{"id":111883,"date":"2026-07-01T16:01:10","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T16:01:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/111883\/"},"modified":"2026-07-01T16:01:10","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T16:01:10","slug":"how-the-globe-creates-the-giant-canada-day-crossword-and-other-puzzles-according-to-our-games-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/111883\/","title":{"rendered":"How The Globe creates the giant Canada Day crossword and other puzzles, according to our games team"},"content":{"rendered":"

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

This year, The Globe revamped its games, offering daily crosswords and other puzzles all in one place.Charles Rex Arbogast\/The Canadian Press<\/p>\n

On June 29, puzzles and games editor Jess Shulman and digital games lead Jayne Bingler answered reader questions<\/a> on the giant Canada Day crossword<\/a> and how The Globe approaches puzzles in general.<\/p>\n

This year, The Globe revamped its games<\/a>, offering daily crosswords and other puzzles all in one place, and is focused on expanding its exclusive Canadian-made offerings for readers.<\/p>\n

The Globe and Mail\u2019s giant Canada Day crossword puzzle<\/a><\/p>\n

Readers asked how the editors write crosswords, focusing on Canadian-made puzzles and if games are good for brain health.<\/p>\n

Creating crosswords<\/p>\n

How does one actually write a crossword puzzle? It seems like a herculean task to create clever hints, let alone make sure everything fits together.<\/p>\n

Jess Shulman: It is a rather herculean task. Crossword \u201cconstruction,\u201d as it\u2019s called in the biz, starts with coming up with a theme \u2013 a set of 4-5 long entries tied together in some cute or clever way. That can be the hardest part \u2013 even a simple theme needs to really hang together well in order for it to resonate with solvers. <\/p>\n

From there, you build and fill the grid \u2013 there are great software tools that make this way easier than it used to be (when it was done on graph paper!) but it\u2019s still quite a process. It can take hours to land on a completed grid that\u2019s filled with fun, interesting words and not too much obscure stuff or \u201ccrosswordese.\u201d And then, finally, you get to (or have to, depending on your perspective) write your clues, tailoring them to whatever publication and\/or level of difficulty you\u2019re after. It\u2019s a ton of work but very rewarding and fun!<\/p>\n

Jayne Bingler: It\u2019s amazing to see Jess make mini crossword every day.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m glad to see more Canadian-constructed crossword puzzles. Could you tell us more about that decision?<\/p>\n

Shulman: It was a no-brainer; that\u2019s what Canadians want, and it makes it so much fun to see CanCon in there. That\u2019s why we launched the Weekender, the Daily Mini, and the Headliner, and why we now make Fraser Simpson\u2019s cryptic available online and on our app as well as in the paper.<\/p>\n

Our goal is to move toward more and more custom\/exclusive Canadian crossword puzzles over time, but it\u2019s not as easy as it sounds, of course. Soliciting and editing custom puzzles every day of the week is quite a monumental task. So for now we do still offer syndicated puzzles Monday to Friday. We really love the quality of puzzles we get from our syndication partners, even if they do contain some Americanisms or Britishisms on occasion, but ultimately we hope to keep growing our custom offerings.<\/p>\n

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

Illustration by Euan Murphy<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the difference between a regular crossword and a cryptic crossword?<\/p>\n

Shulman: I could talk about this all day. The difference really comes down to the clues. In a regular crossword, the clues are really just definitions. They might be easy or hard, and they might be punny or silly etc., but ultimately the clue is just a direct hint to the answer that goes in the grid.<\/p>\n

Cryptic clues, on the other hand, follow a whole different structure. You can\u2019t just do cryptics by staring at them longer, you have to learn about how they work. Every clue is a puzzle unto itself. I could talk about them all day, but Fraser Simpson has done a really nice primer for Globe readers, so I\u2019ll point you there.<\/a><\/p>\n

Cryptics are hard, but so clever and sooo satisfying. If you\u2019re into wordplay (which you are, since you\u2019re here), I highly recommend them.<\/p>\n

Bingler: It\u2019s interesting when you meet crossword folks, how often they say, \u201cI could never do a cryptic!\u201d But from what Jess has assured me, once you understand how to solve them you will get addicted.<\/p>\n

I was wondering about the themed crosswords on Saturdays. How long does it take to make something like that and who decides what the themes are?<\/p>\n

Shulman: We are incredibly proud of our roster of Canadian constructors for our Weekender crossword, which we launched this year.<\/p>\n

The themes are proposed by the constructors themselves. I encourage them to pitch their themes to me first, before they go to all the work of building the grid and writing 140+ clues. We often have a lot of back and forth, trying to really work on the theme entries to make sure they\u2019re as fun and clever as they can be.<\/p>\n

