The Answer Dictionary

Crossword Studio help

Crossword Studio includes a dictionary of possible answers (words or phrases) to help you fill in a crossword grid. Along with each answer, the dictionary can also store other data such as favorite clues. The easiest ways to leverage the dictionary are via the matches list (for manually filling individual grid slots) or via Auto Fill (for automatically filling large empty areas).

Out of the box, Crossword Studio includes a default dictionary containing over 135,000 answers. You can customize the dictionary in a number of ways:

The dictionary is independent of any given puzzle; so when you modify answers in the dictionary, your changes will appear while editing any puzzle going forward. Crossword Studio will prompt you to save any dictionary changes each time you exit the program.

Word definitions

The dictionary is just a word list – it does not contain word definitions. However, you can easily look up encyclopedia-like information about a word or phrase:

Your computer must be connected to the Internet for this feature to work.

Deleting or editing entries

To modify and organize existing dictionary entries, use the dictionary editor.

To delete a dictionary entry:

  1. Select a grid slot containing the word/entry
  2. Choose "Dictionary > Delete 'yourword' from Dictionary" in the menu bar

Adding to the dictionary

You can add your own entries to the dictionary. To add an answer that is already written in the grid:

Importing into the dictionary

To add a list of words to the dictionary in one batch operation:

Your word list must be stored as a plain text file (.txt), with each word / phrase on a separate line. Words / phrases can include formatting such as spaces and common punctuation, which will be automatically removed when filling the answers into a puzzle grid. You can also include saved clues by indenting them underneath an answer, as follows: 

Europe
World War II
OSS
   CIA predecessor
V-E Day
attaché

Answers containing digits or unusual symbols will be ignored. Accented letters (e.g. in attaché above) are imported, but are treated as unaccented letters for the purposes of matching intersecting answers in the grid (as is standard in crosswords). Punctuation marks are only accepted if they can sensibly be removed when using the word in a puzzle: while "V-E Day" above can be filled into the grid as "VEDAY", "bed & breakfast" cannot be filled in as "BEDBREAKFAST"). You will see a list of any skipped words when the import finishes.

Import options

  • Split multi-word phrases – if items in the list that contain spaces or hyphens, breaks them up into shorter "partial phrases" and adds these to the dictionary in addition to the original full phrase. (Suggested clues help you link partial phrases to the full original phrase later via a fill-in-the-blank clue).
    • Limit partial phrases – publications usually do not allow partial phrases more than five letters long. (Unless the phrase can also be used on its own, not just as part of the larger phrase. In these cases, place each on a separate line in the word list to ensure it's added to your dictionary regardless of length).

    Imported textSplit multi-word?Limit partials?Words added to dictionary
    as I see it No-as I see it
    YesNoas I see it
    as I see...
    as I...
    ...I see it
    ...I see...
    ...see it
    see
    YesYes:
    5 letters    		as I see it (full phrase is always imported)
    as I...
    ...I see...
    ...see it
    see
    YesYes:
    3 letters    		as I see it
    as I...
    see
    YesYes:
    0 letters    		as I see it
    see (individual words are always imported)

  • Tags – all words you import will be tagged with anything selected here. (If a word is already in the dictionary, it also keeps any tags already associated with it). Use the text field at the bottom to create a new tag without having to visit the dictionary editor.

Creating a new dictionary

You can build your own dictionary completely from scratch by creating a new blank dictionary and then adding or importing only the answers you want:

  1. Choose "Dictionary > Manage Dictionaries" in the menu bar, then click "New Blank Dictionary"
  2. Pick a filename for your new dictionary
  3. You will now have a blank slate to build on. Any words you add will be saved in this new dictionary file, and will not affect the dictionary you were using previously.

The next time you use Crossword Studio, it will remember to use your new dictionary instead of the default. You can switch back to Crossword Studio's default dictionary at any time later – see Multiple dictionaries, below.

Multiple dictionaries

You can create multiple answer dictionaries, each containing completely independent word lists. Crossword Studio will use one dictionary at a time, but you can switch between dictionaries at any point:

  1. Choose "Dictionary > Manage Dictionaries" in the menu bar, then click "Open Existing Dictionary"
  2. Pick an existing dictionary file
  3. The matches list and other parts of Crossword Studio will automatically update to reflect the new word list

The next time you use Crossword Studio, it will remember to use the dictionary you selected instead of the previous one.

Crossword Studio includes a single default dictionary. To create additional dictionaries:

Locating the Crossword Studio default dictionary
To make a backup copy of the default dictionary, or switch back to is after using some other dictionary, look in the following location: