Almost everyone loves to solve crossword puzzles. Not only do they entertain and keep you engaged, but it has been proved through research that puzzle-solving and other such activities that are mentally stimulating, can effectively enhance your memory retention, cognitive abilities, and your brain’s overall health. The Archives of Neurology published a study revealing that individuals engaging in puzzle-solving on a frequent basis were found to have a 47 percent lower chance of contracting Alzheimer’s disease.
So, whether you are a newbie or a pro puzzle-solver of the NYT Crossword Daily, your passion to master this art of solving puzzles will provide you with both mental stimulation and entertainment. Now that you know how helpful solving crossword puzzles can be, read on to learn the different ways in which you can overcome challenges to solve the toughest of the puzzles skillfully and confidently.
WAYS TO SOLVE CROSSWORD PUZZLES WITH EASE
Here are some effective techniques and strategies that you can put to use to improve your chances of solving some of the most baffling puzzles:
WORK ON YOUR VOCABULARY – A highly recommended way to solve crossword is to expand your vocabulary base. The more words in your collection, the better equipped you will be to detangle the mysterious clues laid out for you. To improve your vocabulary, you must spend more time reading dictionaries, books, and articles. This will help you collect more new words, which will come of use when solving crossword puzzles. Moreover, try spending more time playing and solving anagrams, word-based puzzles and games to enhance your skills in recognizing words that will enable to quickly recognize possible solutions.
DECODING TYPES OF CLUES – Another crucial skill you must hone in puzzle-solving is learning to decode the clues in a crossword puzzle. Clues fall into two categories- indirect and direct. While direct clues are mostly straightforward synonyms or definitions, the indirect ones put your brain to work. To make use of indirect clues you may have to take into consideration wordplay or alternate meanings. You have to get familiar with typical clue indicators like ??hidden’, sounds like, or ??in a manner of’.
Most of the times such indicators indicate clues that are wordplay-based, and that keep the answer smartly hidden. The University of California, Berkeley, found out through a research that crossword puzzles work on stimulating the frontal lobe of the brain that is responsible for problem-solving and language processing. The participants in this study, who spent time solving puzzles on a daily basis, showed an increase in brain activity specific to these regions, signaling an improvement in mental sharpness and cognitive function.
CHANNELIZE THE PATTERN POWER – One of the most powerful weapons to unravel a crossword puzzle is understanding the pattern of the puzzle. Once you learn how to recognize patterns that keep recurring, you can easily find the missing letters or the key to interconnected clues. For example, words like ??tea’, ??ant’, or ??ear’ tend to recur in different puzzles, and getting familiar with such common words will give you an upper-hand while solving puzzles. Also, observe patterns that are available within the clues, like words that come with alternating consonants and vowels or palindromes. They will provide you with invaluable clues.
OPT FOR PUZZLES THAT ARE THEME-BASED – Puzzles that are theme-based can spice up the challenge for you by making them more intriguing. Such puzzles typically feature a centralized topic with numerous interconnected answers and clues. If you can identify the puzzle’s theme in the early stages, you will be able to take advantage of the answers that you have already filled up to unravel the rest of the puzzle.
Themes tend to offer subtle but strong clues that make the puzzle solvable and cohesive on an overall basis. Stanford University conducted a research that suggests that crossword puzzle-solving can effectively improve the skills of problem-solving because such an activity requires you to combine creativity with analytical thinking. The participants in this research who opted for puzzle-solving on a regular basis showed an improvement in problem-solving skills and mental flexibility in more than one realm of their lives.
BUILD A COMMUNITY – This activity gives you a chance to get to know others with similar interests. Being a part of forums for crossword puzzles, and participating or attending local or online events on crossword puzzles can help you become part of a community of solvers. This way you can connect with like-minded puzzle-solving enthusiasts to sharing your solving techniques and strategies, and learn from their experiences and challenges.
BE PATIENT – The best way to become a pro in puzzle-solving is by practicing, being patient, and through perseverance. As a beginner, you must look for puzzles that are set to your level of skill. You can then move on gradually to opt for more complex puzzles. However, remember not be discouraged when puzzle-solving gets a bit tough and frustrating for you. This is a journey where keeping a positive mind can help you enhance your speed of puzzle-solving and build your confidence.
MAKE THE MOST OF RESOURCES AND TOOLS – The modern-day technology gives you the advantage of different resources and tools that you can use for solving crossword puzzles. Take help from anagram solvers, crossword dictionaries available online, and apps available for solving crossword puzzles when you get stuck. Such tools can be used for finding potential answers and unraveling wordplay that remains hidden.
GET INTO THE HABIT OF SOLVING PUZZLES – Making a habit of solving crossword puzzles on a daily basis can improve your level of enjoyment and efficiency. Look for safe spaces so that you can engage in this activity with full attention. If required, set aside a particular time to dedicate towards puzzle-solving. Making a habit of solving puzzles daily can help in conditioning your brain to focus completely on puzzle-solving.
Try to experiment using various techniques, like taking on the entries that are longer first, or making the most of the clues you are confident of. Look for a method you think works most effectively for you. PuzzleNation’s survey showed that approximately 81 percent of total crossword puzzle-solving enthusiasts opined that this activity helped them to de-stress their minds. Again, 67 percent of the participants were of the opinion that engaging in solving crossword puzzles had a positive impact on their moods and mental health.
FINALLY
So, by now it must be clear to you that in order to master this activity you have embark on a journey that is a combination of creativity, language proficiency, and logical reasoning. All the above-mentioned techniques and strategies will efficiently help you slowly but surely become a proficient crossword puzzle- solver. Therefore, get started without hesitation, and with the help of these tricks you will learn to love the challenges that come with solving crossword puzzles.