Crossword maker
This crossword maker turns a class spelling list, a topic’s vocabulary, or a set of names into a printable crossword with a matching answer key. Type in each word and a clue for it, and the layout is worked out automatically by crossing words over their shared letters, the way a crossword is actually built rather than dropped onto a grid at random.
It asks for 5 to 20 words. Not every word is guaranteed a place - a word with nothing in common with the rest of the list sometimes has nowhere valid to go, and when that happens it is listed plainly so you can swap it, rather than quietly left out.
Build a crossword
Build the puzzle
Add between 5 and 20 words, each with its own clue. A mix of short and long words gives the layout more chances to cross words over each other.
Nothing is saved and nothing is sent anywhere. Print or close the tab.
How the layout actually gets built
Longest word first, then the rest by size
Every word is first stripped down to its bare letters - uppercased, with spaces, apostrophes and punctuation removed - so “St. Xavier’s School” and “ST XAVIERS SCHOOL” are treated as the same word. The longest word goes into the grid first, straight across the middle, because it gives the rest of the list the most letters to try to cross. The remaining words are then placed one at a time, longest to shortest, each one looking for the best place it can cross an already- placed word.
What “best place” means
For each new word, the generator looks at every letter already on the grid and checks whether the new word contains that same letter. Where it does, it tries fitting the word through that point, both across and down. A fit only counts if it does not glue two words together end to end and does not silently create some other word by accident alongside it. Among every fit that passes those checks, the one that shares the most letters with the existing grid wins - more shared letters makes for a tighter, more crossword-like puzzle rather than a scatter of barely-touching words. Where two fits are equally good, the same one is always chosen, so the same word list produces the same puzzle every time.
Why a word sometimes cannot be placed
Not every word list is guaranteed to interlock. If a word shares no letter at all with anything already on the grid - or only shares one at a spot that would break another rule - there is genuinely nowhere valid to put it, so it is left out and listed below the puzzle instead. This is a property of the specific word list, not a fault in the layout: real crosswords have exactly the same limitation, which is why professional crossword setters choose their word lists with intersections in mind rather than picking words at random.
Choosing a word list that interlocks well
A spread of lengths helps more than anything else. A list of ten words all six letters long crosses badly, because six-letter words rarely share a letter in a useful spot; mixing in some three- and four-letter words gives the longer ones far more places to be crossed. Repeated letters help too - two words sharing a common letter like E, A, R or S will usually find a fit, while a list of very distinct, letter-varied words may leave several stranded. If several words fail to place, try adding one or two short, common words rather than replacing the whole list.
Getting a good spread
- Aim for 5 to 20 words - enough to fill a page without turning it into an hour-long task.
- Mix word lengths: a few 3 to 4 letter words alongside your longer vocabulary terms cross far more easily.
- Write each clue before you forget what made the word worth including - a blank clue shows as "(no clue given)" so it never gives the answer away by accident.
- If a word fails to place, add a short word that shares one of its letters rather than deleting it outright.
- Run it again after any change - the same list always produces the same layout, so a small edit is easy to compare against the last attempt.
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About the crossword maker
Is this crossword maker free?
Yes, entirely. No account, no download, no watermark and no card needed. Build as many puzzles as you like.
Why did some of my words not get placed?
A word only gets placed if it shares a letter, in the right position, with a word already on the grid. If a word has nothing in common with anything placed before it, there is nowhere valid to put it, and it is left out rather than forced in somewhere that would break the puzzle. This is normal and expected, not a fault in the tool. Swap that word for another, or pair it with a word search list instead, where every word gets used regardless of overlap.
How many words should I use, and does length matter?
Between 5 and 20. Fewer than 5 does not give the layout enough to cross, and more than 20 makes for a puzzle that takes a class period to finish rather than ten minutes. A mix of short and long words tends to work best - long words anchor the grid, and short words are more likely to share a letter with something already down.
Does my word list get saved or sent anywhere?
No. The whole layout is worked out by your own browser. Nothing you type is transmitted to us or to anyone else, and none of it is stored - closing the tab removes it completely, so print or save a copy first if you want to keep it. See the privacy policy for how we handle data generally.
Can I print the crossword and the answer key separately?
Yes. The blank puzzle prints on its own page and the filled-in answer key prints on a separate page after it, the same way the maths worksheet generator keeps its answer key apart from the sheet. Hand out the puzzle, keep the key back, and mark it once your class or child is done.
Building vocabulary lists every week?
A crossword is one way to make a word list stick, but it will not tell you why the same words keep coming back wrong. A free assessment usually will.
- Tell us the class, the board, and where it is going wrong.
- We find a teacher who has taught that exact thing, and offer a slot.
- A free 20-minute assessment - stay and watch if you would like to.
- No card, nothing to commit to
- One teacher, one child, every class
- The same teacher, every single week