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April 24, 2026 
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| Mathieu Labrecque |
Become a crossword constructor
One of the questions I get the most often from readers is how to make a crossword puzzle. When I first started wondering about making crossword puzzles myself, I didn’t know where to begin. I found free software online that enabled me to easily erase and move black squares around within. Getting a grid to be symmetrical felt impossibly hard, and I didn’t really know how to place the black squares. I eventually stumbled upon the New York Times series on how to make a crossword, which was very helpful. I’d still frequently hit a complete dead end after spending hours trying to fill a grid, but at least I knew the basic steps: Think of a theme idea, place the theme entries in an empty grid, place black squares strategically around them, fill the grid with words and then write clues.
If you’re interested in constructing a crossword yourself, the best advice I can give is to find a mentor to work with. Nearly every published constructor I know found success after working with an experienced mentor. There are so many subtleties when it comes to crossword construction, and it’s hard to learn them all through reading. A mentor can provide individualized feedback on themes and can help you determine if an idea is worthy of submitting. The vast majority of crossword submissions are rejected, but experienced constructors tend to have much higher acceptance rates.
Beyond mentorship, there are many resources available for crossword constructors. Here’s our full resource guide, but the top two resources I find myself recommending are Patrick Berry’s “Crossword Constructor’s Handbook” and XWord Info. I use CrossFire software for constructing, but I know that many prolific constructors have recently switched to Ingrid, a free software with lots of bells and whistles. If you’re just interested in making puzzles for friends or family, it might not be worth investing much money in tools. But, if you see yourself seeking publication, I can’t recommend investing in these resources enough!
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| Grid by Andrew Spooner/Clues written by Christina Iverson |
For expert hints on today’s puzzle, read the Wordplay column.
Were you able to solve the Friday puzzle with Easy Mode? We want your input! Share your experience with us by email.
Easy vs. Hard
In today’s daily puzzle 28-Across has a cute clue that made me smile: [Peace sign?]. We’re not thinking about the peace symbol or the hand sign here, but a sign you might hang on your door. For Easy Mode I went with the more straightforward [Sign hung on a doorknob at a hotel]. Give me a little peace and quiet, please!
How are we doing?
We’d love your feedback on this newsletter. Please email thoughts and suggestions to crosswordeditors@nytimes.com.
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P.S. The answer to Easy vs. Hard is DO NOT DISTURB.
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