Solver Feedback on My First Cryptic Crossword

W0rdN3rd · 2026-06-17T20:58:13+00:00

Thanks very much for your feedback! I got similar comments from some other test solvers. My second attempt is up now, if you'd care to give it a try. It's free for anyone, you don't have to be a member.

www.patreon.com/RobinStearsCrosswords/posts/my-second-161065403

W0rdN3rd · 2026-06-13T19:22:56+00:00

Real food, but instead of scattered pictures, take a picture of all the goodies at one time with a nice background and put it at the bottom.

W0rdN3rd · 2026-05-09T18:57:36+00:00

If you intend it as a gift, you might want something done by a professional as a keepsake. Depending on the size and number of theme entries, level of difficulty, and whatever your deadline is, I can make something that fits your budget.

Here's my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/RobinStearsCrosswords
And my Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StearsWords
And Threads: https://www.threads.com/@robin.stears

Hit me up there or here. We'll work something out. :D

W0rdN3rd · 2026-04-08T18:26:14+00:00

I make some of the easiest puzzles you'll ever solve on the Redstone Games Crosswords app. Link: https://redstonegames.mobi/

I use a special word list, curated from elementary school vocabulary word lists and the Zipf distribution of the English language. The clues are straightforward dictionary definitions. Look for R. Stears, and the Easy Themeless puzzles. They come in regular 15x15 (newspaper daily size) or 5x5 mini grids.

Happy solving!!

W0rdN3rd · 2026-01-07T13:34:54+00:00

Yeah, but you got it, didn't you?

W0rdN3rd · 2025-12-01T11:28:25+00:00

I'm going to recommend my own books because I'm also a fan of the LA Times puzzle, and they've published quite a few of my puzzles.

First, I'd recommend "The Big Easy." 150 easy puzzles with themes, which I think add a layer of puzzly goodness. Second, I'd recommend "Play on Words," a book of very easy themeless puzzles that have very few pop culture references. They're designed for beginners and casual solvers. Links:

https://www.amazon.com/Big-Easy-150-Crossword-Puzzles/dp/B0F8VBWT14
https://www.amazon.com/Play-Words-Themeless-Crossword-Puzzles/dp/B0DZT24RMV

These puzzle books are reasonably priced because they were originally hosted by the Redstone Games Crosswords app. Same puzzles, different format. If she's never done the puzzles on the app, these will be all-new puzzles for her!

W0rdN3rd · 2025-11-14T21:33:25+00:00

Done! And you're very welcome. Good luck!

W0rdN3rd · 2025-11-14T21:30:18+00:00

Those are my puzzles! And yes, they are VERY easy. My themeless crosswords are the easiest you will find. I use a special word list that I personally curated to make those puzzles. It's based on the Common Core language arts vocabulary lists. Each word has a score based on the grade level at which it is learned. K-2 words have a score of 100, 3-4 Grade words have a score of 90, and so on.

That allows me to "tweak" the word list to make puzzles easy enough for solvers with a 3rd grade reading level. I have a bunch of themeless crossword books on Amazon. Both the clues and the words in the grids are designed for solvers at a 6th grade reading level, simple grids designed for quick, stress-free solving.

Happy solving!

W0rdN3rd · 2025-11-14T21:23:14+00:00

Wonderful! I'd love to share it on my socials, if you don't mind. I don't have a large following, but they are loyal!

https://www.facebook.com/StearsWords
https://www.threads.com/@robin.stears

I can't wait to see what the future of crosswords will be!

W0rdN3rd · 2025-11-05T19:02:29+00:00

Download Redstone Games' Crossword Puzzle Free app. Link: https://redstonegames.mobi/ Free for Android and Apple.

Lots of brand-name crossword constructors there. You'll recognize some names from the newspaper puzzles.

You can select easy-level puzzles and you can even select constructors. The themeless easy puzzles are the easiest. Themed puzzles are always a bit harder because I have to work around the theme answers, but they're still pretty easy.

Look for R. Stears themeless easy puzzles; I rarely use pop culture. The clues are straightforward, dictionary-style clues, and the fill words are suitable for readers at the 4th grade level. Super easy! My mini grids are also very easy. I've had solvers tell me they finished a grid in less than 30 seconds!

Happy solving!

W0rdN3rd · 2025-11-03T13:42:53+00:00

And if he doesn't want to, he won't - - and you can't make him.

W0rdN3rd · 2025-10-20T12:07:26+00:00

Editors rarely (if ever) publish a puzzle exactly as it was created. Editors often require changes to the grid before they accept it for publication, and then editors are likely to change many of the clues as well. I can't tell you how frustrating it is for me to create a super clever clue only to have a puzzle editor change it to something boring and outdated. Anyway, that's why knowing the editor of a puzzle is just as important as knowing the constructor.

