Cheating means going outside of the rules in order to achieve the goal—to win. In the case of a pastime like solving a crossword puzzle though, the rules can be fluid. Their exact definition can change from individual to individual simply because of personal taste and preference. Unless you are engaged in solving the puzzles as a part of an organized competition, and they do exist, the only person that can really say that you have cheated at crossword puzzle solving is you and if YOU think you’ve cheated then the person that you are cheating is yourself, too.

Are References Cheating?

The number one cheating concern among crossword puzzle novices is whether or not using an outside reference can be considered cheating. The answer is, of course, no. Reference material is actually encouraged when it comes to crossword puzzle solving. So are other external sources. If you find yourself hitting the wall of your own knowledge, let’s face it, none of us know enough trivia to answer every clue correctly, then you don’t need to feel guilty about looking up an answer. In fact, a good wander through your reference material might actually help you to improve your ability to solve the puzzle next time.

Improving Your Store of Facts

Reference material of any kind will help you to increase your stores of knowledge and trivia over time. The types of information that you need to answer clues and solve crossword puzzles are easily encountered in books, on the internet, even from watching quiz shows. If you’d like to improve your crossword puzzle performance, then consider taking the time to simply study up a little before the ‘test’. Then bring your books and notes along to the party afterwards. No matter where the information comes from, it’s not cheating when you use it to solve your crossword.

Tags: cheating, crossword puzzles