Introduction

Crosswise is a collection of interactive crosswords, created to help you practise your English vocabulary in an efficient and entertaining way. It has been designed for students who have already acquired a basic English vocabulary. To be able to work with Crosswise, you should be able to understand the main points in this Introduction and be familiar with the 1500 most common words of the English language.

Eight levels of difficulty

The Crosswise collection has been organized into eight levels of difficulty, according to the frequency of the words used. The division is based on the levels of frequency established through studies of the database behind the Collins English Dictionary.  You will find eight different crosswords at each level.

Three modes - three different ways of working

• GUIDED MODE: If you choose to solve the crosswords in Guided mode, you will be warned if you are about to make a mistake (wrong letters appear in red). You can also ask for a hint: a letter (Reveal letter), or the whole word (Reveal). You can choose to have a look at the solution before starting: you click on Solution and then on Revert.

• HINTS MODE: If you choose the Hints mode, you will only get the red-letter warning. You can, as in the Guided mode, see the whole solution if you give up, and erase it by clicking on Revert.

• NO-HELP MODE: If you feel very confident that you can solve the crosswords at a particular level, you choose the No-help mode. Now you are on your own! You will know if you have solved the crossword successfully when you write the very last letter.