crossword
Enable an agent to recognise a crossword, record its grid and clue conventions, assess construction and solving state, and determine appropriate solving, editing or publication actions.
Research draft, second pass
A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.
recalled by Codex without web access - no source was read
Researched by: Codex
Purpose and description
Enable an agent to recognise a crossword, record its grid and clue conventions, assess construction and solving state, and determine appropriate solving, editing or publication actions.
A crossword is a word puzzle in which answers to clues are entered into a grid so that intersecting entries share letters or other permitted symbols.
It can be Render a grid and clue list while preserving numbering, typography and special-cell rules.; Place candidate answers and identify conflicts under the declared crossing conventions.; Check clue coverage, entry lengths, grid connectivity and variant-specific construction requirements.; Offer graduated hints or explanations within an explicit spoiler boundary.; Revise clues, entries or thematic mechanisms while identifying affected crossings and releases.; Assess whether a particular version can be reproduced, adapted or shared using recorded permissions..
Distinguishing features
Answer entries occupy intersecting grid paths, with crossings imposing shared-content constraints; locating already printed words alone does not qualify.
The solver determines entries from clues or declared answer constraints, rather than merely arranging unrelated words on a page.
The puzzle specifies how answer text maps to cells; a cell need not always contain exactly one letter.
Blocked, barred, diagramless and other layouts are treated as crossword variants when their rules retain intersecting answer entries.
A blank grid, completed solution and partially filled attempt can represent different states or expressions of the same puzzle rather than separate puzzle works.
Scope
+ Puzzle identity, variant, language and declared solving conventions
+ Grid topology, entry paths, crossings and cell contents
+ Clues, answer constraints, intended solutions and their correspondence
+ Construction quality, thematic mechanisms and editorial validation
+ Puzzle revisions, publication relationships, permissions and solving-state interpretation
- General word-search, acrostic and Sudoku models
- The newspaper, book, website or application containing the crossword
- Physical copies, file storage and device properties beyond their relationship to the puzzle
- Solver identity, personal ability and account management
- General dictionaries and lexical databases used as references
- Tournament administration and scoring systems beyond rules attached to a particular puzzle
Characteristics
- Crossword conventions
- Declared combination of clue style, grid style and special rules; unknown permitted Determines how clues, entry boundaries and proposed answers should be interpreted.
- Language and writing system
- Language or languages, script, reading direction and normalization rules Controls segmentation, ordering, spelling and crossing comparisons.
- Grid extent
- Rows and columns for rectangular grids; explicit geometry otherwise Establishes the space in which cells and answer paths are located.
- Entry and crossing topology
- Ordered entry-to-cell paths and shared-cell relationships Makes answer placement and cross-checking possible even when conventional across/down labels are insufficient.
- Cell encoding
- Single letter, multiple letters, symbol, mixed or rule-defined content Prevents valid rebus or other special entries from being rejected by ordinary letter-count checks.
- Answer enumeration
- Clue-to-answer lengths and segmentation, with counting convention stated Distinguishes answer-text length from occupied cell count.
- Crossing coverage
- Percentage of entry cells shared with another entry, with counting method stated Shows how much checking support each entry receives without assuming a universal construction standard.
- Thematic dependencies
- Links among theme entries, revealers, special cells and any extracted answer Captures mechanisms that cannot be verified by checking isolated answers.
- Validation state
- Untested, mechanically checked, editorially reviewed, disputed or corrected Separates successful grid checks from evidence that clues and solutions are sound.
- Solving state
- Unstarted, partial, filled but unchecked, checked with conflicts or accepted complete Prevents a filled grid from being treated automatically as a correct solution.
- Publication and revision lineage
- Puzzle identity linked to clue revisions, solution revisions, releases and corrections Ensures clues and answer keys from incompatible versions are not combined.
Also called
Where this came from
wikidata · CC0 1.0
Drafted structure
Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 6 bundles · 11 layers · 17 findings · 29 questions.
Crossword identity and conventions Establishes what counts as this puzzle and which conventions govern its interpretation.
Crossword variants share crossing constraints but differ in clue logic, grid visibility and answer encoding.
