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 a US Letter or A4 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 recognizing 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 labeled 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.