Concept in Definition ABC

A crossword is a form of entertainment based on words. We can find this hobby in newspapers or magazines, in some games of computer or in publications specialized in this game. The player who performs a successful crossword puzzle must have a dose of patience, a large vocabulary, a certain skill and some practice.

The mechanics of the game and some strategies to solve a crossword

A crossword is made up of two sections. On the one hand, a series of definitions of words presented some vertically and others horizontally and, on the other, a structure of cells in which numbers appear where the letters corresponding to the definitions are placed. Throughout the game, the player fills in the empty squares, which intersect horizontally and vertically, hence the name of the crossword.

Each player has their own strategy and his tricks to correctly fill in a crossword puzzle. Normally, you start by filling in the boxes for which the definition is known with certainty. Other players follow a logical order (first the horizontal words and then the vertical ones) or decide to fill them in on the fly and without a prior strategy. There are players who cannot resist the temptation and seek the

solution to the crossword in the publication itself. There are crosswords for all levels and in Spanish language The cursed checkerboard crossword is considered one of the most difficult to solve.

The possible goals of crossword puzzles

The motivation The main part of this hobby is to test the skill and the ingenuity of the player, so it is a personal challenge. However, they are also useful for learn a foreign language, to improve vocabulary and general culture, to train the mind or as a form of avoidance.

Other entertainments with words

Language not only serves to communicate but we can also play with it. One of the most unique ways is through an acrostic, a type of poem in which the first letters of each verse form a word or a message if read vertically. The scrabble board game bears a strong resemblance to the crossword puzzle, as it is based on the same idea and the words are combined horizontally and vertically.

Do not forget other forms of entertainment with words, such as palindromes (short phrases that can be read indistinctly from left to right or to the left). upside down), the sator square (five words that when combined form a palindrome) or the popular alphabet soup (words camouflaged in a set of letters messy).

Photos: iStock - sturti / Andreas-Saldavs

Crossword Topics