crossword
/ˈkɹɒswɜː(ɹ)d/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.14 in modern English
15
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A word puzzle in which interlocking words are entered usually horizontally and vertically into a grid based on clues given for each word.
Example Sentences
- "HOW TO ENTER::Fill in the crossword and send it to CROSSWORD No.54, DRUM, 176 Main Street, Johannesburg"
- "I sat on the bed and began to fill in the crossword."
- "All you have to do is fill in the crossword on this page and write your name and address on the coupon in Block Capitals (those written in longhand will not qualify)."
- "They should be able to fill out the crossword using their knowledge from this chapter."
- "“You said you wanted me to fill out the crossword for you!”"
- "Flair, the butler, drank.[…]On weekdays when we were alone, he would open The Times and fill in the crossword, each clue no sooner read than solved. At weekends he merely read the crossword, then ironed the paper before giving it to Herbie."
Etymology
From cross + word. Various word puzzles referred to as "crosswords" date back to the 1860s. The modern crossword puzzle was invented in 1913 by Arthur Wynne, who coined the name word-cross – crossword first appeared a few weeks later as a typographical error or deliberate transposition.