Crossword Puzzle Maker

Make your own crossword in seconds. Enter each answer and its clue, and the generator fits the words into an interlocking grid, numbers the squares, sorts the clues into Across and Down, and prints a clean puzzle and a separate answer key. Perfect for classrooms, parties, newsletters and personalised gifts.

How to make a crossword puzzle

1. Type one answer per line followed by a dash and the clue, e.g. COMET - Icy visitor with a glowing tail.
2. Click “Build crossword”. The generator places the longest words first and fits the rest where they share letters.
3. If a word will not fit, it is listed below the grid — add words that share its letters, or rephrase.
4. Click “Try another layout” for a different arrangement of the same words.
5. Print the puzzle, then print the answer key separately.

Answers can contain spaces or hyphens — they are removed in the grid, as in published crosswords — and letter counts appear after each clue.

How the generator builds the grid

The generator is a greedy placement algorithm. It places the longest word horizontally, then, for each remaining word, looks for every position where it could cross an already-placed word on a matching letter. It rejects positions where the new word would run into other letters or sit alongside another word, which would create unintended letter combinations. Among valid positions it prefers those with more crossings, producing a more compact, interlocking puzzle. It tries many random orderings and keeps the layout that places the most words in the smallest area.

Writing good clues

• Match the clue to the answer’s part of speech and tense: a plural answer needs a plural clue.
• Keep clues short and unambiguous for classroom puzzles.
• Mix clue types: definitions, fill-in-the-blank (“The Milky ___” for WAY), and descriptions.
• For younger solvers, include the letter count (shown automatically) and a word bank.
• Avoid clues that rely on another answer unless solvers can see both.
• Check spelling carefully — one wrong letter breaks the crossing word.

Ideas for custom crosswords

American-style vs this generator

Newspaper crosswords in the American style use a symmetrical square grid in which every letter belongs to both an across and a down word, and black squares fill the gaps. Building those by hand takes skill and large word lists. This generator makes a freeform (or “criss-cross”) puzzle: only the words you provide appear, crossing where they share letters, with empty space around them. That style is ideal for custom themes, teaching and gifts because every answer is meaningful.

Worked example

A teacher enters ten space vocabulary words with clues. TELESCOPE, the longest, goes across first. ASTEROID crosses it on a shared letter, and the other words attach to letters of those two, such as SATURN crossing ASTEROID at the first A. All ten words fit on a grid about 12 squares wide, and the teacher prints the puzzle for a starter activity and the key for marking. Clicking “Try another layout” produces a different grid for a second class so students cannot copy.

Tips for better layouts

• Include a few long words; they act as a spine for shorter words to cross.
• Words with common letters (E, A, R, S, T) cross more easily.
• Ten to twenty words make a satisfying puzzle; very large lists become sprawling.
• If one word never fits, add a word that shares its unusual letters.
• Print in landscape for wide grids.

Crosswords for learning

Crosswords are a well-established classroom activity because they combine reading a definition, recalling a word and spelling it correctly — with built-in feedback, since a wrong letter will not fit the crossing word. They work as unit reviews, homework, early-finisher tasks and pair activities where students discuss clues. Students can also write crosswords for each other: writing clearly worded clues is a good test of whether they understand the vocabulary. For language learners, clues can be pictures, translations or example sentences with the word missing.

Difficulty levels

Printing

Print the puzzle and key from the buttons above; they open a clean print view. For classroom sets, print one key and as many puzzles as needed. The grid scales to fit the page width, and clues are listed in numbered Across and Down columns.

Privacy

Your words and clues are processed in your browser only. Nothing is uploaded, which makes it safe for personal puzzles with names and memories.