Tackle the easiest clues first. Scan through the clues, and knock out all the easiest ones. Not only will this give your gameplay some structure, but also it'll give you an ego boost! Typically, fill-in-the-blank clues are the easiest. For example: “___ of Oz.”

The goal is to fill the white squares with letters, forming words or phrases that cross each other, by solving clues which lead to the answers. In languages that are written left-to-right, the answer words and phrases are placed in the grid from left to right ("across") and from top to bottom ("down").

Mondays have the most straightforward clues and Saturday clues are the hardest, or involve the most wordplay. Contrary to popular belief, the Sunday puzzles are midweek difficulty, not the hardest. They're just bigger. A typical Monday clue will be very straightforward and drive you almost directly to the answer.

0:14 1:23 Answer step 6 use words associated with the title of the puzzle. Work with a friend sometimes twoMoreAnswer step 6 use words associated with the title of the puzzle. Work with a friend sometimes two heads are better than one when solving a crossword puzzle. Step seven continue filling in the answers.

Scan through the clues list and look for the three, four or five letter answers and see if you can solve them easily. It can also be helpful to try and remember some of the words that you come across at this length, they do tend to be used over and over again in crosswords.

The latest edition of America's best-selling crossword puzzle dictionary is an essential guide for anyone who enjoys the game. Features 340,000 clues and answer words with over 20,000 new words. Organized alphabetically, by number of letters, and by common categories to quickly target the words you need.

“ERA” is the most common word in crossword puzzles, as well as “ARE,” “AREA,” and “ORE,” ing to Gaffney.