Puzzle boundary
Separates the crossword work from its carrier, revisions and solving attempts.
Work and instance identity
Record identifiers and evidence connecting a puzzle work to its published forms and attempts.
- What identifies this crossword independently of the newspaper page, application screen or file carrying it? definition
- Does a changed grid or clue set represent a correction, an adaptation or a distinct puzzle, and what evidence supports that treatment? boundary
Variant and language rules
Records the conventions needed before interpreting cells or clues.
Declared solving contract
Capture the stated crossword style, language and exceptions without assuming one publisher's conventions apply universally.
- Which clue styles, grid-boundary conventions and special instructions govern this crossword? definition
- How do its language and script determine reading direction, accents, spaces and the units entered into cells? definition
Grid and crossing constraints Describes answer paths, cell boundaries and the constraints imposed by intersections.
The crossword's defining structure is the relationship between entries and shared cells.
Cells and entry paths
Captures the geometry available to the solver and the placement of each entry.
Grid topology
Represent usable cells, blocks or bars, ordered entry paths and any topology the solver must discover.
- Which cells and boundaries define each entry's start, direction and ordered path? definition
- Which parts of the layout are supplied, and which must the solver infer under diagramless or other special rules? boundary
Shared-cell consistency
Defines how crossing entries agree and how much support the grid provides.
Crossing and encoding checks
Check shared contents using the declared encoding and assess topology against the puzzle's own construction requirements.
- What cell-content comparison makes two crossing answers compatible, including rebuses or transformations? definition
- What are the grid's connected components and per-entry crossing coverage, and do they meet the declared requirements? measurement
Clues, solutions and theme Connects clue wording and special mechanisms to supported answer interpretations.
A consistent grid alone does not establish that answers follow from the clues or satisfy the theme.
Clue-answer correspondence
Records which constraints lead to each entry and how the intended answer is justified.
Answer support and enumeration
Preserve clue text, meaningful formatting, entry references, enumerations and answer explanations where available.
- Which entry or linked entries does each clue constrain, and how is the answer's enumeration mapped to cells? definition
- What answer key, explanation or reviewed reasoning supports the intended answer and any cryptic parsing? provenance
- Which alternative answers remain compatible with both the clue and the available crossings? boundary
Theme and global mechanisms
Captures constraints operating across multiple entries or beyond ordinary grid filling.
Theme dependencies and completion
Record thematic relationships, revealers, transformations and extractions only where the puzzle provides evidence for them.
- Is a theme declared or supported, and which entries, cells or clue features participate in it? provenance
- Does completion require an extraction, interpretation or final answer beyond filling the grid? action
Validation and solving Separates puzzle correctness from the state of a particular attempt and controls assistance.
Agents must distinguish construction defects, uncertain answers and solver mistakes before intervening.
Construction review
Tracks evidence that the grid, clues and special rules function together.
Validation evidence and defects
Record mechanical checks and human review separately, including unresolved ambiguities and version-specific defects.
- Which checks have verified entry lengths, crossings, clue references and special-rule consistency for this version? provenance
- Which clues or mechanisms remain disputed, and what review or correction would resolve each issue? action
Attempt state and assistance
Interprets entered content and supplies help at the requested disclosure level.
Progress, certainty and spoilers
Distinguish tentative entries, crossing consistency, answer-key verification and authorized hint disclosure.
- Which entries are tentative, crossing-consistent, revealed or verified, and what evidence supports each status? measurement
- What assistance has the solver requested: a nudge, a clue explanation, a conflict check or an answer reveal? action
- What completion test applies when the answer key is unavailable or multiple fills remain possible? definition
Publication lineage and use Connects the crossword to credited contributors, compatible releases and documented use permissions.
Clues, grids and solutions may circulate separately, making attribution, version matching and authorized reuse essential.
Credits and release lineage
Identifies contributors and connects published puzzle components to the correct revision.
Attribution and version matching
Track constructor, clue writer and editor credits alongside publication dates, issue identifiers and corrections.
