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- #Crossword editor software how to
- #Crossword editor software software
- #Crossword editor software plus
#Crossword editor software how to
For a full list of these programs, as well as tips from New York Times constructors and editors on the puzzle making process, see our series on How to Make a Crossword Puzzle.
#Crossword editor software software
There are many options for making a crossword puzzle, including the good, old-fashioned graph-paper-and-pencil method, though several software programs exist as well. Saturday clue: “What might keep a watch on you” Constructor Tools and Tips Themeless clues should be more difficult and require imaginative thinking. Try to be original, and inject humor where possible. Sunday puzzles should reflect midweek difficulty levels.Ĭlues should be fresh, colorful and precise. Our difficulty scale increases through the week, with the easiest puzzles on Monday and hardest on Saturday. Non-English words are allowed, so long as they are familiar or inferable to people who don’t speak the language.Īvoid uncommon abbreviations and partial phrases longer than five letters (“So _” for BE IT would be permissible, while “So _” for IT GOES would not.)Ĭlues should reflect the difficulty of the puzzle. Be mindful of words that might impact solvers negatively. Common words that lend themselves to interesting and imaginative cluing angles are encouraged.ĭiversity in cultural references - for age, gender, ethnicity, etc. FillĬonstructors should emphasize lively words, well-known names and fresh phrases.
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We generally prefer puzzles with playful themes rather than straightforward subjects. Themes and theme entries should be accessible to everyone. For example, if the theme includes a particular kind of pun, then all the puns should be of that kind. Themes should be fresh, interesting, narrowly defined and consistently applied throughout the puzzle. What we could use more of: Thursday and Sunday puzzles that don’t involve a rebus. No more than three puzzles pending at a time. Original, on-target clues, pitched at the puzzle’s intended difficulty level, including a variety of cultural reference points. I would be happy to receive suggestions for program enhancements which would make the program even more suitable for puzzle developers.Lively fill, with words, phrases and names that solvers know or can infer from the crossings.
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It is distributed as Freeware which means that you are not obliged to pay for it, although contributions would naturally be welcome. Numerous additional Web-Apps are planned for the future.
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Web-Apps can be exported by CWE to permit the publishing of interactive Crosswords and Sudokus on the 'net.
#Crossword editor software plus
It can create Acrostics, Word-search, Sudoku, Killer Sudoku, and Minesweeper puzzles plus a number of lesser known puzzles, some 28 puzzle types in all. A wide range of output options is available including the ability to print a submission document according to NYT specifications.ĬWE does much more than make crosswords. You can create puzzles manually or automatically, or you can preset certain themed words, and allow CWE to complete the construction process. It is a Java program which means that it will run equally well on Windows, Linux and Mac OS. I am the author of a program called Crossword Express (CWE).
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