Becoming a Cryptic Setter

So you want to set cryptic crosswords... why? You know there's no money in it, right?

Okay, fine. You've been warned.

If you do, however, love puzzles and always get a kick out of trying to baffle your family and friends, then you're in the right place.

Cryptic crosswords feel more popular than ever. With more people solving comes more people experimenting with clue-writing, and eventually asking the inevitable question: how do I actually set a crossword?

This post is a practical guide to getting started with setting cryptic crosswords. It won’t make you a great setter overnight, but it should help you avoid the most common mistakes and set you on the right path.

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Solve, solve, solve

It seems obvious to say, but you need to solve before you set.

Solving crosswords is a great way to improve as a setter. It exposes you to different clueing styles, devices, surfaces, and levels of difficulty. Over time, you will develop a sense of what feels fair, what feels elegant, and what annoys you as a solver. All of that feeds directly into your own setting.

You do not need to be a speed solver, but you should be competent. You could probably argue you need a year or two under your belt before you start your setting journey, but that's not strictly necessary. I would probably say that you should be able to solve a daily cryptic crossword on your own*.

*a little help from the dictionary is fine

Which crosswords should you solve?

Well it depends on where you're based and the type of puzzles you're trying to produce. I'm in the UK and set for a UK newspaper so my suggestions reflect that. There are various UK-based puzzles you can solve online for free:

• The Guardian
• The Independent
• Financial Times

One of the advantages to solving the puzzles above, apart from being free, is that you can look up how the clues work over on Fifteensquared.

You can also get lots of great content right here on MyCrossword. If you're unsure about whose puzzles to try, you can filter to Star Setters only to guarantee a solid standard. Many setters who started here have gone on to set for the nationals.

If you are willing to pay for a subscription, both The Times and The Telegraph have excellent puzzles and you can often find deals on subscriptions at various points throughout the year. They also have dedicated blogging sites at Times for the Times and Big Dave.

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Do your homework

Like most people, I had solved cryptics for a number of years and thought I understood the mechanics well enough to give it a go. Did I pause to consider if I should do some more research or buy some instructional literature? Nahhh, I knew what I was doing (spoiler: I did not). My first ever puzzle was the first ever puzzle on this site and it was pretty loose, to say the least. I've left it in its original state as an artefact to see just how bad I was. This is in no way encouragement to go and dig it out (honestly). Tramp was kind enough to take a look at it and offered one main piece of advice: read the Chambers Crossword Manual. Basically, "git gud".

If there’s one thing I can pass on, it’s this: do your homework. Don’t be naïve and assume you can just wing it. Take the time to read up on how cryptic clues are conventionally put together. A manual doesn’t need to be treated as a strict rulebook, just as a handy summary of what solvers tend to expect. As a setter, your first job is to make your puzzles fair.

What that means is that every clue should give the solver a reasonable path to the answer. The wordplay should lead unambiguously to the solution, and the definition should be accurate. No solver should finish your puzzle feeling cheated or confused about how a clue was supposed to work. Fairness is the foundation of good setting. Without it, you're just writing riddles that only you can solve.

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The bare necessities

As with any hobby, there are some people who rush out and get all the expensive kit when they're starting out. Don't be the "all the gear, no idea" person.

I would make this recommendation for any hobby or sport when you're just getting into it: get the cheapest gear that's "good enough". You're learning. There's no need to go nuts and spend hundreds of pounds on a top-of-the-line snooker cue or tennis racket.

Luckily for you, you can start setting crosswords for free. Just create an account on MyCrossword and off you go. We provide all the tools you need to build a standard cryptic crossword, and we even give you somewhere to host and share it with friends when you're done. Further down the line, as your skills progress, you may decide that you want to create more complex puzzle types (e.g., barred grids) and invest in specialist software. For now, while you're dipping your toe in the water, don't spend any cash!

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Getting started on MyCrossword

Everything you need to get started in setting cryptic crosswords is right here on MyCrossword, from grid templates and tools for setting and publishing to - most importantly - a community of solvers to actually tackle your puzzles!

