The Listener Crossword: Solving
Solving the Listener
A general description of the Listener Crossword and some advice for solving it. There’s also some discussion of solving numerical puzzles.
Prize information
Listener crossword winners may request one of the alternative prizes by contacting us either at prizes@listenercrossword.com or at the usual postal address for entries. A prize choice may be indicated on one’s entry submission, in case of a win. The books currently on offer are:
- Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (20th edition, hardback)
- The Chambers Dictionary (Revised 13th edition, hardback)
- Chambers Crossword Dictionary (4th edition, paperback)
- Chambers Crossword Lists (paperback)
- Chambers Crossword Manual (5th edition, hardback)
- Chambers Paperback Thesaurus (paperback)
- Everyday Shakespeare: Lines for Life (paperback)
- Words from Hell: Unearthing the Darkest Secrets of English Etymology (paperback)
Last updated 22 June 2026: Reprints of The Chambers Dictionary have arrived.
Submitting an entry
This gives instructions for submitting an entry by post or email, including guidelines for the format.
Statistics
All entries received are marked and annual statistics are prepared. The statistics for previous years are available here.
Solver awards
There are annual awards to the top solver of the year and the most successful new solver of the year. These are presented at the following year’s dinner.