Crossword puzzlers, what words are harder to figure out,

[Baitball Blogger]

assuming you have scrabble letters to put together?

Edited to remove spelling error. Between words like "Arabian" and "Panther," would they be of equal difficulty?

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. Is there such a word as "penquin"? The bird is spelled "penguin."

So you wouldn't have the q to work with - having a q in a word makes things easier because q is almost always followed by u in English. But "penguin" hasn't got a q, and g can be followed by any vowel as well as h, l, n, r, w and y. So now you have to work harder. "Panther" would probably be easier because you have the t-h combination that limits what the word could be.

[Baitball Blogger]

2. Oh, God. What a dunce.

Thank you for pointing out the error.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

3. I wasn't trying to pick on you; there could have been a word spelled "penquin."

Or it's an alternative spelling of "penguin," which is always an argument you could make.

[Baitball Blogger]

4. I do want to make it challenging, but within reasonable limits.

I'll remove panther, and keep penguin.

[NRaleighLiberal]

5. what are you aiming for in challenge level (which day of the NYT puzzle?)??

And what do you mean harder - to spell, to get from the definition??

I am a NYT sunday puzzle sort myself - can usually do it in a few hours or less unless there are too many pop culture clues that are recent!

[Baitball Blogger]

6. Setting up a treasure hunt that begins with clues based on animal icons.

I'm limiting the choices to seven letter words. But, I don't want anything to be terribly easy.

I need to select one out of the following three words. Which do you think will be more of a challenge:


Dolphin
Buffalo
Gazelle

[NRaleighLiberal]

7. Gazelle - but not sure why I think that!

[central scrutinizer]

8. Seven letters is pretty short for theme answers

NYT guidelines require theme answers to be the longest answers in the grid except crossing words can be longer.

Besides that difficulty depends on how many alternatives share a particular letter. For example if the crossing answer for the z in gazelle was pretty easy, then since there are few animals with a z in their name that one might be easier.

[raven mad]

9. The two letter ones! n/t