Choose a setter name

Bear in mind that the username you choose on creating a MyCrossword account is also your setter name and will be published alongside all your puzzles, so choose carefully! The norm for most mainstream UK cryptic crossword outlets is to use a pseudonym (that may or may not be meaningful, and if so, only to you) rather than your real name.

If you're stuck - a nickname, a favourite pet's name or an anagram of your real name might come in handy.

Explore useful tips and tools

Before diving into setting, take a look at the User Guide - the clue-writing interface has lots of useful features and spending some time getting to know them will bear great fruit. In particular the main setting interface has a selection of pop-out 'sidebar tools' including a dictionary, an anagram helper and a related word finder, plus comprehensive lists of accepted abbreviations and indicator words.

The site also has a growing Blog with insights and advice from more experienced setters.

Use a tried and tested grid

There are quite a few conventions around constructing a fair grid: rotational symmetry, percentage of crossing letters, and so on. My advice would be to sidestep all of this and just use one of the default template grids on MyCrossword when you're starting out - that way you can't go wrong.

Actually filling a grid takes lots of practice. A few pointers to help you get going:

• seed the grid with a one or two answers you like, perhaps clues you've already written
• start with the longer entries in the grid, they're generally the limiting factor
• try to keep obscure words to a minimum
• hold fire on creating a themed grid until you've gotten the hang of filling

Start small

There is no need to begin with a full 15×15 puzzle.

Try a smaller grid: a quick 13×13, or even a 7×7 mini. Fewer answers means fewer clues, which makes the learning curve less intimidating.

Another great way to practice your clue-writing is to enter the monthly clue-writing contest on MyCrossword. Writing one good clue and seeing how others approach the same answer is very instructive.

Write good notes

In the clue-writing interface you'll be able to write a summary of how each clue works in the 'Explanation' field. This is a great discipline to get into, not only as it provides a lifeline to the stumped solver, but as it makes you as the setter deconstruct the clue to make sure that all of the 'moving parts' are acting exactly as you require. And don't forget to tick the box to show the Annotated Solutions at the point of publishing your puzzle.

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Find a test solver

This may be the most important step of all.

You already know the answers. You know how every clue is supposed to work. That makes you a terrible judge of your own puzzle. So it's highly recommended to send a Preview link of your puzzle to a test solver.

A good test solver will catch ambiguities, unfairness, and outright errors that you will never notice. They will also tell you when something is fine and you are overthinking it.

There's a growing community of setters and solvers on Bluesky. Don't be shy about reaching out and asking if anyone would be willing to test-solve your puzzle. Most setters are happy to help beginners because someone helped them when they were starting out. You can also look for test solvers in the comments section of puzzles here on MyCrossword - people who regularly leave thoughtful feedback are usually open to helping new setters.

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Don't set too much

It's very easy to dive head-first into setting and write four or five crosswords in a week, but there are a couple of reasons why you should reconsider.

First, you need time to process feedback and incorporate learnings into your next crossword. If you're churning out puzzles daily, you won't have time to reflect on what worked and what didn't. Setting is a skill that improves with practice, but only if you're learning from each puzzle.

Second, solvers will tire from a barrage of poor or average puzzles where the setter is repeating the same mistakes. To be honest, solvers will tire from a barrage of good puzzles from the same setter - give other people a chance to publish! One good puzzle is better than three average ones.

I would recommend not setting more than once a week when you're starting out. This will give you time to get a test solve or two, rewrite clues when they're not working, and polish your surfaces. Quality over quantity should be your mantra.

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Give feedback, get feedback

While you shouldn’t give feedback just to try and get something back, posting feedback on other solvers’ puzzles is a nice way to build goodwill. If you're just starting out, this doesn't need to be an in-depth critique, perhaps just some appreciation for clues you enjoyed or to let them know you've completed their crossword. Maybe they'll return the favour when you publish one of your own puzzles.

Beyond karma, though, leaving feedback for other setters is genuinely useful for your own development. By thinking critically about what works and what doesn't in other people's clues, you'll develop a better sense of what makes a good clue. You'll start to notice patterns in clues you enjoy and devices you'd like to try yourself.

