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May 8, 2026 
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| Mathieu Labrecque |
Constructing the Bonus Puzzle
This is the second installment in a three-part series on the making of the monthly Bonus Crossword, focused on our celebrity collaborations. Last week I wrote about picking entries to build a puzzle around, and this week I’ll talk about actually building the puzzles.
Most crossword constructors these days use software and scored word lists to help them construct puzzles. A word list is a file that includes not just English words but also multiword phrases, abbreviations, some words in other languages, and a slew of proper nouns. Most word lists are scored out of 100, with entries someone deems fun scored higher than entries that are less fun to uncover in a puzzle. For instance, I typically score words I feel neutral about at 50: EASE, LAIR, AMINO are all neutral words in my book. Words that I think are assets to the puzzle I’ll score between 60 and 75, depending on how fun they are. Most nouns (PANDA, BUNK, BOTTLE) I have scored at 60, and especially fun entries I score higher (PINBALL, NEW WAVE, HASTA LA VISTA). Words I’d rather avoid when possible are scored lower, between 25 and 40 points (ABBR, IS TO, ETE)
The scores in a word list come into play when using software assistance to help fill a grid. When you click on an empty slot in crossword software like CrossFire, it will show you every potential entry that it can put in that slot. Software is a very useful tool for helping you sort through possible options for filling a grid at a faster rate than you can do by hand, but is not very good at making a fun puzzle by itself. I spoke last week about making supplementary word lists for the Bonus puzzle, that have words that can be tied into the theme. My word list with Ken Burns had a Revolutionary War theme, with entries like TREATY, COLONY, LAND and TAXES. My word list with the reality star Gabby Windey is full of names and words related to reality television: GOSSIP, DORINDA, HOUSEWIVES, BRAVO. I typically score these words exponentially higher than other words, so the software will prioritize them when we’re looking at options for filling the grid.
The first image below shows the standard options for suggested fill for a bonus puzzle without a supplementary word list. The second image shows the same grid when I’ve added the supplementary word list I made with Jeff Tweedy, featuring words related to the ’70s New York City rock scene.
As you can see, adding a list of thematic words can be very helpful when your goal is to cram in as much theme material as possible. Next week I’ll talk more about the process of writing clues for the monthly Bonus Crossword.
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| Grid by Rafael Musa and Geoffrey Schorkopf/Clues written by Christina Iverson |
For expert hints on today’s puzzle, read the Wordplay column.
Were you able to solve the Friday puzzle with Easy Mode? We want your input! Share your experience with us by email.
Easy vs. Hard
In today’s Friday puzzle, 30-Down as clued as [First gear?]. This little misdirect might make you think of driving a car, but we’re thinking about a different meaning of “gear” here. For Easy Mode, I went with [Set of essential items for someone beginning a new hobby].
How are we doing?
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P.S. The answer to Easy vs. Hard is STARTER KIT.
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