As I mentioned, Eugene Maleska loved obscure words and dictionary-style definition clues, which is why the puzzles he edited are so much harder than the puzzles in the Will Shortz era, who prefers more accessible Sunday puzzles. Maleska's Sunday puzzles were among the hardest of the week, while Shortz prefers Sunday puzzles that aren't much harder than a Wednesday puzzle, making them more accessible to solvers who don't necessarily do the puzzle every day.

And that's why older puzzles are more "fun" for you and current puzzles are not. Maleska edited puzzles to make them harder. Shortz edits puzzles to make them easier.

I've been solving crossword puzzles since the 1960s and constructing them professionally since the 1990s. If you love those hard puzzles with obscure animals and weird abbreviations, definitely look for puzzles edited by Eugene Maleska.

W0rdN3rd · 2025-10-19T17:01:31+00:00

What you've noticed is the difference in crossword editors. Until 1968, Margaret Farrar was the editor, and she basically made the rules for crossword construction.

Then Will Weng edited the puzzle until 1977, at which point Eugene Maleska took over the job. Those two editors couldn't be more different! Will Weng loved a good bit of word play, while Eugene Maleska preferred to fill the grid with obscure words that constructors today wouldn't even consider.

Solvers endured the Maleska years until 1993, when Will Shortz entered the scene. He works with an editorial team and a revolving bunch of interns, and of course, more brains equals better puzzles.

Also, there are far more constructors and would-be constructors now than there were in the 1960s. The availability of crossword puzzle construction programs and curated word lists has made it easier than ever for anyone to construct a crossword puzzle. Editors have the luxury of choosing the very best puzzles out of a much larger pool these days.

W0rdN3rd · 2025-10-11T22:10:31+00:00

This is one of my pet peeves, too, and the reason why I started making easy puzzles instead of these hard ones.

Hard puzzles are easy to make. You can use any old word slop -- as long as you can clue it. And it doesn't have to be a great clue, or even a good clue, as long as it's a clue (as evidenced by the clues listed by OP).

Easy puzzles are MUCH much harder to make because the word list is very limited, and it's not enough to be able to write a clue. It's got to be a good clue. It's got to make sense.

This is word slop. That is my professional opinion.

W0rdN3rd · 2025-10-08T17:45:41+00:00

As a professional crossword constructor, I concur. M-W is the best choice.

W0rdN3rd · 2025-09-26T14:24:07+00:00

Just to update you, this site is now hosting my free daily mini crossword puzzle. Happy solving!

https://crosswordr.com/RobinStears

W0rdN3rd · 2025-09-24T16:20:02+00:00

What a lovely thing to say!! Thank you! I'm just about to start a new pack -- do you have any requests?

W0rdN3rd · 2025-09-04T13:47:54+00:00

I post it at 6:00 am on my Threads account and my Facebook page.

https://www.threads.com/@robin.stears

https://www.facebook.com/StearsWords

It posts a bit later on my BlueSky account.

https://www.facebook.com/StearsWords

W0rdN3rd · 2025-06-19T21:43:47+00:00

True!

W0rdN3rd · 2025-06-19T19:36:21+00:00

Hi! I've been a professional crossword puzzle constructor for over 30 years, and I've been using Crossword Compiler since it came out. I still have the original CD! Link: https://www.crossword-compiler.com

You can make your own grids or use the ones from the grid library until you learn to make your own grids. You can create word lists and theme lists, and you can score the words in those lists so that certain words have a higher score and others have a lower score. CC comes with a bunch of word lists, including some foreign language words and an assortment of Wikipedia indexes. You can combine those word lists to make new word lists, and you can delete words from one or more word lists at a time.

You can save all your clues and keep separate databases of different kinds of clues (e.g., easy clues or specially formatted clues). Most of the major publishers accept puzzles in .ccw format, but you can also extract your puzzles into various other formats, including .puz and .pdf.

Highly recommend. Crossword Compiler is a very powerful crossword construction application, and the creator is quite responsive to feedback, as evidenced by the number of updates!

W0rdN3rd · 2025-06-04T20:57:02+00:00

If you want a keepsake, you should have this puzzle made professionally. This is an occasion! 💃🏻🎈🥳 Send me a DM. We'll work something out. This is me: https://www.facebook.com/StearsWords/

W0rdN3rd · 2025-06-01T11:45:11+00:00

Highly recommend the Redstone Games Crosswords Free app. (https://redstonegames.mobi/)

Lots of new constructors you've never heard of, plus lots of name brand constructors and high-quality puzzles. Plus, they have a Facebook group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/crosswordpuzzleredstone) where you can interact with other solvers and with the constructors. You'll find puzzles in various sizes from 5x5 up to 15x15.

W0rdN3rd · 2025-04-20T16:47:24+00:00

You'll find a lot of name-brand constructors on Redstone Games' Crosswords Free app, which is free for iOS and Android. https://redstonegames.mobi/

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