- Who is credited for constructing the grid, writing the clues and editing the puzzle, and where are those credits recorded? provenance
- Which grid, clue list and answer key belong together, and has a correction superseded any component? boundary
Reproduction and format fidelity
Determines permitted uses and preserves puzzle meaning when changing presentation.
Authorized faithful reuse
Associate intended reuse with permission evidence and identify presentation features necessary to retain the puzzle's constraints.
- What recorded licence or permission covers the proposed reproduction, adaptation or distribution of this crossword version? action
- Which bars, circles, shaded cells, typography or spatial relationships must survive printing, digital conversion or accessible rendering? boundary
Evidence and external alignment What the world already says about this thing, gathered so the model can be checked against it.
A model that cannot be lined up against existing standards, identifiers and practice cannot be adopted by anyone who already uses them.
Reported evidence
Findings from the breadth pass, kept separate from the structural claims.
Check these first
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- This describes the puzzle form; the registry supplies no narrower sense.
- The listed kinds overlap: a crossword can simultaneously be cryptic, barred and themed.
- Grid dimensions and construction rules are editorial conventions, not universal standards; identifiers generally belong to publishers or containing publications.
- Which of these check these first hold for the sense of crossword this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Kinds and varieties
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Straight-definition crossword
- Cryptic crossword
- Blocked-grid crossword
- Barred-grid crossword
- Themed crossword
- Diagramless crossword
- Which of these kinds and varieties hold for the sense of crossword this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Real-world use
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Recreational solving in newspapers, magazines, books and digital applications
- Vocabulary and subject-knowledge exercises in education
- Competitive solving in crossword tournaments
- Themed puzzles for entertainment and community engagement
- Which of these real-world use hold for the sense of crossword this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Typical measurements
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Grid dimensions - 15 × 15 for many American daily crosswords; 21 × 21 for many larger Sunday puzzles - cells
- Entry length - Three or more cells under common American newspaper conventions; other traditions allow shorter entries - cells per entry
- Which of these typical measurements hold for the sense of crossword this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Failure modes and hazards
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- An incorrect crossing letter makes intended answers incompatible.
- An inaccurate or insufficiently constrained clue prevents a fair resolution.
- An unintended alternative answer creates ambiguity that crossings do not resolve.
- Errors in numbering, grid layout or answer keys make a puzzle difficult or impossible to complete.
- Unsignalled obscure references or culturally narrow assumptions can make difficulty depend more on background knowledge than intended.
- Which of these failure modes and hazards hold for the sense of crossword this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Regional variation
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- American newspaper crosswords commonly use blocked grids, rotational symmetry and fully checked entries, with every answer cell belonging to both an across and a down entry.
- British publications commonly distinguish quick and cryptic crosswords; grids often contain unchecked letters, and barred grids are established in advanced cryptics.
- In Scandinavian-style crosswords, clues commonly appear inside the grid, with arrows indicating answer direction.
- Which of these regional variation hold for the sense of crossword this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Word search - A word search asks solvers to locate words already present in a letter array; a crossword asks them to supply intersecting answers.
- Fill-in puzzle - A fill-in supplies an answer list to arrange in a grid rather than requiring answers to be derived from individual clues.
- Acrostic puzzle - An acrostic puzzle typically transfers letters from clue answers into a separate quotation or message rather than joining answers through crossword intersections.
- Crossword collection - A collection groups multiple puzzles into a publication; an individual crossword is a constituent work.
- Crossword copy or digital instance - A printed copy or digital instance carries a particular crossword and may record a solver's entries; it is distinct from the underlying puzzle.
- Which of these neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart hold for the sense of crossword this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
What the second pass must settle
- Does the registry intend crossword to include fill-in and other unclued intersecting-word variants, or should those be related neighbouring concepts?
- Which construction and clue conventions should be profiled for different languages and publishing traditions, and which can be shared?
- What evidence and criteria should distinguish a corrected crossword from a new adaptation or independently identified work?
- How should solution validity be established for puzzles without an authoritative answer key, especially when multiple fills satisfy all recorded constraints?
- How should accessible expressions preserve puzzles whose essential clues depend on typography, colour or spatial arrangement?