Building Block Of Mathematics Wsj Crossword (2024)

FAQs

How difficult is the WSJ crossword? ›

The WSJ Crossword is a daily crossword puzzle that is published in The Wall Street Journal newspaper and on its website. The puzzle is known for its challenging difficulty level, clever wordplay, and witty themes.

A crossword puzzle's Theme refers to a group of 3 or more common answers in the puzzle that follow the Theme for that day. For example, a Movie Monday puzzle's Theme answers may be about a classic movie or the blockbuster film that came out last week.

The Wall Street Journal Crossword Contest puzzles are just like normal crosswords, but with one big difference: somewhere in each puzzle there's a secret word or phrase hiding, and you've got to figure out where and what it is.

Math crossword puzzles

Take a crossword, and make it math: that's the basic concept behind this highly adaptable math challenge. Instead of words, students use numbers to complete the vertical and horizontal strips. Math crossword puzzles can be adapted to teach concepts like money, addition, or rounding numbers.

The daily puzzles are arranged in graded difficulty from Monday (easiest) through Saturday (hardest). The Sunday puzzle, which is larger—typically 21x21, vs 15x15 for the daily—is said to have a difficulty equivalent to about Thursday.

The crosswords are designed to increase in difficulty throughout the week, with the easiest on Monday and the most difficult on Saturday. The larger Sunday crossword, which appears in The New York Times Magazine, is an icon in American culture; it is typically intended to be as difficult as a Thursday puzzle.

1. The New York Times Crossword. Renowned for its sophistication and wordplay, The New York Times Crossword is arguably the gold standard in the world of puzzles. Under the editorship of Will Shortz since 1993, these crosswords are known for their clever themes, challenging clues, and cultural relevance.

BestCrosswords.com is the largest supplier of free crossword puzzles on the web, publishing 15 grids daily from an archive of more 100,000. You can play in your web browser, smartphone, tablet or print in high resolution.

Fill in the blanks first

Every puzzle usually has a small handful of fill-in-the-blanks, so if you're looking to get an early confidence boost, scan the list of clues for fill-in-the-blanks and knock them out early.

How do people get good at crossword puzzles? ›

Work on the Clues You Know When you start a crossword puzzle, focus on the clues you know first. Fill in the answers to the clues that you're confident about, as this will give you a foundation to build upon. Once you have a few answers in place, it can be easier to solve the remaining clues.

Solving crossword puzzles involves deciphering clues and filling in answers that fit the puzzle's theme and overall structure. This requires a combination of logical thinking, pattern recognition, and creative problem-solving.

Our difficulty scale increases through the week, with the easiest puzzles on Monday and hardest on Saturday. Sunday puzzles should reflect midweek difficulty levels. Clues should be fresh, colorful and precise.