How to Solve Fill-In Puzzles

A fill-in (or kriss-kross) hands you the answers up front, a grid and a list of words or numbers, and asks only that you find where each one belongs. No clues to decode, no math. That makes it one of the most relaxing puzzle types there is, and one of the best for winding down.

The method

• Start with the starter. Our puzzles pre-fill one entry; every letter it touches is a free clue.
• Count first. Find a length with only one or two entries, a lone 9-letter word can only go in a 9-letter slot.
• Follow the crossings. Each placed entry fixes letters (or digits) in the entries that cross it, which usually makes the next placement obvious.
• Cross entries off the list as you place them so you always know what's left.

Words or numbers?

They solve identically, the only difference is flavor. Word Fill-Ins give every grid a fun theme; Number Fill-Ins are pure, calm logic with no vocabulary at all, which many solvers find even more soothing. Both are printed in our usual big, clear squares with a starter entry and full answers in the back.