Word squares come in two basic types: acrostic word squares and double word squares. In either case, you should be able to start reading left-to-right in any row and top-to-bottom in any column and get a valid English word. In acrostic word squares you will get the same words in the same order either way; double word squares may have a different set of words going from top-to-bottom than from left-to-right.
Acrostic word squares:
A M
M A
O F T
F O E
T E N
H O P E
O P A L
P A L M
E L M S
W A R T S
A W A I T
R A D A R
T I A R A
S T R A W
Obviously, these get much harder for each additional letter. Here is a nine-square one created by Wayne M. Goodwin (squares of nine or lager are almost always credited, and often copyrighted). Seven of the words can be found in standard dictionaries, one (retitrate, meaning to titrate again), can be found in a few larger dictionaries, and one (Eavestone) is the name of a town in West Riding, Yorkshire.
F R A T E R I E S
R E G I M E N A L
A G I T A T I V E
T I T A N I T E S
E M A N A T I S T
R E T I T R A T E
I N I T I A T O R
E A V E S T O N E
S L E S T E R E D
You can make larger word squares, but you have to start adding in hyphenated words, taxonomic nomenclature, names of people (and ten letter family names tend to be much more obscure than Robinson or Smith), foreign words, and even short phrases.
Double word squares:
T O O
U R N
B E E
L A C K
I R O N
M E R E
B A K E
S T A I R
T W I N E
R I S K S
I N L E T
P E E R S
A D M I T S
D E A D E N
S E R E N E
O P I A T E
R E N T E R
B R E E D S
You can invent your own word squares, but you'll also sometimes find them presented in puzzle books and sites as a list of clues to a square that someone else has invented, in the manner of a crossword puzzle. Here are some to start you off (the words are pipe-linked to the correct answers).
1. Another word for 'harvest'
2. Another word for 'other'
3. A continent
4. A fruit
1. Approach
2. Ellipse
3. Religious ceremony
4. Otherwise
1. Overfed
2. Make up for
3. Breakfast food
4. Follow
5. Discourage
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Word_square
http://wordways.com/insearch.htm
http://wordways.com/challeng.htm
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/easysurf/squares.htm
The Game of Words by Willard R. Espy.
Free C! to first person to give an example of a Word cube (3*3*3 or greater).
biza0re has noded one under
word cube. It is being heavily downvoted, but not deleted yet... Way to go biza0re!