Or, if you're looking for several puzzles to complete at once from NYT, you can buy a book of The New York Times crossword puzzles on sites like Amazon. If you want fresh, daily crosswords and are willing to pay, a Games subscription is $6 USD a month and is a separate subscription from the rest of The New York Times. Unfortunately, the Times requires a subscription to play its daily crossword (not to be confused with Wordle). The gold standard, of course, is The New York Times. This customizable difficulty has created an access point by which new, young players can ease themselves into this fun, maddening hobby. Most online puzzles come with tools that check your work automatically or manually, depending on your preference. It's neater, for one - no more cross-outs or smudged erasing when you've made a mistake - and readers no longer have to wait a whole day to check their answers. The shift to new media over the past 30 years has only broadened the crossword puzzle's appeal.

What's more, you'll find hundreds of crossword puzzles outside of the traditional newspapers in the form of digital and physical puzzle books, so you can always fulfill your need for more puzzles. But unlike flagpole-sitting, dance marathons, flapper style, and the Charleston, the crossword puzzle has endured a consistent, daily presence in any respectable print newspaper. When they first gained popularity during the 1920s, they were dismissed by many cultural critics as a fad. If you're looking for something fun to stimulate your mind and expand your cultural knowledge, you can't do better than a crossword puzzle.

Printable free crossword puzzle maker