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Word-Buff Stuff! #3
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Welcome to the members-only area of Word-Buff, which is available only to Word-Buff Stuff! subscribers. Like you!

Here you'll find...

The puzzles featured in the current issue of Word-Buff Stuff!
A growing collection of freebies
A place to voice your opinions about Word-Buff Stuff!

NOTE — To keep this area private, I'll need to change the password from time-to-time. When I do this, I'll let you know it's about to happen in the previous issue of Word-Buff Stuff! and also via a blog entry on my What's New? page. So keep your eyes peeled.

But first, I suspect you're keen to have a go at the Issue #3 puzzles! So here they are...

Latest Word Puzzles

Scrabble Word Finder

Below is a Scrabble position part way through a game. Given the rack provided, and the words on the board, your job is to find the play that makes the highest possible score. Note that you are not looking for the strategically best play here, just the one that racks up the most points.

When you've got your answer, click the board to see the solution.

Scrabble Word Finder for Issue #3

PUZZLE NOTES — The answer to the Scrabble Word Finder puzzle, and all words formed by that answer, is always contained in the Official Scrabble Players Dictionary, which is the official dictionary used in North America for family and school Scrabble. You may however see other words on the board that are not in that dictionary. That's because the game itself is played to Collins Official Scrabble Dictionary, which is the official International Scrabble dictionary.

The puzzle is intentionally constructed so that the solution just happens to lie in both dictionaries. This is the best way I can think of to keep everybody happy. Confused? Here's an article I wrote about Scrabble Words that might help.

Word Search Spelling Bee

This issue's Word Search Puzzle continues the theme from Word-Buff's Corner. The list of words you need to find in the grid consists of the last fourteen 2009 Scripps National Spelling Bee words required to single out a winner from the four final spellers.

Just click here to print the puzzle as a PDF and solve it offline. When you're done, come back and click the grid to reveal the solution.

SCHIZAFFRIN
WISENT
DIACOELE
REREDOS
ANTONOMASIA
BOUQUINISTE
ORIFLAMME
GUAYABERA
ISAGOGE
SOPHROSYNE
MENHIR
PHORESY
MAECENAS
LAODICEAN

PUZZLE NOTES — The words used in the Word Search Spelling Bee puzzle are all contained in Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language, which is the official dictionary used in Scripps National Spelling Bee. So that's where to go to track down the meanings, pronunciations, and so forth. If a word appears as a link, it means I say something interesting about it somewhere on my website.

Crossword Diamond

If you're a keyboard & mouse type, there's no need to leave your computer. You can solve the crossword online here. The online version gives you all sorts of funky features to help you along, including a 'timer' (to help monitor your solving speed), a 'pencil' (for answers you're uncertain about), and a couple of 'cheat' buttons of course ;-)

If you're more of a pen(cil) & paper type, just print the crossword as a PDF and solve it offline. When you're done, come back here and click the grid to see the solution.

ACROSS		DOWN
2. Kitchen pest 4. "Encore!" 6. Like Mayan pyramids 8. Grasped 9. "Cut it out!" 11. Volcanic flow 12. Bound 13. Bungle, with "up" 15. Clue 16. Short 18. Police operation 19. Blue		1. Become unhinged 2. Ancient 3. Inclines 4. Country albums 5. Having left 6. Evening hour 7. "Nothing ___!" 8. ___ and cheese 10. Darling 14. Adjusts, as a clock 15. Back 17. Sun ___

PUZZLE NOTES — The Crossword Diamond puzzle is an American-style crossword with one main difference. The answers are always real words. That means no phrases or proper names! Why? Because I'm a word-buff, not a trivia-buff, and I'm afraid I just don't know the name of President Nixon's dog ;-)

Freebies

From time to time Word-Buff Stuff! will let you know about a great freebie. As this happens, I'll add the relevant link to this section so you'll gradually see a decent-sized collection of free stuff all in one handy place.

If you click on the name of a product, you'll go to the page where you can download it to your computer right now! If I've written about the product somewhere at Word-Buff.com, I'll give you a link to that too.

So here they are, in alphabetical order...

Across Lite — An application that lets you solve crossword puzzles on your computer. Most major crossword-publishing sites and blogs distribute puzzles in the right format for this application. Read More...

Magnum Opus — Allows you to create and solve all sorts of word puzzles including Crossword Puzzles, Cryptograms, Word Search Puzzles and many more (some I've never even heard of!). I've only recently started using this one, and I'm quite impressed with what you get for a freebie. When I've played around a bit more I'll write up a review and link you to it here.

Quackle — This is a very sophisticated program that allows you to play Scrabble on your computer and, more importantly, analyze your games. It will tell you all the moves that are playable in any game situation, and will judge the likelihood of each possible move winning. Read More...

Zyzzyva — You've probably already heard about this one, since I talk about it in quite a few places on my site. Basically, this is a word-study application for Scrabble players. It lets you solve Scrabble racks, create word lists, and test yourself on those lists using flashcards. It can also be set up as a word-judge to adjudicate challenges so you don't have to look up the dictionary all the time. Read More...

P.S. These are not free 'trial versions' of commercial products - they are completely functional products that, for a variety of reasons, are offered by their creators completely free. No strings!

Your Say

Here's where you get to have your say about the Word-Buff Stuff! newsletter. Below I've left a space for you to tell me what you thought of the latest newsletter, or to give me ideas for future issues.

Once your post has been published there will be a place for others to comment on your post. Including me!

So, if there's something you'd like to say about this issue of Word-Buff Stuff!, here's your chance...

What Do You Think?

Do you have any comments to make about the Word-Buff Stuff! newsletter? Did you enjoy it? Did you come across any problems? Do you have a good idea for future issues? Here's the place...

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Issue #3 Errata A correction from a reader gave me the idea of setting up this Errata thread for each issue of Word-Buff Stuff! . Feel free to let me know about any ...