Crosswords in other languages

The crossword was invented nearly exactly 100 years ago — yes, 2103 is its centenary! We all know that in that time it's spread throughout all English-speaking countries.

But what about other countries? The answer is a resounding yes!

In almost every country that I researched, they have crosswords. The forms are often a bit different from what we're used to — the grids are often non-symmetrical, 2-letter words are allowed, accented characters are often ignored, and sometimes the clues are written into the black squares.

Here are some links to crossword sites from other countries, for your enjoyment.

Afrikaans blokkieraaisel

Part of a Chinese crossword

Chinese 填字游戏

Danish kryds og tværs

Dutch kruiswoordraadsel

Finnish crosswords often include picture clues

Finnish Sanaristikko

French grids use a different numbering system

French mots croises

A German crossword

German Kreuzworträtsel

Greek σταυρόλεξο

Part of a Hebrew crossword

Hebrew תשבץ

Indonesian teka-teki silang

This particular Italian crossword, by Antonio Minicelli, uses rectangles rather than squares

Italian cruciverba

Japanese クロスワードパズル

A bit of a Korean crossword

Korean 크로스 워드 퍼즐

A Polish crossword

Polish Krzyżówka

Romanian cuvinte încrucişate

The Russian grids seem to be the only non-English ones that are symmetrical

Russian кроссворд

Part of a Swedish crossword

Swedish Korsord and even more Swedish korsord!

Spanish crucigramas

Turkish Kare Bulmaca

As for cryptic crosswords, as far as I can tell, they are very much a British English phenomenon. I think that some countries may have puns or plays on words in some clues, but I don't think there is anything that really approaches the full complexity of a cryptic.

American vs British crosswords

American and British crosswords. Is there a difference? The short answer is HELL YES! Now for the long answer ... There are major differences between American-style and British-style crosswords (which are seen in Commonwealth countries too). Crosswords were started by Arthur Wynne in 1913, a British man who lived in America, so both countries claim a close connection with the development of this popular puzzle. They developed in slightly different directions in each country, which has led to the varieties we see today. American-style crosswords are almost exclusively published in America, while British-style crosswords have spread through the Commonwealth — Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, and other English-speaking nations tend to prefer this variety of the puzzle, as well as the United Kingdom, of course. A quick look at these grids will show you the most obvious difference between the two varieties : British-style Note th

Lesson 2: Anagrams

One thing it's important to do with cryptic clues is to ignore the surface reading! The surface is the sense you get when reading a clue for the first time, the mental image it brings up. Apart from some very rare clue types, this is only going to lead you astray. What's vitally important to do is to read each clue, word by word, looking for the hidden meaning. Also, there are a few important things to note with the definition part of clues. Firstly — they will always be at the start or the end of the clue, but never in the middle (ie with bits of wordplay around them). Secondly — pinning down the definition is a major part of getting success in solving cryptic clues. And of course, once you've figured out which part is the definition, the remainder of the clue has to be the wordplay! ANAGRAMS So, on to the first of the cryptic devices that you'll find in every cryptic crossword: Anagrams! Anagrams are a very popular cryptic device, and e

Puzzling

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