Letter count of theme entries?

[cranberry44]

For a 21X21, I have

2 theme entries @13 letters each
2 theme entries @ 9 letters each
2 theme entries @14 letters each

Totalling 72 letter count total

Is it necessary to have an 80-letter count or is 72 good enough? I have 2 other entries that could be part of the theme--but one is 6 letters and the other is 8 letters. 

[mmcbs]

84 or higher is actually a good target, and most configurations can handle up to 100 without constraining the fill too much. Most editors don't specify how many theme letters are needed. 72 is probably not enough. In a 15x15 grid 45 theme letters is 20% of the grid squares. In a 21x21 20% would be 88 theme squares.

[cranberry44]

Thanks for the guidelines!

[shanth]

I had the same question with my first 21x21:

So I guess

2 @ 11 letters each
4 @ 7 letters each
4 @ 6 letters each

for 10 clues totaling 74 letters is not enough.  Also, how strict a rule is it that all non-theme answers must be shorter than all themed ones?

Thanks!

[axlrosen]

Yes, 74 is probably not good enough, sorry.

I would say that traditionally that rule is strict (themers must be the longest across entries). But maybe not so much any more with some editors. Personally would say that, as long as there's some way to make it obvious which are themers and which are not, then it's fine. I've actually been collecting examples from the NYT:

https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=3/5/2020
https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=2/9/2020
https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=7/19/2018

[Kem Balani]

Re: Letter Count of Theme Entries by "Cranberry 44"
Aug. 14, 2021
To: Cranberry 44, Axlrosen MMCBS, and Shanth

Some editors require a MINIMUM of 6 theme entries.
So I have sent a crossword to that editor a themed puzzle with the required 6 theme entries
Those entries total 116 letters, or an average of 19+ letters per theme entry.

I've also created a crossword with 7 themed entries totalling 147 letters: an average of maximum 21 letters per entry,
although I have not yet decided which editor to email that proposed themed crossword.

Kumar Balani