Nataly Sanoja: The Puzzle Creator Behind EL PAÍS Crosswords

Quick Summary

Nataly Sanoja, a 44-year-old creator from San Antonio de los Altos, Venezuela, has established herself as a dedicated crossword puzzle creator for a major newspaper. Her career started in 2010 after a friend of her mother sought someone to create games for a local publication. This opportunity transformed her long-standing passion for puzzles, which she developed as a child solving grids with her mother and playing Scrabble with her grandfather, into a full-time profession.

Today, Sanoja focuses exclusively on crafting the expert crosswords for EL PAÍS. Her work stands out in a digital landscape dominated by fast-paced content. The puzzles she creates retain users for significant periods, with the average player taking 19 minutes and 13 seconds to solve a single puzzle. In 2025, her work accounted for roughly seven million games initiated on the platform, demonstrating a massive and loyal audience. Sanoja remains a strong advocate for the human element in puzzle creation, questioning the ability of artificial intelligence to match the nuance of a human-crafted crossword.

From Venezuela to a Digital Byline

Nataly Sanoja's path to becoming a professional puzzle creator began with a simple conversation. At the age of 29, her mother relayed that a friend was looking for someone to create games for a local newspaper. This seemingly small opportunity sparked a major career shift. Sanoja, who had always harbored a deep love for puzzles, immediately seized the chance. She recalls her early fascination with the medium, specifically the time spent solving crossword grids alongside her mother and engaging in competitive games of Scrabble with her grandfather. These formative experiences laid the groundwork for her future.

Upon accepting the local job offer, Sanoja began publishing her own crucigramas. It did not take long for her to realize that this was more than just a gig; it was her calling. She has since committed herself entirely to the craft, stating that she lost her head for the trade and decided to dedicate her life to it. Now based in San Antonio de los Altos, Venezuela, she has expanded her reach to a global audience through her work with EL PAÍS.

The Metrics of Engagement 📊

The crosswords created by Sanoja have fostered a highly engaged and patient audience. In an era of rapid digital consumption, her puzzles require a different kind of attention. According to internal metrics from EL PAÍS, the expert crossword is the digital pastime that retains users for the longest continuous period. The average time a player spends on a single puzzle is 19 minutes and 13 seconds.

The popularity of these puzzles is evident in the 2025 statistics. The expert crosswords have generated:

• Approximately seven million games initiated
• An average of 19,000 games started per day
• Approximately 4.6 million games completed
• A completion rate of 65%

If one were to calculate the total time spent on Sanoja's 365 published puzzles of the year based on the average solve time, the result would be 116 consecutive hours. This equates to a single user playing non-stop for nearly five full days, highlighting the addictive and enduring quality of her work.

The Human Touch vs. AI

As technology advances, the debate over the role of artificial intelligence in creative fields continues. Nataly Sanoja has a clear perspective on how this applies to crossword construction. While acknowledging the capabilities of modern technology, she remains skeptical about its ability to fully replace the human element in her specific niche. She questions whether AI can truly replicate the subtle nuances that make a crossword enjoyable.

Sanoja firmly believes that the human touch is an essential ingredient that machines cannot yet reproduce. She expressed her doubts, stating: “Dudo mucho que la inteligencia artificial pueda aportar el toque humano de un crucigrama” (I doubt very much that artificial intelligence can provide the human touch of a crossword). This sentiment underscores the value she places on the creativity and intuition involved in her daily work for EL PAÍS.