Cryptic crosswords clues will contain a wordplay element and a definition. The definition will either come at the start or at the end of the clue, and everything else will be wordplay. Sometimes you may have to string together different bits of wordplay to get to the final answer.  Generally, in cryptic crosswords, every single word in the clue is important in some way or another.

Common Wordplay Elements (with example clues)

Order:

A fundamental idea in cryptic crosswords, is that where wordplay has multiple elements, they come in the order that corresponds to the answer. Where this is deviated from, there needs to be some indication, such as before or after, or synonyms of such to clearly change the orderof the components to get to the final answer.

Example:

Sometimes in cryptic crosswords, either the definition itself or some component of the clue will be an example of e.g. an example of a country or a river. This is often (but not always) demonstrated by having a question mark after the thing that we are looking for an example of. This will be demonstrated in a few of the examples in subsequent sections.

Shortening:

Another very common type of cryptic crossword clue is to use contractions or shortening of phrases to give components of a clue, which are then strung together in the order they appear in the question. These are often things such as elements on the periodic table, countries, US states, compass points, playing card suits, roman numerals or really anything that is commonly shortened to a few letters.

Examples:

Iron alien’s appendages (4)

Iron on the periodic table is denoted by FE, and alien is often given by ET which gives FEET, or appendages.

A newspaper’s royal succession (5)

The letter A is going to be important, and often just gets placed in the clue as an A. Newspaper could be FT, as in Financial Time, or sometimes RAG. In this case, we are looking for FT. Royal could be ER, as in Elizabeth Regina, CR, as in Charles Rex. In this clue, we want ER to give AFTER, which is succession.

Synonyms:

One of the most used wordplay elements in a cryptic crossword would be synonyms, in which the crossword setter gives you words which you have to come up with synonyms for, and then string them together for the answer to the clue.

Examples:

Photographer is long time after wheel (6)

A long time would be an ERA, wheel could be CAM, and then using the idea of order, to place ERA after CAM, we get to CAMERA, which is a photographer. This clue also demonstrates that sometimes words have slightly oblique definitions to try and throw the solver off.

Imagines fifty papers (6)

This clue contains a number which could easily be represented with a roman numeral, fifty or D. Papers could be REAMS as in reams of paper. The fact that papers is plural, suggest we should probably use REAMS rather than REAM, which gives us DREAMS as the answer, which does mean imagines.

Letter selection:

This is a little bit like shortening but more difficult. Here we find taking alternate letters from words in the clue, hinted at by words such as odd, even, or periodically. We also have takingthe extremities of words or the centres of words as well, with heart or central meaning to take the middles, or outer and border meaning the extremities. First and Last letters are also fair game to be selected.

Examples:

Odd stance for animal’s pouch (3)

Take the odd letters from StAnCe, and we are left with SAC, which is an animal’s pouch.

California watches middle of pintsize pets (4) 

As was mentioned earlier, states are often shortened to their state code, so hear California can become CA. The middle of pintsize is telling us to take the middle letters of pinTSize, or TS, which can then be combined to give CATS, which are pets.

Help coral with first pair of lionfish in (6) 

Coral gives us REEF, and first pair is the letter selection element, telling us to take the first two letters of LIonfish. We can then place LI inside REEF using ourcontainers, to get to RELIEF, which means help.

Rubbish student, dunce at first (3) 

Student is going to be one of BA or MA, most likely. At first is telling us to take the first letter of Dunce, i.e. D. Combining BA and D gives BAD, which means rubbish.

Deposit orange-red export initially (3) 

Initially is telling us to take some first letters, in this case we take the first letters of all of Orange Red Export, to get us to ORE, which is a deposit.

Yellowstone’s extreme traveller is often first hairy beast (4)

Often first tells us to take the first letters of all of Yellowstone’s Extreme Traveller Is, or YETI, which is a hairy beast.

Contents and Containers:

This is similar to the idea of order from earlier, but slightly more obscure. Here we will put words in other words (putting contents inside containers). Container words, words where A <word> B ends up with B inside the word A could include about, concealing, or hiding. Contents words, where A <word> B ends up with A inside word B could include among, in, or lining.

Examples:

Space in doctor’s captain? (4)

Space, here, is talking about EM, which is one of those weird shortenings that just crops up in cryptic crosswords all the time, originating from typography. Doctor often gives DR or PHD, but in this clue, we are looking for the famous Doctor NO of James Bond fame. The in is what is telling us to put EM inside NO to give NEMO, who is a famous captain. The question mark is telling us that this is an example of a doctor rather than a synonym, another quirk of cryptic crosswords.

Plants routine inside extremes of Cincinnati (5)

Routine could be an ACT, which we have to place inside the extremes of Cincinnati. The extremes, from letter selection, can simply be both the first and last letter of Cincinnati, which are CI. Placing ACT inside CI gives CACTI, which are plants.

Anagram: 

In an anagram clue, there will be a word that tells you to make an anagram. These will generally be words that tell you that something is broken or mixed up etc. Often, the whole answer will be an anagram of letters in the clue, although sometimes only part of the answer is an anagram, and the rest of the clue will be given by other elements of the clue.

