This page is home to a table detailing the major differences between noteworthy cryptic crossword publications; any and all difficulty assessments are purely speculative, so mileage may vary.
Crossword | Frequency | Difficulty | Grid type | Multiple setters? | Puzzle available online? | Solutions available online? | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Daily Mail | Daily | Easy | Blocked | Yes, anonymous | Yes, free | Yes, free | Online version Not cryptic; American |
Daily Telegraph | Daily | Easy/medium | Blocked | Yes, anonymous | Yes, by subscription | Yes, free | |
Enigmatic Variations | Sunday | Hard/very hard | Barred | Yes, named | Yes, by subscription | Yes, free | Printed in The Telegraph on Sunday |
Telegraph Toughie | Tuesday–Friday | Medium/hard | Blocked | Yes, named | Yes, by subscription | Yes, free | Printed in The Daily Telegraph |
The Independent | Daily | Easy-hard | Blocked | Yes, named | Yes, free | Yes, free | Solutions also available at Fifteensquared |
Independent on Sunday | Sunday | Medium/hard | Blocked | Yes, named | No? | Yes, free | |
Inquisitor | Sunday? | Hard/very hard | Barred | Yes, named | No? | Yes, free | |
The Spectator | Weekly? | Hard/very hard? | Barred | Yes?, named | Yes, free | Yes, free | |
Beelzebub | Sunday? | Hard/very hard? | Barred | Yes?, named | No? | Yes, free | Printed in The Independent on Sunday |
The Guardian | Daily | Easy-hard | Blocked | Yes, named | Yes, free | Yes, free | Solutions also available at |
The Guardian Quiptic | Monday | Easy | Blocked | Yes, named | Yes, free | Yes, free | Solutions also available at Fifteensquared |
Everyman | Sunday | Easy | Blocked | No?, anonymous | Yes, free | Yes, free | Printed in The Observer |
Azed | Sunday | Hard/very hard | Barred | No, named | Yes, free | Yes, free | Printed in The Observer |
The Times | Daily | Medium-hard | Blocked | Yes, anonymous | Yes, by subscription | Yes, free | |
The Hindu | Daily | Medium | Blocked | Yes, named | Yes, by subscription | Yes, free | Indian newspaper |
The Listener | Saturday | Very hard | Barred | Yes, named | Yes, by subscription | ? | Printed in The Times |
The Sunday Times | Sunday | Medium | Blocked | No?, anonymous | Yes, by subscription | Yes, free | |
Mephisto | Sunday | Hard/very hard | Barred | Yes, anonymous? | Yes, by subscription | Yes, free | Printed in The Sunday Times |
Financial Times | Daily | Medium-hard | Blocked | Yes, named | Yes, free | Yes, free | |
Cyclops (Private Eye) | Fortnightly | Medium-hard | Blocked | No, named | Yes, free | Yes, free | Solutions also available at Fifteensquared |
Globe and Mail (Canada) | Daily | Easy-medium | Blocked | No (Mon–Fri), yes (Sat) | Yes, free | Yes, free | |
Metro | Daily | Medium | Blocked | Yes, anonymous | Yes, free | No |
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