Are crossword puzzles rated for difficulty?

The New York Times puzzles starts with easy on Monday and then get progressively difficult through Saturday. Sunday is a horse of another color, so to speak. Once upon a time, Times puzzle doers who commuted on the train from the Westchester county suburbs would take out the puzzle at the 125th St. stop (Harlem) and try to complete it 10 minutes later when the train arrived at Grand Central Station.

They used pen, of course.

And the puzzle books that I see at the Drug Store (Dell, etc) are rated.

If you really want a challenge, do the British crypics in Harper's or the Atlantic Monthly...there are stupifyingly intellectual chat rooms about them...but fun, nonetheless.

The Times puzzles go easy to hard, Monday through Saturday. Other puzzles are sometimes just labeled "easy," "medium," and "difficult." Will Shortz is the editor of the Times crossword puzzles and is basically the authority on how to rate a puzzle. Sometimes if a puzzle-maker writes a Tuesday puzzle, for instance, and Will Shortz thinks it is too difficult, he'll change some of the clues to make them easier to answer. There's a great documentary about him and puzzle-obsessed people in general, called Wordplay.

I have a young friend who goes to the Shortz puzzle competition each yr. in Stamford, CT..(WORDPLAY (a great suggestion from sarahsugs) has a segment on that competition. Entrants are as competitive as in any sport, train as tho it were the Ironman, and describing them as "obsessed," is charitable

They now sells books of puzzles that are rated by difficulty level