Here is one clue split into its parts. The clue is "Pay attention to silent broadcast (6)". Read on the surface, it sounds like advice about a quiet radio show.

"Pay attention" is the definition. "Broadcast" means scattered, so it is an anagram indicator, and the letters it acts on (the fodder) are SILENT. Rearranged, SILENT gives LISTEN, which also means pay attention. The little word "to" is a link, joining the two halves so the sentence reads smoothly. Once you see the join, the answer is certain.

The main clue types

Most wordplay falls into a handful of families. Each example below shows the definition first or last, with the answer in capitals:

• Anagram. Letters are rearranged, signaled by words suggesting disorder or change. "Pay attention to silent broadcast (6)" gives LISTEN.
• Hidden word. The answer sits inside consecutive letters of the clue. "Fruit found in cheap lumber (4)" gives PLUM.
• Charade. Smaller pieces joined in order, like a game of charades. "Rug from vehicle and favorite (6)" gives CAR + PET, CARPET.
• Container. One piece goes inside another. "Hurt as one gets into pan (4)" puts I (one) inside PAN to make PAIN.
• Reversal. A word is written backwards, signaled by "back", "returning" or, in Down clues, "up". "Star going back for rodents (4)" gives RATS.
• Homophone. The answer sounds like another word, flagged by "we hear" or "you say". "Sheep, you say (3)" gives EWE, which sounds like "you".
• Double definition. Two different meanings of the same word, with no other wordplay. "Bird or building machine (5)" gives CRANE.
• Initial letters. Taking the first letter of several words, signaled by "initially", "leaders" or "heads". "Planet: every astronaut returns to home, initially (5)" gives EARTH.

How to solve: a step-by-step method

Treat each clue as a small parsing job. This routine works for beginners and keeps experienced solvers honest:

1. Note the enumeration. Before anything else, check the length and whether the answer is one word or several.
2. Find the definition. Test the first word or two and the last word or two. Ask which could mean a word of the right length.
3. Look for an indicator. Scan the rest for a word that signals an anagram, a hidden word, a reversal or a homophone. Anagram indicators are the easiest to spot, so start there.
4. Identify the fodder. Once you know the operation, find the letters it acts on. For an anagram, count them: they must match the enumeration exactly.
5. Build the answer and check both halves. The wordplay should produce a word that also fits the definition. If only one half works, keep looking.
6. Use crossing letters. As in any crossword, answers you have solved give you letters for the next clue, and a partial pattern often makes the definition obvious.

Strategies for faster solving

Cryptic solving is a skill you build clue by clue. These habits speed it up:

Types of cryptic puzzle

Cryptic clues appear in several formats, from friendly to formidable:

• Daily blocked cryptics. The standard 15×15 grid with black squares, published by most British and Commonwealth newspapers every weekday.
• Quick cryptics. Smaller grids with gentler clues, designed as a stepping stone for beginners.
• Prize puzzles. Weekend cryptics that are often a little harder, with the solution printed a week later.
• Barred cryptics. Grids that use thick bars instead of black squares, allowing more words and rarer vocabulary. These are the expert end of the hobby.
• Themed and variety cryptics. Puzzles where a hidden theme links several answers, or where a special rule changes how answers are entered in the grid.

Common mistakes

The biggest mistake is trying to solve the surface. If a clue reads like a sentence about gardening, the answer is very unlikely to be about gardening. Take the words apart instead.

Second, beginners often find a word that fits the definition and write it in without checking the wordplay. In a cryptic, a correct answer always explains every part of the clue. If there is a word you cannot account for, the answer is probably wrong, or you have misread the definition.

Third, solvers overlook how literally setters use small words. "One" might be the letter I, "about" might be C or RE, and "heartless" might mean "remove the middle letter". Keep a short list of these tricks as you meet them.

Finally, do not be discouraged by blanks. Even strong solvers rarely finish a hard cryptic in one sitting. Comparing your grid with the published solution, and working out why each answer is right, is how everyone learns.

Where to start

If you have never solved a cryptic, begin with a quick cryptic or a newspaper's easiest weekday puzzle, and allow yourself to check answers as you go. Many British papers publish their puzzles online, including The Guardian's crossword page, which carries a daily cryptic and a quick cryptic.

It also helps to be comfortable with standard grids first. Our crossword rules guide covers numbering, crossings and enumeration, and a relaxed word search is a good warm-up for spotting words hidden in strings of letters, the same eye you need for hidden-word clues.

Frequently asked questions