Crossword Maker

Crossword Maker is a free tool that turns your own words and clues into a real crossword puzzle. Type the answers and clues, and it builds a connected grid, numbers the squares and writes the Across and Down clue lists for you. Solve it in your browser, download a print-ready puzzle and answer key, or share it as a link. No sign-up and nothing to install.

How to make a crossword

1. Add a title. It appears on the play screen and at the top of the printed page.
2. Type your words and clues. Put one entry on each line, with the answer first, a colon, then the clue, like MARS: The Red Planet. A dash with spaces around it or a tab also works. You can use up to 30 entries.
3. Check the status box. The puzzle rebuilds a moment after you stop typing. The status box shows how many words were placed and how many times they cross.
4. Press Shuffle for a different layout of the same words. Tick Show answers under the preview to see the letters in place.

Answers can have more than one word. Spaces and hyphens are left out of the grid, and the clue shows the word lengths, so “ice cream” is entered as ICECREAM with (3,5) after its clue.

How the layout works

The maker builds a free-form crossword, the style you see in classroom worksheets, where only the answer squares are drawn. It tries many layouts each time and keeps the best one, preferring more crossings and a compact, roughly square grid. Every layout follows normal crossword rules:

• Every word crosses at least one other word, so the whole puzzle is connected.
• Words never touch side by side. Any run of two or more squares is one of your answers.
• Squares are numbered left to right and top to bottom, and each number starts an Across word, a Down word, or both.

If a word shares no letters with the rest, it cannot cross anything, so the status box names it. Add a word that shares letters with it, or press Shuffle.

Solve it online

Open the Play tab. Tap a square or a clue and type. The current clue is shown above the grid, and the word you are filling is highlighted. Tap the same square again, or press Space, to switch between Across and Down. On a keyboard, the arrow keys move between squares, Backspace deletes, and Tab or Enter jumps to the next clue.

• Check marks wrong letters in red for the current letter, word or whole puzzle.
• Reveal fills in the current letter, word or the whole puzzle. Revealed letters show in blue.
• Pause or Esc stops the timer and hides the grid. Your best time is saved for each crossword you finish without reveals.

Print a puzzle and answer key

The Print tab makes two PNG pages sized for US Letter paper (1700 by 2200 pixels, which is 8.5 by 11 inches at 200 dots per inch). The puzzle page has the title, optional Name and Date lines, the numbered grid and both clue lists. You can also add a word bank that lists every answer in A to Z order, which makes the puzzle easier for younger students. The answer key fills in the grid and adds each answer after its clue. For A4 paper, choose fit to page when you print.

Share and save

The share link stores the whole crossword in the address, so whoever opens it gets the same grid and clues, ready to solve. Save keeps crosswords in your browser, and the Saved tab lets you open one again to edit, play or print it, or delete it.

Tips for good clues

• Mix long and short answers. Long words give the grid a backbone, and short ones fill in the crossings.
• Pick words with common letters. Words full of E, A, R, S and T cross easily. Words with Q, X or Z may need a partner that shares those letters.
• Keep clues short and fair. One clear fact per clue works best for students.

FAQ

Is the crossword maker free?

Yes. Making, solving, printing and sharing crosswords is free, with no account.

How many words can a crossword have?

Up to 30 answers, each with at least two letters. Most lists of 10 to 20 words make a tidy, well-connected grid.

Why does the layout change when I edit a clue?

The puzzle rebuilds whenever the list changes. Keep pressing Shuffle until you like the layout, then press Save.

Prefer a ready-made puzzle? Try a ready-made grid in Crossword, or hunt for hidden words in Word Search.