cryptic clues
Obscure wordplay prompts
Cryptic clues are the wordplay-based hints used in cryptic crosswords, a puzzle form especially popular in British newspapers.
Unlike straightforward crossword clues that simply define the answer, cryptic clues contain two elements: a definition (usually at the beginning or end) and wordplay that leads to the same answer through anagrams, hidden words, homophones, or other linguistic tricks.
The clue "Broken seat is in the east" yields ASIA—an anagram of "seat" plus "is" hidden inside.
Solving cryptic clues requires recognizing the type of wordplay being employed.
- crosswordClue-based letter grid
- riddlesPuzzling questions or teasers
- puzzleChallenge testing ingenuity
- charadeAbsurd or obvious pretense
- setterOne who establishes
container · wordplay · spoonerism · homophone · enumeration · anagram · reversal · hidden word · acrostics · parsing · solver · grid · rebuses · punning · cryptograms · palindromes · theme · devious
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