Examples:

Held a cart that broke down in place of worship (9)

In this clue, that broke down tells us that there is an anagram. We then look at the letters HELD A CART, which can be rearranged to give CATHEDRAL, which is a place of worship.

Then lads got lost on island? (8)

Got lost shows us that we should be looking for anagrams, here the letters to mix up are THEN LADS, to give us SHETLAND, which is an example of an island.

Vehicle I broke, sadly, after its test (9)

This clue uses the word sadly to indicate that we are looking for an anagram, in this case, the letters that we are mixing up are I BROKE, which isn’t enough letters, so we have another wordplay element to consider. We have a shortening here: a vehicles’ test is an MOT, and if we consider the order, we can see that the anagram of I BROKE goes after MOT to give us MOTORBIKE, which is a Vehicle.

Hidden Words:

Sometimes words are just hidden in the clue. A lot of the words that are used to point towards this are similar to contents words, such as hiding or fragment.

Examples:

Napoleon’s buried cat (3)

Buried, here, tells us that we should be looking inside a word here, in this case NapoLEOn, to find LEO, a cat.

Flat ball to be held by heartthrob later (6)

This clue uses to be held by to show that we are looking for a hidden word inside heartthrOB LATEr. OBLATE means flat ball.

Translation:

Occasionally, you will see other nationalities mentioned in the clue next to fairly simple words, which must be translated into that language. This normally just extends to French, Spanish or German.

Examples:

The Spanish in outer parts of Beirut region (4)

We must translate the into Spanish, to get either EL or LA. The outer parts of Beirutis BT, the outermost letters of Beirut. Placing, in this case, EL inside BT gives BELT, which is a region (e.g. Bible Belt)

Homophones:

Homophones means that we are looking for something to be said. This is normally indicated by having a word like heard, listen, broadcast, or said.

Examples:

“Can do,” Adam’s son said (4) 

Adam’s son in the bible is ABEL, and if that is said, it sounds like ABLE, which means “Can do”, so is the answer.

Heard sign of musical instrument (6) 

A sign is a SYMBOL. If this is heard, it sounds like CYMBAL, which is a musical instrument.

Removal:

Sometimes clues tell us to remove letters from things that have already been clued to. We are often told which letters to remove fairly explicitly.

Examples:

Like Darth Vader lost heart (4)

Darth Vader would be ANAKIN, and if he lost heart, he lost the middle letter(s), in this case, the AK from the middle. This leaves us with AKIN, which means like.

From a distance and without judging Vizier? (4)

The vizier in question would be JAFAR, and we are instructed to consider this without judging, hence we should remove the J. This leaves AFAR, which means from a distance.

Gazelle missing bug who ran off (5)

Another word for Gazelle is ANTELOPE, which is missing bug, so we have to remove ANT, leaving us with ELOPE, which means ran off.

Grease timelessly precedes Witch’s trouble (3)

This is quite a tricky clue. The way in, is to think about Witch’s trouble. This is pushing us in the direction of the famous chant “Double Double Toil and Trouble…”. The word TOIL is the predecessor of trouble. Time is commonly denoted by T in cryptic crosswords, so timelessly means we have to remove the T, which leaves us with OIL, which is a grease.

Reversal:

Sometimes we will have to consider either sections of clue backwards or possibly the whole thing. This can be clued towards using words such as back. In across clues, reversal indicators can include words instructing us to read something left and in down clues, we often see synonyms of rising or up hinting us towards reversals.

Examples:

Made-up cheese? (4)

This would have to be found in a down clue, as up is the reversal indicator here, telling us to reverse the word MADE to get to EDAM, which is an example of a cheese.

No, I reversed the charge (3)

Simply reverse NO I to get ION, which is a charged particle, here, just a charge.

Yoda returned headless in state of agitation (3)

Here we both remove the first letter of YODA and reverse it, as clued by headless and returned. This leaves ADO, which is a state of agitation.

Double Definition:

As mentioned right at the start, sometimes the clue is simply two different definitions of the same word in immediate succession, with no other wordplay present.

Examples:

Way of locating doctors (3)

Way of locating is a GPS, and a doctor could be a GP, or in the plural, GPS

Shows glasses (10)

​SPECTACLES are shows, but are also glasses

Try Morse at first

Morse at first is clueing towards Inspector Morse’s first name, ENDEAVOUR, which means try.

Miscellaneous:

I have labelled this final category as misc. There is a lot the setter can do with crosswords, including use very weird ways of clueing you to the answer, having the definition be the whole clue, or just some really weird stuff, which I have lumped altogether in this final category. Most of the really weird clues will have a question mark at the end to encourage you to think about them in a different way.

Examples:

Draw draw? (9)

The answer to this is BACKWARDS. We have the word DRAW written BACK, and multiple times (giving the plural)

Result of firing those who are late? (3) 

Those who are late might be dead, and if you fire them, you would cremate them. The result of cremation is ASH, the answer to this very weird clue.

Edgy music originally (3)

Originally tells us to take the first letters, but we do so of all words here, to give EMO, which was originally edgy music.