This web browser is not supported. Use Chrome, Edge, Safari, or Firefox for best results.
44 Backward Gimmick puzzles
Crosswords where answers have to be entered backward
Entering answers backward is a crossword gimmick with a long history.
The "Count" value below shows the number of answers in each grid you have to reverse.
The Modern Era constructors:
Thumbnails for the 5 most recent:
Mon 4/1/2024
W | A | F | T | S | | M | G | M | | | N | A | N | A |
A | W | A | I | T | | A | N | A | L | | O | R | A | L |
D | E | E | R | E | | M | I | N | I | D | O | N | U | T |
| | L | E | E | R | A | T | | S | A | M | O | S | A |
D | A | W | D | L | E | | C | H | A | N | D | L | E | R |
O | R | E | O | | C | I | A | O | | T | A | D | A | S |
R | A | N | F | R | O | M | | B | E | E | B | | | |
M | B | A | | O | U | R | | B | R | A | | N | A | E |
| | | D | O | P | E | | L | A | N | S | I | N | G |
O | W | E | R | S | | A | R | E | S | | T | A | N | G |
B | E | L | I | T | T | L | E | | E | M | O | T | E | S |
T | R | E | B | E | K | | V | I | S | I | O | N | | |
U | N | C | E | R | T | A | I | N | | S | P | U | R | S |
S | E | T | H | | S | I | L | O | | S | T | O | U | T |
E | R | S | T | | | D | O | N | | M | O | M | M | Y |
POW Thu 1/17/2019
J | E | S | T | E | D | | T | W | E | N | | P | A | R |
A | L | P | A | C | A | | H | A | E | Y | L | L | E | H |
M | E | L | L | O | N | | E | C | N | U | O | E | N | O |
P | A | I | L | | S | O | L | O | S | | L | A | E | M |
A | N | T | I | H | E | R | O | | Y | A | C | S | I | B |
C | O | R | E | A | | S | O | S | | S | A | E | D | I |
K | R | U | S | T | Y | | K | U | E | H | T | | | |
S | S | N | | R | E | V | I | V | E | R | | F | E | D |
| | | L | E | N | I | N | | R | A | B | O | S | I |
T | I | D | E | D | | M | G | M | | M | A | R | C | S |
U | N | E | A | S | E | | G | A | T | S | S | E | O | G |
S | L | E | D | | S | E | L | E | S | | A | S | R | U |
C | O | M | O | E | S | T | A | | A | L | L | E | T | S |
A | V | E | N | G | E | R | S | | R | E | T | E | E | T |
N | E | D | | O | X | E | S | | S | E | S | N | E | S |
Sat 3/31/2018
S | T | N | A | D | E | R | | S | D | A | P | S | O | S |
I | H | A | V | E | T | O | | B | A | Y | L | E | A | F |
T | A | W | O | R | H | T | | E | M | N | O | S | T | I |
O | N | E | W | A | Y | S | T | R | E | E | T | S | | |
| | | | E | L | A | Y | | | | S | A | P | S |
I | N | S | E | T | | | R | O | B | O | | T | H | O |
N | A | M | T | | L | L | A | N | I | G | N | I | O | G |
A | R | O | U | S | A | L | | D | R | E | A | M | E | R |
S | N | O | I | T | C | E | R | I | D | | T | E | B | A |
A | I | R | | M | E | T | A | | | M | O | D | E | L |
D | A | E | B | | | | N | A | L | E | | | | |
| | T | O | T | A | L | G | R | I | D | L | O | C | K |
S | D | A | O | R | N | I | | O | T | N | I | G | O | L |
H | O | T | Z | O | N | E | | G | R | A | N | O | L | A |
O | N | S | E | T | O | V | | A | E | T | E | G | A | S |
Thu 2/22/2018
A | D | D | M | E | | A | G | E | S | | F | O | G | S |
D | R | O | O | P | | N | O | R | A | | O | R | A | L |
L | A | N | O | I | T | A | N | A | T | S | U | G | U | A |
E | N | T | | C | O | L | D | S | | P | L | A | N | B |
R | O | P | E | | T | O | O | | H | A | U | N | T | |
| | A | R | B | E | G | L | A | E | R | P | | | |
A | N | N | O | Y | | | A | I | R | | | A | M | Y |
T | R | I | S | E | C | T | | L | E | I | S | U | R | E |
M | A | C | | | U | M | P | | | M | I | N | I | S |
| | | S | R | E | Z | I | T | E | P | P | A | | |
| A | C | H | E | D | | C | A | L | | S | T | A | B |
F | L | O | R | A | | D | A | R | E | D | | U | S | E |
