Crossword Maker
Type your answers and clues — the grid crosses them for you, numbers the squares and splits the clues into Across and Down. Solve it on screen or print the puzzle with an answer key.
To make a crossword, type up to 30 answer-and-clue pairs and press Build crossword. The longest answer goes in first and every other word hooks on at a shared letter, so the grid, the square numbers and the Across and Down clue lists are written for you. Solve it on screen or print it with an answer key.
Answers & clues
Up to 30 pairs. The answer goes in the grid, the clue goes in the list.
Click a square and type. Arrow keys move, Space flips across/down, Tab jumps to the next clue.
Across
Down
Sheet details
These appear on the printed A4 page.
The grid builds itself
You supply the answers and clues. The tool finds the crossings, numbers the squares and writes the Across and Down lists the way a real crossword does.
Enter the pairs
Answer plus clue, one pair per row — or load a ready set and edit it.
Build the grid
The longest answer goes in first, then each word hooks on at a shared letter.
Solve or print
Type into the grid with checking and reveal, or print the A4 puzzle sheet.
Save the set
Keep your clue sets on this device and reuse them next year.
How the crossings are chosen
Every answer is tested against every letter of every word already in the grid. Each possible position gets a score: more crossings is better, and growing the grid is a penalty, so the puzzle stays compact.
If a word cannot cross anything, the tool tries again with a different starting order — many times — and keeps the best grid it finds.
The rules a crossword must follow
- Two words may only touch where they cross, on a shared letter.
- Words never run side by side, because that would make nonsense pairs of letters.
- A square is numbered when a word starts there — read left to right, top to bottom.
- One square can hold one Across number and one Down number.
Solving on screen
Click any square and type. Arrow keys move, Space flips between Across and Down, Tab jumps to the next clue and Backspace rubs out. The word you are on is highlighted in the grid and in the clue list.
Check marks right letters green and wrong letters red; reveal gives you one letter, one word or the lot.
Ways to use it in class
- Chapter revision: 10–14 key terms with definition clues.
- Vocabulary homework — print one sheet, keep the key for marking.
- Quiz round on the smartboard using Classroom mode.
- Let children write the clues for each other's answers.
Crossword Maker — your questions
How do I make a crossword puzzle with my own clues?
Enter each answer with its clue, up to 30 pairs, then press Build crossword. Every answer is tested against every letter of every word already placed, and the position with the most crossings and the smallest grid wins. The squares are numbered and the clues are split into Across and Down automatically.
Which words make the best crossword answers?
Crosswords need shared letters, so answers full of common letters — A, E, R, S, T and N — hook together easily, while words like RHYTHM are hard to cross. Ten to sixteen answers of five to ten letters usually give the neatest grid. Very short words are difficult because they offer few crossing points.
Why will one of my answers not go into the grid?
It shares no letter with any word already placed, so it has nowhere to cross. Crossword rules allow two words to touch only where they cross on a shared letter — words never run side by side, because that would create nonsense pairs of letters. Press Rearrange grid to try a different order.
How are crossword squares numbered?
A square gets a number when a word starts there, reading left to right and top to bottom, exactly as a newspaper crossword does. One square can carry a single number that belongs to both an Across word and a Down word, which is why you often see the same number in both clue lists.
Can children solve the crossword on screen?
Yes. Click any square and type. Arrow keys move, Space flips between Across and Down, Tab jumps to the next clue and Backspace rubs out. Check marks right letters green and wrong letters red, and reveal can give one letter, one whole word or the complete answer.
Can I save my clue sets and use them again?
Yes. Press Save this set and it is kept in your own browser's storage on that device, ready to load from the list next year. Nothing is uploaded. You can also print the A4 puzzle with a separate answer-key page, which is what most teachers use for homework marking.