Come on, admit it — you’ll take whatever tip you can get when it comes to solving the New York Times puzzles.
Games likes Wordle, Connections, Strands and The Mini Crossword have become part of a daily ritual for millions, so Savannah Guthrie, who's a die-hard fan of the puzzles, managed to get some words of wisdom from an inside source.
Savannah recently paid a visit to the editors of The New York Times Games section, where she was given the chance to complete a Mini Crossword. How did she do? Well, let's just say she wasn’t ready to brag about her performance.
“Wow, that is terrible. I’m embarrassed. Don’t show it. No. This is the worst score I’ve ever had,” she said while covering the computer screen in a story that aired March 24 on TODAY.
Senior Puzzles Editor Joel Fagliano, the so-called “Mini Crossword Maestro,” gave Savannah a key piece of advice for playing that game.
“So, a lot of people solve the mini like a quiz,” he said. “They go one across. Then, they go to the next one. Then, they go to the next one. That’s the wrong way to solve the mini. You want to, once you get an answer, check the crossing letters right away. It’ll make a faster, faster time.”
Savannah was onboard with the idea, but noticed a hiccup in the strategy that Fagliano jokingly brushed aside.
“The only thing is when you got to arrow fast on your phone,” Savannah said.
“That’s your problem. That’s not my problem,” he said.
Savannah also got to try her hand when she sat down with Fagliano and Connections creator Wyna Liu to get a peek at a Connections puzzle due out the next day.
“You drive me crazy with these things,” Savannah said before she was stumped with a puzzle in which the words all become a fruit when the second letter of each word was changed.
“I hate it when you do this,” she joked while drawing laughs. “Can I just say that, on behalf of Americans, we hate it when you do this. That whole ‘change the second letter’ routine is the worst. And also the best. Very clever.”
Fagliano says he takes pride in being part of a team making puzzles that help people connect to their friends and loved ones.
“A lot of people want to tell me about, ‘Oh, I keep in touch with my friends from college.’ Or ‘Me and my grandma, every day share our Wordle scores with each other. And that’s how I check in with her.’ To me, that’s super gratifying. To me, that’s the whole reason we do this,” he said.
The fun was only just beginning for Savannah, though. She was tasked with solving a giant Wordle puzzle that appeared on a screen in New York City’s Times Square.
“My reputation as a word nerd and my pride — all on the line with each letter,” she said.
She responded to the challenge, guessing the correct word — “alert” — in three guesses.
“Let’s go!!! Let’s go!” she shouted, as onlookers cheered her on.