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Common mistakes

Setting is not only about knowing what to do, it's also about knowing what not to do. Here are seven deadly-ish sins I often see new setters committing…

💀 1) Indirect anagrams

If the letters aren't in the clue, you can't scramble them.

For example, consider this clue for GOD:

❌ Deity's barking pet (3)

You're not allowed to anagram DOG here, only PET.

💀 2) Wrong part of speech

Your definition must match the answer in part of speech and tense.

A useful check is the “sentence test”: substitute the answer for the definition in a simple sentence. If it does not work grammatically, your definition is probably wrong.

For example, consider this clue for RUNNING:

❌ Busy nun with grin moved fast (7)

“She’s RUNNING down the road” does not match “she’s MOVED FAST down the road”. The tense is wrong.

💀 3) Padding words

Don't include superfluous words for the surface reading. Every word should have a purpose in the cryptic reading - either as part of the definition, the wordplay, or as a legitimate link. Words that are just there to make the sentence flow are not allowed.

For example, consider this clue for CAP:

❌ Part of Sarah Jessica Parker's hat (3)

• "Part of" is the hidden indicator
• "Jessica Parker" is hiding the solution CAP
• "hat" is the definition

So what's "Sarah" doing? Nothing. Therefore it shouldn't be there.

💀 4) Nonsensical surfaces

Each clue should be a coherent, grammatically correct sentence. Even if the cryptic reading works perfectly, a surface that reads like gibberish will frustrate solvers.

For example, consider this clue for VICE:

❌ Workbench tool six church (4)

While technically sound (VI = six in Roman Numerals and CE = church), this doesn't really mean anything.

💀 5) Same-sideyness

Avoid using the same etymological root in multiple definitions or part of the wordplay.

For example, consider this clue for PAINTER:

❌ Artist put coat on with hesitation (7)

"Put coat on" for PAINT overlaps too closely with PAINTER i.e., they're from the "same side".

💀 6) Overuse of devices

Variety matters.

If every clue is an anagram, or if hidden answers appear constantly, solvers will get bored. As a rough guide, keep anagrams to under about 25% of the grid, and limit hidden answers to one or two per puzzle. These are not hard rules, but they are sensible targets.

💀 7) Full stops

Do not end your clues with full stops.

This is harmless, but it is also a sure-fire way to indicate that you're a newbie.

If you can consistently avoid these common mistakes you'll already be several steps ahead of most new setters starting out.

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In summary

Remember: solve lots of puzzles, do your homework, use free tools, start small, find a test solver, don't publish too often, review other people's work, and avoid common mistakes.

Most importantly, be patient. Every setter started out writing clues that didn't quite work. Improvement comes from time, practice, and a willingness to learn.

Happy setting!

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Resources

Learning resources

Chambers Crossword Manual, 5th Edition - The definitive guide to cryptic crossword setting. If you buy just one book on the subject, make it this one. I should have probably set up an affiliate link for this...

A Brief Guide to the Construction of Cryptic Crossword Clues - A great, free alternative to the Crossword Manual written by Michael Callaghan.

Charlie Methven's Tips - Goes into detail about a lot of the topics mentioned above with clear examples and explanations.

MyCrossword Blog - Includes a growing selection of articles giving general and specific advice on various aspects of puzzle setting.

Setting resources

MyCrossword User Guide - Everything you need to know about using the site's setting tools and features.

Charlie Methven's Abbreviations - A comprehensive list of abbreviations used in UK cryptics including explanations of where you might see them used in real life.

Clue Clinic - A set of indicator lists for various clueing devices.

Anagrams - MyCrossword has an anagram builder in its sidebar but if you need a separate site to do this, this one uses the same engine.

Chambers - The online version of the "big red book" that all UK setters use. It's probably worth investing in a hard or soft copy eventually. I've got the app on my phone.

Crossword Compiler - If you find yourself needing a more powerful tool, Crossword Compiler is the de facto standard. I would recommend paying for it as a one-off over a subscription for the best value for money.