A '''crossword''' (or crossword puzzle) consists of a series of boxes into which letters can be written. Clues are given. Words can go down or across, but the letters must match up.
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A '''crossword''' (or crossword puzzle) is a word puzzle comprising a series of clues and a grid of squares into which the answers are written.
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== Description ==
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In an [[English]] crossword, the answers may be written "across" (horizontally from left to right) or "down" (vertically), one letter per square.
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Answers written across intersect answers written down, and the letters from solved clues can be used to help solve intersecting clues.
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Not every square in a crossword grid is used, and unused squares are usually blacked out by the crossword compiler.
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Grids are usually square or sometimes rectangular, but sometimes comprise a sparse arrangement where each word intersects only one or a very few other words, and the spaces between answers is simply left blank.
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Typically, the first square for each answer includes a small number that corresponds to one of the numbered clues.