Types of word and number puzzles
Crosswords are only the start. A quick tour of the puzzle types you will find in papers, books and apps.
Crossword fans rarely stop at crosswords. Newspapers, puzzle books and apps offer dozens of word and number games, many of them quick enough for a coffee break. Here is a guide to the main types and what makes each one different.
Word puzzles
Standard crosswords. Clues lead to answers that interlock in a grid. American-style grids are densely interlocked; British grids often have more black squares, and many British papers favour cryptic clues. Read our guide to American and British grids.
Mini and quick crosswords. Small grids, often 5 x 5, with straightforward clues. Many news sites publish a daily mini that takes a couple of minutes. Quick crosswords in British papers use plain definitions rather than cryptic clues.
Cryptic crosswords. Each clue contains a definition plus wordplay, such as an anagram or hidden word. They look baffling at first but follow clear rules. See cryptic crosswords for beginners.
Letter tile puzzles. In games of this kind, words are split into small groups of letters, and you combine the tiles to find answers to a set of clues. The well-known app 7 Little Words is an example, asking players to find seven words from short clues.
Word ladders. Change one word into another one letter at a time, making a real word at every step: for example COLD, CORD, CARD, WARD, WARM. Some puzzles run the ladder up and down a column of clues.
Anagram puzzles. Rearrange letters to find a word or phrase. Anagrams also appear inside cryptic clues.
Codewords. A crossword-style grid with no clues: each number stands for a letter, and you crack the code from a few given letters.
Word searches. Find listed words hidden in a grid of letters, running in any direction. Simple and relaxing, and popular with children.
Number and logic puzzles
Sudoku. Fill a grid so each row, column and box contains the digits 1 to 9 once. Our sudoku page covers the rules, history and variants.
Mini sudoku. Smaller 4 x 4 or 6 x 6 versions, ideal for beginners and children.
KenKen. A grid divided into cages, each with a target number and an operation. It combines sudoku-style logic with arithmetic. Read KenKen explained.
Maths crosswords. Clues are sums, and answers are numbers. They are a fun way to practise arithmetic; see learn maths with maths crossword puzzles.
Logic grid puzzles. Work out who owns which pet or lives in which house from a list of clues, ticking and crossing a grid as you go.
Which one should you try?
If you like language and general knowledge, start with quick crosswords and word ladders. If you enjoy deduction, try sudoku and logic grids. If you want a bit of both, KenKen and codewords sit in the middle. For playing online, see our list of fun online word games to play.
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