Ben ZimmerinBeyond Wordplay“The Puzzler” is a Wild Ride Through the World of PuzzledomAuthor A.J. Jacobs and puzzlemaker Greg Pliska reveal their puzzling secrets.9 min read·Jun 6, 2022----
Ben ZimmerinBeyond WordplayThe Return of the SymmyS: Pleasing Palindromes from All OverThe annual awards feature an international array of palindromists.4 min read·Feb 21, 2022----
Ben ZimmerinBeyond WordplayAt the MIT Mystery Hunt, Puzzlers Explored the World of “Bookspace”How Team Palindrome crafted a wordplay-heavy realm of puzzles.5 min read·Jan 23, 2022----
Ben ZimmerinBeyond WordplayThe Puzzling Story of How Cryptic Crosswords Crossed the AtlanticStephen Sondheim gets credit for popularizing cryptic crosswords in the U.S., but there’s a lot more to the story.9 min read·Jan 17, 2022--1--1
Ben ZimmerinBeyond WordplayThe 2020 SymmyS Awards: More Palindromes about COVID and FoodOn the auspicious palindromic date of 1/20/2021, the winners of the annual SymmyS Awards for best new palindromes have been announced.6 min read·Jan 20, 2021--1--1
Ben ZimmerinBeyond WordplayFrom “Covidiot” to “Gleefreshing,” It Was a Lively Year for Word CreationTaking stock of the linguistic innovations of 2020.6 min read·Dec 7, 2020--3--3
Ben ZimmerinBeyond WordplayA Museum Dedicated to the Power of WordsLanguage lovers, rejoice: Planet Word opens in Washington, D.C.3 min read·Oct 21, 2020----
Ben ZimmerinBeyond WordplayPalindromes at the Movies: “Tenet” and “The Palindromists”For fans of palindromes, this is a unique time: not one but two films with palindromic themes are opening this week. (“Opening” is a…5 min read·Sep 4, 2020--1--1
Ben ZimmerinBeyond WordplayCuriouser and Curiouser: More Wordplay in Puzzling TimesBack in June, I wrote here about how wordplay could “make our shared predicaments a bit less puzzling.” At the time, we were already well…6 min read·Aug 24, 2020----
Ben ZimmerinBeyond WordplayCommitting An Imperfect Rhyme: Why “Hamilton” Gets a PassWith the stage-to-screen production of Hamilton making its debut on Disney+, it’s a great time to reconsider the verbal pyrotechnics of…6 min read·Jul 3, 2020--2--2