The XWord Info Grand Tour
XWord Info is a comprehensive record of NYT puzzles in the Will Shortz era but more importantly, it's a celebration
of great word puzzles and the people who construct them.
Whether you're considering making a donation so you can register for this site
or just wondering what all the fuss is about, this tour is a great place to start.
There's a lot more here than you might realize.
XWord Info is unlike any other crossword website
- This is the most complete source of NYT puzzle information, covering the entire Will Shortz era
plus 11 years of earlier puzzles going back to 1983.
- It's up to date. Every relevant page is updated as soon as each new puzzle is available on the web.
- It's the most accurate source of NYT puzzle data anywhere. Word lists correctly handle rebus entries or
answers that bend around corners, etc.
- It's the only database that organizes puzzles by constructors, carefully keeping track of alternate names or name changes.
- Wherever possible, puzzles look like they are supposed to; italicized clues are in italics, shaded squares are shaded, not circled, and so on.
- Every Shortz-era daily crossword is included, even ones where the NYT never published an Across Lite or PDF file.
There are many corners for solvers to explore
- Find complete solutions to every daily and most Variety puzzles.
- Find unusual or extraordinary puzzles by any number of criteria.
- Collect links of puzzles by your favorite constructors.
- Solve acrostics using the best on-line acrostic solver anywhere.
- See a complete statistical analysis of any puzzle.
And many tools for constructors too
- Find every clue for any word, or any word that matches a pattern you need to fill your grid. The database
includes previous NYT answers, a complete Scrabble dictionary, and the WordNet dictionary from Princeton.
- Analyze your own puzzles using the same method solvers will see if your crossword gets published in the NYT.
- Create web-based pages for your test solvers so they can try your puzzles in progress online.
But...
- You can get the most out of your premium subscription here.
Links to those Across Lite and PDF files are organized in ways that are actually useful.
There's nothing like it at nytimes.com.
Navigating the tour
The tour is divided into five pages, including this overview. Continue on to the parts that most interest you.