Letters outside the grid
“On 8 May 2025 the puzzle had letters outside the grid. How does one fill this in online/digitally? I tried the Esc key (rebus) but it didn’t work. Does one just not enter the off-the-grid letter?” — Teri M., Portland, Ore. From Christina: The New York Times has run 19 puzzles where letters must be written outside the grid. The first was a puzzle by Randolph Ross in 1994, which had theme entries like HAD ONE TOO MANY and A LITTLE BIT EXTRA where one letter didn’t fit inside the grid. In 1994, we didn’t have a digital version of the puzzle, so all our solvers just had to write the letters outside the grid. It took more than a decade before we featured another such puzzle. In 2005, we ran one by Courtenay Crocker III with the revealer MAN IN OUTER SPACE, where solvers had to write the entire word MAN in the “outer space” of the puzzle. Another early example was David Kwong and Kevan Choset’s April Fools’ Day puzzle in 2006 with the revealer THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX. The letters THINK were to be written outside the grid on each of the puzzle’s four sides. During the following decade, from 2006 to 2015, we ran four more puzzles with letters outside the grid. From 2016 to 2025 we ran 12 more. Many groundbreaking theme concepts follow a similar trend: Someone has a totally original idea, a few people are inspired to create similar puzzles and it gradually becomes a staple theme type. The issue with this particular type is that, as our puzzles have moved from being available in print only to being accessible online and in our app, it’s hard to know how to present them digitally. In the mid-2010s, we began focusing more on digital puzzles, and we introduced our own tools for solving the crossword online and in the app. Most of our “special puzzles” that have features like color, images or animations in the grid use what’s called an “overlay” — an image or an animation that is placed directly atop the grid. With an overlay, solvers interact with the grid in the same way they normally would, but there might be art on top of it. With an overlay, it isn’t possible to change the size of the actual grid, so we can’t just make the grid smaller and display letters in the margins. We’ve experimented with different ways to present this style of puzzle digitally, so the way to enter letters outside the grid is always a little different. It might just be one of those theme types that will always work best in print.
Solve Friday’s Crossword on Easy Mode!
In today’s Wordplay column, Sam Corbin writes about our series of guest columnists. For expert hints on today’s puzzle, read her column. Were you able to solve the Friday puzzle with Easy Mode? We want your input! Share your experience with us on the X platform, on Threads or by email. Get a ClueMy favorite clue from last week is 18-Across from Saturday, Jan. 10. Think “toast-er,” not “toaster.” 18-Across: Sound made by a toaster?
How are we doing? Thanks for playing! Subscribe to New York Times Games. If you were forwarded this newsletter, you can sign up to receive it regularly here. P.S. The answer to Get a Clue is TING.
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