This crossword glossary defines 60+ terms constructors, editors, and solvers use, from basics like grid, slot, and entry to insider words like Natick, revealer, and crosswordese. Terms are listed A to Z; each has a link target so you can point to it directly. For how these ideas fit together, start with how to make a crossword puzzle.
A
Abbreviation clue
A clue that signals its answer is an abbreviation, often with "abbr.", "for short", or an abbreviated word in the clue itself. The clue and answer must match.
Across
An entry that runs left to right. Across entries are numbered together with down entries, and a square that starts an across word gets the clue number.
Across Lite
A long-standing crossword-solving program whose .puz file format became a de facto standard for sharing puzzles. Many solvers and editors can still read .puz files. Gridsmith Plus exports and imports .puz.
Add-a-letter theme
A theme in which each theme entry is a familiar phrase with one letter added, producing a new, funny phrase. See crossword theme ideas.
Answer
The word or phrase written into the grid for a clue. Also called an entry. Answers are letters only, with spaces and punctuation removed.
Autofill
Software that fills in a grid, or part of it, from a word list using a search algorithm. Quality depends on the word list. See crossword autofill.
B
Barred grid
A grid that separates words with thick bars between squares rather than black squares. It is common in British cryptics and unusual in American puzzles.
Before-and-after theme
A theme where two phrases overlap on a shared word and the answer is both fused, such as SWEET POTATO and POTATO CHIP becoming SWEETPOTATOCHIP.
Black square
A filled square that ends a word and holds no letter. Also called a block. Black squares are placed in rotationally symmetric pairs in American-style grids.
Block
Another name for a black square.
C
Cheater square
A black square that does not change the word count or the numbering; it is added only to make filling easier. It usually sits at the end of a word that could stand without it.
Checked square
A square that belongs to both an across and a down entry, so every letter in it is confirmed by a crossing. American-style grids have every square checked.
Clue
The text that points a solver to an answer. A clue can be a definition, a synonym, a fill-in-the-blank, a pun, or a reference. See crossword clue writing.
Clue number
The number printed in a square that starts an across or down entry. Numbers run left to right, top to bottom, and are derived from the grid. Gridsmith numbers automatically.
Cluing
The act of writing clues for a finished grid. Also used for the style of clues in a puzzle.
Constructor
A person who builds crossword puzzles: designs the grid, chooses the theme, fills the entries, and writes the clues. Also called a setter in British usage.
Crossing
A square where an across entry and a down entry meet, or the pair of entries that meet there.
Cross-reference clue
A clue that refers to another entry, as in "See 17-Across". Used mainly for theme entries.
Crosswordese
Words that show up in crosswords far more than in everyday speech because their letter patterns are convenient, such as ESNE, ALEE, or ETUI. Overuse marks weak fill. See fill tips.
Cruciverbalist
A crossword enthusiast, solver or constructor. A formal word that mostly appears in articles about crosswords.
Cryptic crossword
A crossword style, common in British publications, where each clue combines a definition with wordplay. Different from American-style, which relies on definitions and puns.
D
Day-of-week difficulty
In the New York Times style, puzzles get harder from Monday to Saturday. Outlets that follow a similar scale use it to guide clue difficulty. See the ladder in crossword clue writing.
Down
An entry that runs top to bottom.
Dupe
A duplicate: the same answer or the same key word appearing twice in one puzzle. Editors expect puzzles to avoid dupes.
E
Editor
The person at a publication who selects puzzles and edits them for publication, often revising clues. The word is also used loosely for the software where you build a grid.
Entry
Another name for an answer: the letters placed in a slot.
F
Fill
All the entries that are not theme entries, or the act of filling a grid. Clean fill uses lively, familiar words. See fill tips.
Fill-in-the-blank clue
A clue in which the answer completes a phrase, written with a blank, as in "Hot ___". Easy to write and common, but overuse is dull.
Foreign-language clue
A clue that asks for a word in another language, signaled by a language or place, as in "Friend in Paris" for AMI.
Freestyle
A themeless puzzle, so called because there are no theme entries to constrain the grid. The New York Times uses this label for its themeless puzzles.
G
Gimmick
The central trick of a theme, such as a hidden word or a changed letter. Also used for unusual features in a puzzle.
Grid
The square lattice of white and black squares that makes up the puzzle. Standard American sizes are 15×15 for daily puzzles and 21×21 for Sunday. Gridsmith supports 15×15 and 21×21.
H
Hidden-word theme
A theme in which each theme entry hides the same word, or a word from the same category, across its word breaks.
I
Interlock
The rule that every white square connects to the rest of the grid, so you can travel from any entry to any other through crossings. A grid that splits into separate islands does not interlock.