R | E | V | E | R | S | I | N | G | C | O | U | R | S | E |
A | X | E | D | | A | N | T | E | | C | R | E | E | P |
T | A | N | S | | M | E | E | T | | K | I | L | T | S |
POW Thu 2/2/2017
S | T | E | P | | M | O | A | N | | | E | R | I | C |
T | A | X | I | | U | N | J | A | M | | V | E | G | A |
A | D | E | N | | C | O | A | T | I | | A | C | L | U |
B | A | C | K | T | O | F | R | O | N | T | | O | O | L |
| | | E | S | U | F | | | N | A | E | R | O | K |
G | N | I | Y | A | S | | D | E | O | M | E | D | | |
E | E | N | E | R | | F | O | R | W | A | R | D | H | O |
R | I | G | | | L | E | W | I | S | | | E | O | N |
I | N | R | E | V | E | R | S | E | | S | D | A | O | T |
| | E | R | I | T | N | E | | E | T | A | L | F | O |
M | E | D | N | A | T | | | S | P | I | V | | | |
E | C | I | | L | E | F | T | T | O | R | I | G | H | T |
T | O | E | S | | R | O | W | A | N | | N | O | I | R |
U | L | N | A | | S | P | I | K | Y | | C | A | K | E |
P | I | T | T | | | S | T | E | M | | I | D | E | S |
Date | Count | Author | Title | Editor |
Mon Apr 1, 2024 | 6 | Alan Arbesfeld | | Fagliano |
Thu Jan 17, 2019 | 16 | Ross Trudeau | | Shortz |
Sat Mar 31, 2018 | 38 | Kevin G. Der | | Shortz |
Thu Feb 22, 2018 | 3 | Zhouqin Burnikel | | Shortz |
Thu Feb 2, 2017 | 12 | Alex Eaton-Salners | | Shortz |
Sun Aug 21, 2016 | 1 | Kathy Matheson and Jeff Chen | WONDER-FUL! | Shortz |
Thu Apr 28, 2016 | 35 | Kurt Krauss | | Shortz |
Thu Apr 16, 2015 | 17 | Joe Krozel and Peter Collins | | Shortz |
Thu Sep 4, 2014 | 5 | Samuel A. Donaldson | | Shortz |
Thu Oct 24, 2013 | 4 | Peter A. Collins | | Shortz |
Sun Oct 20, 2013 | 1 | Elizabeth C. Gorski | COUNTRY ROAD | Shortz |
Thu Aug 29, 2013 | 30 | Timothy Polin | | Shortz |
Thu May 30, 2013 | 4 | Julian Lim | | Shortz |
Thu Aug 23, 2012 | 6 | Mark Feldman | | Shortz |
Sun Nov 6, 2011 | 12 | Elizabeth C. Gorski | BAKER'S DOZEN | Shortz |
Fri Apr 1, 2011 | 16 | Elizabeth A. Long | | Shortz |
Thu Sep 2, 2010 | 37 | Patrick Blindauer and Andrea Carla Michaels | | Shortz |
Thu Oct 1, 2009 | 2 | Patrick Blindauer & Rebecca Young | | Shortz |
Sat Nov 1, 2008 | 19 | Donald K. Willing | | Shortz |
Thu Jul 17, 2008 | 5 | Elizabeth A. Long | | Shortz |
Thu Sep 23, 2004 | 3 | Jerry E. Rosman | | Shortz |
Sat Mar 1, 2003 | 2 | Randolph Ross | | Shortz |
Sun Apr 29, 2001 | 1 | Elizabeth C. Gorski | HIGH DEFINITION | Shortz |
Sun Aug 22, 1993 | 5 | Bernard Meren | FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS | Maleska |
Thu Apr 1, 1993 | 40 | Alfio Micci | | Maleska |
Fri May 8, 1992 | 1 | Alfio Micci | | Maleska |
Wed Apr 1, 1992 | 4 | Lawrence M. Rheingold | | Maleska |
Mon Apr 1, 1991 | 4 | William S. McIlrath | | Maleska |
Sun May 20, 1990 | 68 | John Russell | UPWARD BOUND | Maleska |
Fri Jan 27, 1989 | 4 | Bernice Gordon | | Maleska |
Fri Jul 15, 1988 | 4 | Daniel Girardi | | Maleska |
Fri Jun 13, 1986 | 4 | Gloria Evans | | Maleska |
Tue Apr 1, 1986 | 32 | Kenneth Haxton | | Maleska |
Mon Apr 1, 1985 | 4 | Ernst Theimer | | Maleska |
Sun Apr 1, 1984 | 4 | Frances Hansen | !PU SMOTTOB | Maleska |
Thu Apr 1, 1982 | 2 | Ernst Theimer | | Maleska |
Sun Sep 28, 1980 | 5 | Herb L. Risteen | REVERSE ENGLISH | Maleska |
Tue Apr 1, 1980 | 3 | Ernst Theimer | | Maleska |
Sun Dec 16, 1979 | 9 | Michael Priestley | THROUGH THE LOOKING-GLASS | Maleska |
Sun Jul 9, 1978 | 5 | Herb L. Risteen | BACKUP MEN | Maleska |
Sun Dec 27, 1964 | 1 | Frances Hansen | YKCOWREBBAJ | Farrar |
Other grids with similar mirror-like gimmicks
These special grids require backward thinking in a somewhat different way.