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How do puns, riddles, and crossword puzzles use the playful functions of language?

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Three women sit together outdoors, smiling and laughing as they talk, with trees softly blurred in the background. — Language Spoken language is just one type of language, which has been defined in many different ways across history.

Puns, riddles, and crossword puzzles are primary examples of the "ludic" or playful function of language, which allows speakers and writers to explore the structural and lexical possibilities of a language independently of purely factual communication.1

Puns: These utilize the playful nature of language by using a word or phrase in a way that suggests two or more meanings, or by using words that are similar in sound. By exploiting these accidental features of a language, puns create humor and intellectual engagement.234
Riddles: These are deliberately enigmatic or ambiguous questions that require a witty or thoughtful answer. They often rely on metaphorical descriptions or wordplay to challenge the listener, sometimes incorporating puns to obscure the correct answer until it is revealed.5
Crossword Puzzles: As an intellectual challenge, these puzzles rely on the probability of letter sequences and the structural features of a language. Depending on the style of the creator, clues may incorporate spelling puns, spoken puns, or accidental letter sequences, requiring the solver to possess a high degree of linguistic skill and knowledge.46

These forms demonstrate how language can be used creatively to entertain and challenge, moving beyond the simple transmission of information.41