Crossword maker
Make a printable crossword puzzle from your own words and clues. Type up to 20 answers, one per line with the clue after a pipe, and the generator interlocks them into a grid, numbers the starting squares and prints numbered Across and Down clue lists underneath. Download the result as an A4 or US Letter PDF with an answer key.
Type your words and clues, preview the grid instantly, then download the PDF — no account needed.
8 of 20 answers. The clue is optional — leave the pipe off and the letter count is used instead. Answers print in uppercase; spaces and punctuation are removed.
How it works
- Type your answers and clues, one per line as "word | clue", or start from a ready-made set.
- Check the interlocked grid and the numbered Across and Down lists in the live preview.
- Download the PDF with the answer key, or copy a share link that restores these settings.
Using these worksheets in teaching
A crossword is a spelling test students volunteer for. Because each answer has to satisfy its clue and the letters already crossing it, a half-remembered spelling is caught by the grid rather than by a mark in the margin. Clues that describe do more work than clues that define: "a big cat with stripes" makes a child picture the animal, where a dictionary definition invites a lookup. Keep one topic per puzzle so the whole sheet revises one thing, and prefer answers of five letters or more — very short words carry almost no clue value and make the grid harder to fill. Once a class is comfortable solving, have students write clues for each other's word lists: composing a clue that is fair but not obvious is a harder language task than solving the puzzle, and it shows immediately who understands a word rather than merely recognising it.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I use my own words and clues?
- Type one entry per line as "word | clue" — the answer, a pipe, then the clue. Spaces and punctuation are stripped from the answer and it prints in uppercase. Leave the clue off and the letter count is printed in its place, so a list can be typed first and clued later.
- Why does it say a word could not be fitted?
- Every answer after the first has to cross one already on the grid, sharing a letter in a position that is still free. A word whose letters appear nowhere else in your list has no legal place, so it is named in a notice instead of being forced in. Add a word that shares a letter with it, or press regenerate to try a different arrangement — the puzzle without it still prints and is still valid.
- How many words can one crossword have?
- Between 2 and 20. Eight to twelve interlock into a puzzle that fills a page and leaves room for the clues; twenty makes a dense grid better suited to older students. Answers need at least two letters so they can cross something.
- Where do the answers appear?
- Only on the answer key — a separate labelled page at the end of the same PDF showing the completed grid. Turn the answer key off and the PDF is the puzzle and clues alone.
- Will the same words always give the same puzzle?
- Yes. The layout is decided by your list and the worksheet seed, so a share link reopens the identical grid. Press regenerate to lay the same words out a different way.
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Last reviewed: July 2026. Worksheet content is generated by deterministic algorithms and covered by automated correctness tests — no AI-generated answers.