A question of crossword difficulty over time
“I’ve been playing the NYT crossword since around 2008, when I was in middle school. I’ve noticed that the puzzles — especially the Sunday, which used to have maddeningly challenging trick themes — have gotten significantly easier. Fridays and Saturdays, which used to take a long time to solve, have gotten less complex and easier. The references, too, used to be slightly more highbrow. Obviously I am more practiced now than I was in school, but I did wonder if this was a concerted effort by the editors of the NYT puzzle pages to be more inclusive, as the games can now be played online by people who don’t necessarily read the paper. I’m all for inclusivity, I just wonder if the Monday-Saturday difficulty has been thrown off. Am I imagining this?” — Zoe, New York City From Christina: I sometimes solve crosswords from the archives, and I have noticed this myself. Puzzles from 10 years ago often take me much longer than those from today. There have been a few changes. One is that, with crossword software being much more developed and accessible than it used to be, more constructors can make clean grids. Good software and word lists make it much easier to create a grid without obscure entries or tough vocabulary. European rivers, ancient pots and extinct birds that used to appear frequently are no longer staples. Our editorial team is also much bigger now than in 2008, and it’s a lot more diverse. Will Shortz used to be the only person reviewing crossword submissions and editing them. Now, we have a team of six editors under Will who help decide what makes the cut. With more editors weighing in about what seems obscure or what feels fun, we accept puzzles that have more modern references and fewer “crosswordy” entries. Finally, your experience solving probably has helped puzzles feel easier now. You have most likely picked up vocabulary and trivia without even noticing. You may fill in words that appear often in crosswords without much thought, which means you come to the longer answers with more letters written in. Do you have questions about crossword puzzles or about games more generally? I’m now answering questions about all puzzles and games.
Solve Friday’s Crossword on Easy Mode!
In today’s Wordplay column, Deb Amlen writes about some of the hardest clues in this puzzle. For expert hints on today’s puzzle, read her column here. Were you able to solve the Friday puzzle with Easy Mode? We want your input! Share your experience with us on the X platform, on Threads or by email. A Quick Cool-DownHow fast can you solve today’s Mini?
Get a ClueMy favorite clue from last week is 11-Down from Saturday, May 10. I thought this was a cute and surprising way to describe the answer. 11-Down: Person who’s entitled?
How are we doing? Thanks for playing! Subscribe to New York Times Games. If you were forwarded this newsletter, you can sign up to receive it regularly here. P.S. The answer to Get a Clue is HOMEOWNER.
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