Pym's Daily Word Square Tactics: Rare Letters

Tuesday, 14th January 2025

In scrabble, letters like J, Q, X and Z are rare, and difficult to place, but are also very valuable. In Pym's Daily Word Square Puzzle, these letters are also rare and valuable, but they make the puzzle easier.

Because there are fewer words containing them than, say, letters like E, T and A, the possible solutions are narrowed down. As Dr. Pym says, "The more obscure letters in our alphabet, when appearing as clues in a puzzle, will focus the mind on those rare words that contain them, providing to the keen mind an early key to the solution of the puzzle. The fewer the possible solutions available, the closer one approaches certainty."

This tactic can even override the previous one, of avoiding the middle word at the start of solving a puzzle. A central letter of Q or J leaves very few possibilities, and in combination with the other clues can even narrow down the central word to a single possibility.