# crossword

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈkɹɒswɜː(ɹ)d/ · frequency rank #24,131

## Definitions
1. A word puzzle in which interlocking words are entered usually horizontally and vertically into a grid based on clues given for each word.
2. The grid of such a puzzle.
3. The words in an acrostic puzzle from which the letters are to be taken.
4. A crossword enigma poem.

## Etymology
From cross + word. Various word puzzles referred to as "crosswords" date back to the 1860s. The modern crossword puzzle was invented in 1913 by Arthur Wynne, who coined the name word-cross – crossword first appeared a few weeks later as a typographical error or deliberate transposition.

## Common misspellings (13)
`ccrossword`, `corssword`, `crossowrd`, `crosswodr`, `crosswordd`, `crossworrd`, `crosswrod`, `crosswword`, `crosword`, `croswsord`, `crrossword`, `crsosword`, `rcossword`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/crossword