Traditional cryptic crosswords lean on a large, half-memorised stock of
abbreviations: a single letter or two standing in for a whole word. Decryptic
deliberately keeps this to a minimum, since its wordplay is self-contained and
never assumes you have learned an abbreviations table. But if you also solve
newspaper cryptics, especially British ones, you will meet these constantly.
Here is the traditional stock, and the regional conventions behind it.
How letter substitution works
In a charade or container clue, a piece of the answer is often clued not by a
synonym but by a conventional abbreviation. 'Doctor' might mean the letters DR
or MO; 'sailor' AB or TAR; 'quiet' the musical P. The solver is simply expected
to know these. It is the single biggest hurdle when moving from a gentle cryptic
to a broadsheet one: not the wordplay, but the shorthand.
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People & roles
| Clue word | Letters |
|---|
| Sailor | AB, TAR, SALT, RN |
| Doctor | DR, MO, MB |
| Soldier | GI, RE, OR |
| King | K, R |
| Queen | Q, R, ER, HM |
| Learner / student | L |
| Saint | S, ST |
| Church | CE, CH, RC |
| Navy | RN, USN |
| Graduate | BA, MA, BSc |
Directions & places
| Clue word | Letters |
|---|
| North / south / east / west | N, S, E, W |
| Left | L, PORT |
| Right | R |
| River | R |
| Point | N, S, E, W |
| Road / street | RD, ST, WAY |
| Switzerland | CH |
| Spain | E |
| Germany | D |
Roman numerals & numbers
| Clue word | Letters |
|---|
| One | I |
| Five | V |
| Ten | X |
| Fifty | L |
| Hundred | C |
| Five hundred | D |
| Thousand | M |
| Nothing / love / duck | O |
| Nil | O |
Music
| Clue word | Letters |
|---|
| Note | A, B, C, D, E, F, G |
| Quiet | P |
| Very quiet | PP |
| Loud | F |
| Very loud | FF |
Cricket & sport (chiefly British)
| Clue word | Letters |
|---|
| Over | O |
| Maiden | M |
| Duck | O |
| Bowled | B |
| Leg before | LBW |
| Caught | C |
| Not out | NO |
| Run | R |
Time & measures
| Clue word | Letters |
|---|
| Time | T |
| Hour | HR, H |
| Year | Y, YR |
| Day | D |
| Minute | MIN, M |
| Second | S, SEC |
| Moment | MO |
| Age | ERA, EON |
Latin, French & everyday
| Clue word | Letters |
|---|
| About | C, RE |
| Note (nota bene) | NB |
| That is | IE |
| For example | EG |
| And so on | ETC |
| And | ET, N |
| The (French) | LE, LA, LES |
| Water (French) | EAU |
| Street (French) | RUE |
| Friend (French) | AMI |
| The thing / sex appeal | IT |
| Kiss | X |
| Unknown (maths) | X, Y, Z |
| Hot | H |
| Cold | C |
| New | N |
| Old | O |
Regional conventions
British cryptics assume a shared cultural stock: cricket (over = O, duck = O for
zero), the monarchy (R or ER for the reigning king or queen), British
institutions (BR for British Rail, RA for the Royal Academy, MP, PM),
pre-decimal money (L, S and D for pounds, shillings and pence) and honours (OBE,
KBE). American variety cryptics lean less on cricket and monarchy and more on US
abbreviations, such as state codes and GI for a soldier. A core set of compass
points, Roman numerals and chemical symbols is near-universal.
What Decryptic does instead
Decryptic's clues are generated and mechanically verified, and they avoid
assuming a memorised abbreviations table. Where a short piece is needed for a
charade or container, it is usually a common musical note or a widely known
word, and the in-app ? Help always explains the mechanics.
Learn to solve here first, then carry the skills to newspaper cryptics, where
this table becomes essential.
