Parseword - for those who would like to be better at cryptic crosswords!

[UnaOfStormhold]

I am definitely not good at cryptic crosswords but feel this is both fun and a good way to get better

www.parseword.com/

Parseword #64
⚡️ 6s
💎 Perfect
🥚 Learn Mode

Parseword #64
⚡️ 54s
✅ 1 Hint

Parseword #65
⚡️ 25s
💎 Perfect
🥚 Learn Mode

Parseword #65
⏱️ 1m9s
✅ 1 Hint

Parseword #66
⏱️ 3m13s
⭐️ No Hints
🥚 Learn Mode

Parseword #66
⏱️ 3m2s
✅ 1 Hint
🥚 Learn Mode

Parseword #66
⏱️ 1m33s
✅ 1 Hint

Parseword #67
⚡️ 21s
💎 Perfect
🥚 Learn Mode

Parseword #68
⚡️ 10s
💎 Perfect
🥚 Learn Mode

Parseword #68
⚡️ 32s
💎 Perfect
🥚 Learn Mode

Parseword #68
⚡️ 35s
💎 Perfect

Parseword #69
⏱️ 1m2s
✅ 1 Hint

Im getting better. But still need the Hint each time for the Direction word!

I'm exactly the same.

I just tried the game for the first time. I read the clue and worked out what the answer was straight away (I'm hit and miss with cryptic crosswords but this was an easy clue) but it took me ages to work out how to show I knew the answer.

I think the tutorial is great for newbies to cryptic clues but wish there was an option just to type in the answer when you play the daily puzzle.

Agreed!
I often know the answer and just want to type it in, instead of clicking on various words in a certain order..

The thing about having to click on each of the correctly interpreted components in order to complete the puzzle (rather than just typing in the answer) is actually quite good, because it means that you can't just guess the answer based on understanding some of the clues, as you can in a real crossword. Like, the other day I knew it was 'weighty' but I hadn't understood one of the clue components.

At first I found it a clunky and extraneous obstacle, but now I understand it to be a fundamental difference between parseword and crosswords. It starts off just as a tutorial feature, but then it becomes part of the challenge

I'm enjoying this, but can't help think it will take so long at just one clue a day before I can even vaguely attempt a real crossword 😆

I wouldn't mind having to show how the clue works if the method of doing so was more intuitive.
Sometimes, with a real crossword, I know what the answer must be but can't completely work out why.

But I did find it very clunky.

The clue that I was doing was solved by taking the last letter of one word and adding it to an anagram of another word. I clicked on the word that was used for the anagram and was given a choice of 4 words to replace it. None of them were the scrambled letters that I wanted. That makes no sense to me.

Parseword #70
⚡️ 39s
⭐️ No Hints
🥚 Learn Mode

Parseword #71
⚡️ 34s
💎 Perfect
🥚 Learn Mode

This is great, as someone who always wishes they could do a cryptic crossword without spending an hour on each clue!

My big issue is always working out what the definition word is. I like on the tutorials that it shows you what the definition word is, but I always struggle to work it out on a normal clue! Is it pretty much always the starting word or ending word?

Oh I just found this in the tutorial:

The definition:
is always hidden either on the right or left side of the puzzle
can be one or more words
is never transformed

Is that true for all cryptic crosswords then?

Parseword #71
⏱️ 2m56s
✅ 3 Hints

Parseword #72
⏱️ 6m5s
✅ 1 Hint
☎️ Secret Found
🥚 Learn Mode

I found that very difficult despite all the hand holding and hints!

Parseword #72
⚡️ 34s
💎 Perfect
🥚 Learn Mode

Wow, my best yet!

Do you know what it meant by "secret found"? I've not seen that before.