Tool
Crossword puzzle maker
Turn your own words and clues into a printable crossword — vocabulary, a lesson, a birthday quiz. The words are fitted together and numbered for you, with the Across and Down clues under the grid and an answer page, on A4 or US Letter.
Stays on this device: never put in a link or sent anywhere.
10 words in a 11 × 11 grid, layout 1.
How the grid is built
The longest word goes in first. Each word after it is tried at every square where it could cross a word already in the grid, and kept where the grid stays smallest and squarest; a placement is refused if the word would run into another word end to end or lie alongside one, so every run of white squares is one of your answers. The whole grid is built many times and the most compact one is kept; New layout tries another set. For a puzzle without clues, try the word search maker with the same list.
Keeps these settings in the link. Useful for moving from a phone to the computer with the printer on it.
Frequently asked questions
How do I make my own crossword puzzle?
Type one answer per line followed by its clue — “planet - It goes around a star”; a dash, a colon, a tab or an equals sign separates them, so a two-column list pasted from a spreadsheet works too. The maker fits the words together, numbers the squares and lists the clues Across and Down under the grid. Download the PDF: the puzzle, then an answer page with the letters filled in. Up to 30 words.
What if some words do not fit?
Every word has to cross another at a shared letter, and no two words may touch side by side. A word with no letter in common with the others cannot be placed; the page names it, and the puzzle is made without it. Adding a word that shares letters with it, or pressing New layout, usually brings it in.
Can an answer have two words or a hyphen?
Yes. Spaces and hyphens are left out of the grid, as in printed crosswords, and the clue shows the lengths: “candy cane” goes in as CANDYCANE with the clue ending (5, 4). Accented letters are kept.
Is there a version for children?
Tick Word bank to print the answers, in alphabetical order, under the clues — the usual help in school crosswords. Short clues and fewer words, 8 to 12, give a grid with big squares.
Are my words and clues saved or sent anywhere?
No. They stay in this browser tab; the PDF is made on your device. A shared link carries only the layout number, the paper and the options, never the words — whoever opens it types their own list.
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