.ipuz
An open crossword file format based on JSON, designed to hold many puzzle types. See crossword file formats.
J
.jpz
An XML-based crossword format used by some online puzzle platforms. See crossword file formats.
L
Light
British term for an entry or answer in a crossword.
M
Meta
A puzzle with an extra layer: solving the grid yields a hidden answer, often found from clues or highlighted letters. Common in contest puzzles.
Mini
A small crossword, often 5×5, that gets solved in a minute or two. Minis allow different rules from full-size puzzles.
Misdirection
A clue that leads the solver toward a wrong meaning of a word so that the real answer is a surprise. Question-mark clues rely on it.
N
Natick
A crossing of two obscure entries where a solver cannot infer the letter. Named after the Massachusetts town in a 2008 puzzle discussion by the blogger Rex Parker. See fill tips.
Nina
A hidden message or pattern in the grid, outside the theme, such as a word spelled in a row or column. Better known in British puzzles.
O
Open grid
A grid with few black squares and large white areas, as in many themeless puzzles. Harder to fill than a dense grid.
P
Pangram
A puzzle that uses every letter of the alphabet at least once.
Partial
An entry that is only part of a phrase, such as A LA or ONE OF A ___, clued as a fill-in-the-blank. A few are fine; many are a sign of weak fill.
Pun theme
A theme where each entry is a phrase altered by sound or meaning for a joke, and the clue ends in a question mark.
.puz
The binary file format of the Across Lite program, still the most widely supported way to share crosswords. Gridsmith Plus exports and imports .puz files. See how to open a .puz file.
Q
Quote theme
A theme in which a quotation or joke is split across several entries of matching lengths, usually in stacked rows.
R
Rebus
A square that holds more than one letter or a symbol. A rebus theme uses the same multi-letter square across several crossing entries. Gridsmith's grid is single-letter.
Revealer
The theme entry that explains the trick of the other theme entries, usually placed last. Not every theme has one.
Rotational symmetry
The standard American grid pattern: rotate the grid 180 degrees and the black squares land on black squares. See crossword grid rules.
S
Score
A number assigned to a word in a word list to show how good it is for fill; higher means better. Formats such as WORD;score are common. See crossword word lists.
Seed entry
The first entry a constructor chooses to build around, often a theme entry or a long, lively answer.
Slot
An empty run of squares waiting for an entry, defined by its position, direction, and length. Slots are what a fill tool fills.
Solver
A person who solves crosswords. Also software that fills or solves a grid.
Stack
Two or more long entries placed directly above one another so they cross the same down entries. Hard to fill. See triple stack.
Sunday puzzle
The larger weekend crossword, 21×21 in American newspapers, usually with more theme entries.
Symmetry
The requirement that the black-square pattern repeats under a rotation. American puzzles use 180-degree rotational symmetry; theme entries pair up by length for the same reason.
T
Theme
The shared idea that links a puzzle's longest entries. A themed puzzle has one; a themeless puzzle does not.
Themeless
A puzzle with no theme, in which the interest comes from lively long entries and clever clues. Often 15×15 with an open grid.
Themer
A theme entry. Also written theme entry. Themers must obey the grid's symmetry, so their lengths pair up. See crossword theme ideas.
Triple stack
Three long entries stacked in consecutive rows, so each crosses the same set of down entries. A showpiece in themeless puzzles and very hard to fill cleanly.
U
Unchecked square
A square that belongs to only one entry. American-style grids have none. Gridsmith's live stats count them.
V
Variety puzzle
Any word puzzle that departs from the standard grid-and-clue format, such as a cryptic, a barred grid, or a meta.
W
Word count
The number of entries in a grid. Venues set limits, and lower word counts mean longer, harder-to-fill entries. Gridsmith shows it live.
Wordlist
The dictionary of words a constructor or autofill tool draws on, often with a score for each. Also written word list. See crossword word lists.
Seeing these terms in a real grid helps them stick. Open Gridsmith to place blocks, watch the numbering update and spot unchecked squares as you build.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a theme entry and fill?
Theme entries are the long answers that share the puzzle's trick. Fill is everything else. Theme entries are chosen first; fill is whatever works around them.
What does Natick mean in crosswords?
A Natick is a crossing of two obscure entries where a solver cannot reasonably infer the letter. The term comes from a 2008 New York Times puzzle discussion and is used as shorthand for an unfair crossing.
What is a rebus in a crossword?
A rebus is a square that holds more than one letter, or a symbol, in a single cell. Rebus themes put the same multi-letter square into several crossing entries.
What is a .puz file?
A .puz file is the format used by Across Lite and many other solvers, and it remains the common way to share a crossword. Gridsmith Plus exports and imports .puz files; see how to open a .puz file.