Once the theme set is finalized, then the constructor goes away to create the grid, and again I take a look before they start cluing (clueing? the great spelling debate) and I might push back and ask them to regrid certain parts if any bits seem like they could be improved. And then they take it away and clue it, and then it comes back to me and I edit all the clues. I check the facts, copy edit for Globe style, adjust for difficulty level, etc. After that it goes out to a team of testers, who come back with feedback (and inevitably catch things I missed!). So it\u2019s quite a process, and we\u2019re so glad to know you\u2019re enjoying it!<\/p>\n

What impact, if any, has the recent rise in AI popularity had on crossword development?<\/p>\n

Shulman: A very good question. AI hasn\u2019t reached the point of being able to make crosswords from start to finish, at least not very good ones. The best crosswords are not only filled with wordplay, which AI doesn\u2019t have a great grasp on, but they\u2019re also filled with each constructor\u2019s particular voice and style. Some constructors might make use of AI to help them come up with theme entries or cluing angles maybe, but even then it can sometimes give pretty wacky suggestions that make no sense. So I don\u2019t really see AI taking over the \u201ccrossworld\u201d any time soon! The best crossword venues employ human editors and pay freelance constructors \u2013 and we\u2019re so glad the Globe is on that train.<\/p>\n

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

Euan Murphy\/The Globe and Mail<\/p>\n

Settling in for a puzzle<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s talk about \u2018cheating.\u2019 What\u2019s your opinion on using the internet to help you through the tricky hints?<\/p>\n

Shulman: My opinion is it\u2019s only cheating if you think it\u2019s cheating \u2013 it\u2019s your crossword and you should solve it however you like. If you want to look something up, then look something up. Then you\u2019ll know it for next time. You make the rules, I say! Of course, if you\u2019re looking to get into competitive solving tournaments (which are a ton of fun, even if you\u2019re slow like I am), then you won\u2019t be able to look things up there, but as part of improving your skills it makes a ton of sense to get a few hints along the way.<\/p>\n

Bingler: Not exactly cheating but I do my print crosswords in pen and Jess only does hers in pencil (the proper way I\u2019m told). The Odd Couple of crosswords.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been wanting to get into doing crossword puzzles on Saturday mornings but don\u2019t know where to start. How do I get into the habit and do you have any tips on how to make sense of the hints?<\/p>\n

Shulman: Our Saturday crossword is the biggest one of the week, a 21×21 grid with 140+ clues, so if you\u2019re struggling to find time for it, that might not be the place to start. (Although it is our favourite, since it\u2019s our own custom Weekender, so don\u2019t let me steer you away) I think it\u2019s just a matter of building in a regular time for yourself to do it. And if you need a smaller bite, try the mini crossword in our app. I make them myself, every day of the week. Monday through Friday they\u2019re 5×5, Saturday is 6×6, and Sunday is 7×7.<\/p>\n

As for how to make sense of the clues, a lot of that just comes with practice. A tip for beginners is to start by looking for gimmes like fill-in-the-blanks. Just getting the first few answers into the grid can help you unlock all kinds of others. Remember that the clue\u2019s part of speech will match the answer\u2019s part of speech, and if the clue is plural, the answer will be plural. If a clue ends in a question mark, that\u2019s a hint that there\u2019s something a little bit punny going on. But most of all it just comes with practice. You won\u2019t always know all the answers, and that\u2019s totally fine.<\/p>\n

Bingler: Saturday morning is a great time slot to dedicate to puzzling. For me, my habit started in print (and still anchors my weekend). Like many others, I presume, I like to get a cup of coffee, grab my clipboard, have some music playing on the background. And for the next 45 mins, I am in my own world. Conversely, I love doing the Globe\u2019s daily mini puzzle as soon as I get to my desk at work. Take your time!<\/p>\n

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

Euan Murphy\/The Globe and Mail<\/p>\n

Are puzzles a good way to promote good brain health? I find it keeps my mind sharp as I get older.<\/p>\n

Bingler: There is data to suggest that regular puzzle solving helps keep the brain sharp especially as we age. Kids are calling it \u2018brain-maxxing\u2019 (are they really?). We attended the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament this April and there was a 100-year-old woman competing. Read this for more information<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s next for games<\/p>\n

With the popularity of games like Wordle and Connections, what do you think will be the next big thing? What makes for an engaging new game?<\/p>\n

Shulman: Crosswords and cryptics are our staples but I there is room for more creative word-play and spelling puzzles. Games like Connections tickle the brain in a different way than a standard crossword. That\u2019s what makes it so popular. Also, finding new ways to share or two-person play will continue to be popular.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Open this photo in gallery: This year, The Globe revamped its games, offering daily crosswords and other puzzles…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":111884,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[3128,17209,136,902,903,904,17],"class_list":["post-111883","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-canada","tag-ac-community","tag-ac-qa","tag-appwebview","tag-aud-growth","tag-aud-headline","tag-aud-url","tag-canada"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111883","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=111883"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111883\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/111884"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=111883"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=111883"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=111883"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}