2. Word searches

Crossword puzzles have been around for a long time and don’t really need an introduction. The name immediately makes me think of a grid of black-and-white squares that overlap in some places. Still, there are other ways to set up games. In some versions, the black squares are added by the players as they go. In some, there is no grid at all, and the squares in the rows and columns form different shapes.

No matter how the game is set up, the rules are always the same. The players have to put words in the squares based on a hint. Most of the time, this is a definition or an example of how the word is used.

Crosswords and Fill-In Crosswords are not the same things. Even though they share part of the same name and the same grid layout, the second one has no clues and doesn’t require you to know any language. Instead, it focuses on logic by having players find a way to fill the crossword grid with words from a set list.

Play Quordle.