Free Solving Aide for Printable Crosswords

Still holding on to that crossword puzzle that you've kept coming back to for days, but just can't figure out the last few words you need? I found an online site called More Words that can help!

Here's how it works. Say you have a three-letter word ending in 'r', but for the life of you can't come up with the answer. Enter '--r' in to More Words, and it will return a list of words all containing three letters ending in 'r'. Or maybe you have 'pu--le'; You'll get back puddle, pungle, purfle, purple, and puzzle! Or maybe you want to know every word that contains the letters 'sswo' in the middle. You would enter '*sswo*', and get back that list of words. There are even more complex searches you can do, outlined on their examples page.

The only problem with this solution is that you'll have to have a computer, or access to one, and it will have to have Internet access. This probably isn't going to be a viable solution as you sit on the train during your morning commute. There is always the Franklin CWP-206 Pocket Crossword Solver. Twenty-five dollars might be a small investment in your sanity!

Pretty cool, huh? Of course you could use this site for a lot more than just solving printable crosswords, but it sure does come in handy! Cheating? Maybe! Satisfaction of finally finishing that damn puzzle, definitely!

Two Cool Gadgets for the Printable Crosswords Geek

If in addition to being a printable crosswords junkie you're also a technology geek, then I have two extremely cool, inexpensive gadgets that you won't be able to live without.

The first is the Franklin CWP-206 Crossword Puzzle Solver. It comes in at less than $30, and amazon has a few used up for around $25 or so. It's pre-programmed with over 250,000 words and phrases taken directly from Merriam-Webster. In addition to crosswords, it can also easily and quickly solve Scrabble and Jumble puzzles too! It's best feature is that it's built with a typical clam shell design, meaning you can close the lid to protect the screen and keyboard while storing it in your pocket or purse. The instructions were printed on the inside of the top case, so every time you open it the directions are readily available.

Next is The NY Times Electronic Crossword Puzzle. This is a small and compact handheld crossword game platform, pre-programmed with The New York Times' best crossword puzzles. Complete with a full QWERTY keyboard, it sports automatic power-off to save the batteries, which are only 2 tiny AAAs. It also allows you to save unfinished puzzles for later play! There is also a convenient check key that will highlight incorrect answers.

While these two devices wont allow you to make printable crosswords, they are two handy gadgets no crossword geek should be without!