Crossword puzzle maker
Your words and clues, crossed into a puzzle to print.
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This tool runs entirely in your browser. Nothing is uploaded, nothing is stored, and you can even turn off your internet connection before you start.
Example
A water cycle crossword for fourth grade: 10 words, versions A and B, solution RAIN
A fourth-grade teacher reviews a science unit. Ten lines like “evaporation - Water turning into a gas when the sun heats it”, Solution word RAIN, Word bank A to Z, Versions “Two (A and B)”, answer page on, Title “The Water Cycle”, Paper US Letter.
- All 10 answers cross in a grid of 12 rows by 13 columns, PRECIPITATION running across its full width. Version A has 5 answers across and 5 down; version B lays the same words out 6 across and 4 down.
- Each clue ends with the answer’s length, “Rain, snow, sleet or hail (13)”, and the word bank lists the 10 answers A to Z above the clues.
- Four squares carry small numbers 1 to 4; their letters, copied into the boxes under the grid, spell RAIN.
- Check the clues for give-aways: a first draft clued EVAPORATION with “water turning into vapor”, and VAPOR is another answer.
| Version A | Answer | Clue |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Down | VAPOR (5) | Water in the form of a gas |
| 2 Down | EVAPORATION (11) | Water turning into a gas when the sun heats it |
| 3 Down | CONDENSATION (12) | Water in the air cooling into tiny drops |
| 4 Down | GROUNDWATER (11) | Water stored in the soil and rocks underground |
| 5 Across | PRECIPITATION (13) | Rain, snow, sleet or hail |
| 6 Down | CLOUD (5) | Millions of tiny water drops floating in the sky |
| 7 Across | RUNOFF (6) | Water flowing over the ground into streams and lakes |
| 8 Across | GLACIER (7) | A huge, slow river of ice |
| 9 Across | OCEAN (5) | Where most of Earth’s water is found |
| 10 Across | SUN (3) | It gives the water cycle its energy |
the-water-cycle.pdf, 4 Letter pages: version A, version B, then the answers to each. Hand out A and B to alternate desks: the numbers differ, GLACIER being 8 Across in A and 1 Across in B.
How it works
- Type each answer, a dash and its clue, one to a line: “zebra - A horse with stripes”.
- Add a solution word if you want one; its letters are marked in the grid and numbered.
- Look at the preview; another puzzle number may give a different layout.
- Download the PDF: the puzzle with its clues, then the answers.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I separate the answer from the clue?
- With a dash between spaces, a colon or a tab: “lion - The king of the jungle”, “lion: The king of the jungle”. A line with no clue is placed with an empty clue.
- What if a word does not fit?
- Every answer has to cross another. One that shares no letter with the rest is left out, and the preview names it, so you can add a word that links it in or change it.
- What is the solution word?
- A word hidden in the grid: some squares are marked with small numbers, and the letters in them, written in order into the boxes right under the grid, spell it. It works when each of its letters is somewhere in the answers.
- How many answers can I use?
- Up to 40. Around 10 to 20 makes a crossword that fits a page with its clues comfortably; the grid is kept square-ish and as small as the words allow.
- Can I make it easier, or give each table a different version?
- Yes. A word bank prints the answers in a box above the clues, A to Z or mixed up; the first letter of every answer can be given in its square; the clues can be printed larger. Versions lay the same words out in up to four different grids (A to D), all the puzzles first and then an answer page for each.
- Does it show how many letters each answer has?
- Yes: every clue ends with the length of its answer in brackets, “A huge, slow river of ice (7)”. For more help, “Letters given: the first letter of every answer” prints that letter in the first square of each answer.
- Is anything uploaded?
- No. The crossword is laid out in your browser. On the free plan a small line with our name is printed at the foot of the last page.