Sor the daily ritual of the USA Today crossword, which offers the perfect balance of challenge and reward. USA Today first hit newsstands in 1982, and over the years, its crossword has become a forite of people who love a tricky yet solvable puzzle with plenty of tongue-in-cheek humor.
How (and When) to Play the USA Today CrosswordThe USA Today crossword puzzle gets harder throughout the week, but it's a slow build that makes the challenge even more fun as the week goes on. You can access the puzzle online or in the USA Today crossword app. A free account lets you play limited puzzles, and a subscription gives you access to all the crosswords, every week, all the time. There's even a Quick Cross for when you don't he time for a whole puzzle but what to get your crossword fix.
USA Today Crossword Tips and Tricks Start With Monday: Build your crossword challenge muscles by starting with the first puzzles of the week and working up. Think Outside the Box: The USA Today crossword works to include a more multicultural perspective than traditional puzzles. Look for Double Meanings: Puns and double meanings are a big part of what makes the USA Today puzzle so fun. Keep Trying: You can strengthen the puzzle-solving part of your brain with practice and repetition, just like any muscle.Solving a crossword puzzle also comes down to strategy. We like taking a first pass and then working back through the puzzle, but there are lots of ways to work your own magic. It's handy to he a list of common crossword answers too. From "aloe" to "era," there are a few words that just always show up on puzzles.
Puzzles That Change With the TimesUSA Today crosswords are of their era, so looking back at some of the past puzzles can give you a glimpse into what life was like when that puzzle was written. From pop culture to current events, it's all fair game in the crossword world. However, USA Today is changing things up in a good way.
A lot of puzzles are aimed at a traditional white middle-aged audience that knows and expects certain kinds of clues (Beatles songs, for instance, or the name of a Julia Roberts movie), but USA Today is doing things differently. Eric Agard, USA Today's crossword editor, has been very public about his efforts to make the famous puzzle more diverse. Clues require puzzle-sleuths to look outside the expected answers they might see in other puzzles for a wonderfully challenging and diverse solving experience.
A Fan Forite for So Many ReasonsFrom its focus on multicultural clues to its balance of challenge and solvability, the USA Today crossword is a fan forite for lots of reasons. Grab your phone and get started with one of the best puzzles in the industry.