What is a cryptic crossword?
If you asked every National Puzzlers’ League member to name their favorite type of puzzle, you’d get a wide range of answers, but the most common response would likely be “Cryptic crosswords!” Cryptic crosswords look similar to regular crossword puzzles, but every clue is a small word puzzle. In general, each clue in a cryptic crossword clues the answer in two ways: once as a regular definition, like you’d see in a standard crossword, and once as wordplay. Usually, the enumeration (number of letters in the answer) is also provided.
A simple clue might be “Small and smooth (4),” which clues the answer SAND. The word “small” is cluing the letter “s” (as you might see on the size label of a tee-shirt), and the word “and” is cluing the letters “a‑n-d”. Taken together, you get “sand,” which is clued by the word “smooth”; when you sand a piece of wood, you smooth it. Note that in the clue, “smooth” looks like it’s an adjective, but it’s actually working as a verb. Cryptic clues are often tricky that way.
The description above is enough to get you started on a basic cryptic. But there are also variety cryptics, in which either the clue or the answer must be altered in some way before you can start filling the grid. For example, a cryptic themed around cartoon characters with speech impediments may require you to change Rs and Ls to Ws (as Elmer Fudd does), or Ss to Ths (as Daffy Duck does), or repeat some letters (as Porky Pig does). These tricky changes mean that the answer to the clue is not necessarily what goes in the grid, which is why many puzzles include enumeration for the answer. Most of the cryptics published in the Enigma or distributed at conventions are variety cryptics.
The easiest way to learn about cryptic crosswords is to cosolve with someone. At the NPL’s annual convention, there are usually several official cryptics distributed on the first evening of activities to be solved in pairs. More experienced solvers often seek out newer solvers to co-solve with so they can learn.
Here are some resources for learning more about cryptics:
Solving cryptic crosswords by Trazom: a great overview for new solvers, recently updated to reflect current trends in cryptics.
Guidelines for composing cryptics by Sybil. This is a rather old article, so it includes some conventions that aren’t necessarily common nowadays, but it is still a solid starting point for a new constructor.
Cryptic thoughts by Hot, a newer article that has been updated several times (most recently in April 2026), embracing a more progressive view of cryptic rules than Sybil’s article above.
National Puzzlers’ League Cryptic Crosswords, a book of puzzles by NPL members, edited by Trazom and Hot, that was originally published in 2005 and is no longer available as a printed book.