More than 50 million people in the United States play crosswords regularly, count me in as one of them! I have tried them all; online, newspapers, magazines, daily crossword books…oh my! My skill has increased over time, but I had done thousands before I finally completed one (with no crossword dictionary, friendly assistance or any otherwise cheating). Ok…so, maybe the one I completed wasn’t the NY Times, which is regarded as “expert”, but all the spaces were filled in with the correct words and that’s what counts!

If you are interested, you can  create your own crossword puzzle  pretty easily online. I used to make my own when I was a staff trainer, it was a fantastic way to teach something in a fun way.
  
TIPS ON SOLVING CROSSWORD PUZZLES 
1. Use a pencil for those answers you are unsure of.
2. Start by filling in all the obvious answers first, then move to the harder.
3. Look for plural clues & put an “S” where the last letter of the answer should be.
4. If the puzzle has a theme, keep it in mind as you are reading the clues
5. Walk away for a little while to refresh your mind.
RESOURCES & FUN PRODUCTS
The Big Brain Puzzle BookThe Big Brain Puzzle Book (The Alzheimer’s Association), assorted puzzles used to stimulate your brain and keep it active!
Food & Wine Lover's Puzzle & Quiz BookFood & Wine Lovers Puzzle & Quiz Book, the perfect puzzle book for all you foodies like me!
Million Word DictionaryThe Million Word Crossword Dictionary, one of the largest available


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