"Homer and Lisa Exchange Cross Words" is the sixth episode of the twentieth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons.

The episode was inspired by Patrick Creadon's 2006 documentary Wordplay, and was written by Tim Long, and directed by Nancy Kruse.

Crossword puzzle creators Merl Reagle and Will Shortz guest star as themselves in the episode while Scott Thompson has a cameo as Grady, a character he first voiced in "Three Gays of the Condo".

The episode received generally positive reviews from critics, and finished fourth in its timeslot during its initial airing on Fox, with a 3.9 Nielsen rating.

After making a good deal of money, he dreams that he is pestered by the "ghosts" of the jilted lovers and thus quits the trade.

Gil plays Lisa for her sympathy and cons her into losing the round, which in turn lets Homer win his final bet.

Feeling guilty, Homer commissions Merl Reagle and Will Shortz to create a special puzzle for the New York Times, with his apology to Lisa hidden in the clues and solution.

[1] Reagle told the Arizona Daily Wildcat that "for me, to be such a total nut for animation since I was a kid, I never even dreamed [of being in a cartoon].

[2] There were certain lines in the script that had to be incorporated into Reagle's puzzles, including one where Gil says, "I think I'll throw some Q's around", and he enters a number of Q's onto the grid.

[1] Harry Shearer recorded a clip of Mr. Burns and Smithers telling the winner of the National Public Radio's Sundays Puzzle on November 16, 2008, what they had won.

"[12] Daniel Aughey of TV Guide thought the episode provided a "healthy balance" of humor, story and heart.

[13] Erich Asperschlager of TV Verdict thought the puzzle-solving storyline was "a lot of fun", both for its references to the "highly entertaining" documentary Wordplay and the jokes it inspired.