How to Solve Your First Crossword, Dora’s Way

A crossword can look like a room where everyone else already knows each other. Numbers, clues, little squares, and people who seem to fill them in before the coffee cools.

You do not need to be one of those people to start. You need one answer. Dora has saved you a square.

Start where you know something.

Read the clues once without trying to solve them all. Look for the one that feels familiar. A person, an everyday object, a small word you can picture. That is your way in.

In DoraGrid’s house mini, the first Across clue is “Your host, first name (4).” Four letters. A real dog. An excellent reason to read the Meet Dora page before solving.

Put that answer in and notice what changed. The grid is no longer empty. You have information now.

Across and Down are directions, not difficulty levels.

Across answers go left to right. Down answers go top to bottom. A number in the grid marks the square where an answer starts. Match it to the number beside the clue.

The number in parentheses is the answer’s length. An answer marked “(3)” needs three letters. Dark squares separate words. You do not type into them.

A starting square can belong to an Across answer and a Down answer. They share its letter. This is the useful part of a crossword: one answer helps another.

Let a crossing do some work.

Suppose a three-letter answer begins with a letter you already placed. You have fewer possibilities to consider than you had a moment ago. Read the clue again with that letter in mind.

If nothing comes, move somewhere else. Solving is not a line you must follow in order. You can circle back after another clue gives you more to work with.

This is also a good time for a sip of coffee. The squares can wait.

A hint is part of the invitation.

The web mini has an Ask Dora button. It reveals a letter when you would like help. Check my grid gives feedback on the letters you have entered.

Neither button changes whether you belong here. You are learning a format. Formats get easier with a little company.

If a letter needs changing, change it. An answer that almost fits has still taught you something. Errors are information. Dora’s staff believe that is a useful rule well beyond crosswords.

Know which grid you are playing.

The website has a fixed practice mini. It is not a new daily puzzle feed or the mobile app. Its job is to make your first DoraGrid solve feel familiar before the Android and iPhone game is ready.

Finish it and the page adds a digital pet to the count stored in this browser. That count belongs to this device. You do not need an account to take part.

Your first solve can happen here.

Try a clue. Place a letter. Let the next answer borrow from the first. Ask for help whenever you want it.

There is no special kind of person you have to become before you are allowed to enjoy a crossword. There is just the next square, and a host who is pleased you came.

Good solving. Dowa approves.

Play the free mini grid · Keep the How to Play guide nearby

Next from the couch: The Sentence That Built a Website. For the real dog behind the clues, visit Dora’s photo archive.