Below are the six main websites I use to help me construct cryptic crossword puzzle clues:
Quinapalus: Some free online resources to aid in word puzzling of all kinds, including:
- Wordmatcher: You can find out which words include and/or forbid any collection of letters. Allows for blanks and optional word length restrictions
- Qat: This is Wordfinder on steroids. Once you master the different functions of the interface (all listed and demonstrated on the front page), you can mix and match them to find all of the words that meet any variety of restrictions. This is my main resource when I am created puzzle grids.
One Look: Allows you to look up words in multiple dictionaries at once. It casts a wider net than Qat does, and has a setting where you can view even the most obscure words and phrases that fit your parameters.
Internet Anagram Server: This one will give you a list of every group of words that can be made from a single string of letters. Fast and easy to use.
MW Thesaurus: Always good if you’re looking for just the right word for a puzzle clue. This is a link to the free version; I myself subscribe to the pay site, which is the same information but without ads and cookies.
Used Bases: A list compiled by NPL members Jangler and 530nm330Hz, listing all of the bases that were used for word puzzles in the Enigma magazine between 1970 and 2002. A great resource if you’re trying to figure out which types of wordplay you can use to cryptically clue a specific word.
Used Clues: The perfect companion to the Used Bases page: a collection of clues (both cryptic and non-cryptic) that have been used in previous puzzles for just about every word in the English language. I use this site whenever I’m stuck for a clever or sneaky way to provide the definition half of a cryptic clue.
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