Acrostic Puzzles
A quote acrostic hides a famous saying in a grid of numbered squares. Every letter of every clue answer belongs to one square of the quote, and the first letters of the answers spell the author's name.
How to play Acrostic Puzzles
- Read a clue and work out its answer. The number of squares tells you how long the answer is.
- Each answer square has a number underneath. That number is the matching square in the quote, so every letter you type in a clue appears in the quote at the same time, and the other way round.
- Some squares in the quote are given at the start; they belong to no clue. The small letter in the corner of every other quote square shows which clue it comes from.
- Read down the first letter of every answer: together they spell the author of the quote (or the author's last name).
- Fill every square correctly to solve the puzzle. Easy gives extra letters to start with, Hard gives only the squares no clue covers.
Controls
- Tap a square in the quote or in a clue, then type or tap a letter on the keypad. Tap a clue's text to jump to its first blank.
- Keyboard: letters fill, Backspace erases, arrow keys move, Enter or Tab jumps to the next blank, Space switches between typing in the quote and in the clue.
- Check marks wrong squares in red. Reveal square fills the selected square for a small score cost.
Tips
- Work both ways. Once a few clue answers are in, look for half-finished words in the quote: filling them in gives you letters back in the clues.
- Short quote words such as THE, AND, OF and TO usually appear early and fall quickly.
- The author line is a great check: once you can guess the name, you know the first letter of every answer.
FAQ
What is an acrostic puzzle?
An acrostic is a word puzzle that combines a set of crossword-style clues with a hidden quotation. The letters of the clue answers are transferred into numbered squares to spell out the quote, and the first letters of the answers spell the name of the author. It is also called a quote acrostic, double acrostic or anacrostic.
How do you solve a quote acrostic?
Start with the clues you know and type them in: each letter lands in the quote at the same time. As words in the quote take shape, guess them from context and the letters flow back into the clues you could not solve. Keep switching between the two until every square is full.
How is it different from a crossword?
In a crossword the answers cross each other in a grid. In an acrostic the answers never cross; instead they share their letters with the hidden quote, so the quote itself becomes your biggest clue.
Where do the quotes and clues come from?
The quotes are public-domain lines from authors such as Abraham Lincoln, Jane Austen, Henry David Thoreau and William Shakespeare. The clues were written for this site, and each puzzle is built fresh by our own generator.
How is my score calculated?
You score 5 points for every square you had to fill, plus a level bonus and a speed bonus. Each revealed square costs 15 points and each check costs 5.