Extending WebCrow into English

This thesis presents the extension of WebCrow into the English language. WebCrow is an automatic crossword solver developed at the University of Siena, and makes use of the vast quantity of information on the world wide web to find answers to crossword puzzle clues. It has been demonstrated to be competitive against human opponents in solving Italian crossword puzzles, and new improvements are being actively developed. This thesis focuses on the development of the English-language extension of WebCrow, as well as some issues with multilingual crossword solving in general. This extension will help WebCrow to become a competitive crossword solver for English language (specifically American) crosswords and demonstrate that the use of web-based information can help effectively solve natural language problems in various languages.