How puzzle editors create the difficulty curve
“How do the creators of crosswords make them harder as the week goes on?” — Quentin Berry From Christina: There are a few things constructors consider when thinking about the difficulty level of a puzzle. When making a Monday or Tuesday puzzle, the theme should be relatively straightforward and simple, and shouldn’t leave solvers scratching their heads. It’s OK, though, for solvers on a Wednesday or a Thursday to have to think a bit before they understand the theme. Along with a simple theme, a constructor making a Monday grid will likely use a grid with a higher word count. Our maximum word count for themed puzzles is 78 words, and the maximum for a themeless puzzle (Friday or Saturday) is 72 words. The number of words in a grid pretty directly correlates with how difficult the vocabulary in the grid is. A grid with more words (which will be shorter on average) tends to be easier to fill with easier vocabulary that’s more “Monday-friendly.” A 72-word themeless puzzle will likely have easier vocabulary than a 66-word themeless puzzle, which is more likely to be placed on a Saturday. The average Monday puzzle has 76.9 words, compared with 74.6 words on a Thursday, and 68.7 words on a Saturday. A Monday puzzle also tends to have quite a few more black squares — 37.5, compared with 30.9 on a Saturday. The “freshness” of the vocabulary in a grid can also make a big difference in how difficult the puzzle is. Constructors of a Monday puzzle will intentionally use familiar vocabulary. While they would like the longer entries in the grid to be fun, it’s less common for such answers to be ultrafresh terms or phrases that have never been in a crossword before. In a later-week puzzle, though, constructors will go out of their way to include more crunchy entries that might be considered too hard on a Monday. The final piece of the puzzle is the difficulty of the clues. Even if the vocabulary in a Saturday puzzle is fairly familiar, constructors can always beef up a puzzle with tricky wordplay and trivia. If there is some tough vocabulary that sneaked its way into a Monday puzzle, everything else in that area can be given really easy clues to ensure that solvers can succeed.
Solve Friday’s Crossword on Easy Mode!
In today’s Wordplay column, Deb Amlen writes about the excellent construction of this puzzle. For expert hints on today’s puzzle, read her column. Were you able to solve the Friday puzzle with Easy Mode? We want your input! Share your experience with us on the X platform, on Threads or by email. A Quick Cool-DownHow fast can you solve today’s Mini?
Get a ClueMy favorite clue from last week is 7-Down from Saturday, April 26. I liked this cute little nod to Connections! 7-Down: Connections puzzle?
How are we doing? Thanks for playing! Subscribe to New York Times Games. If you were forwarded this newsletter, you can sign up to receive it regularly here. P.S. The answer to Get a Clue is DOT TO DOT.
|
