Make your own crossword in about three minutes
Here's the whole job: type your words into the boxes above (or open Paste a whole list and drop in an entire spelling list at once), press Make my crossword, and watch your words interlock into a puzzle. Like the layout? Download the PDF. Want the long word down the middle instead? Press Shuffle layout and the maker reweaves everything from scratch — same words, fresh grid, as many times as you like.
The PDF comes out ready for the photocopier: your title across the top, the grid, the clues, an optional word bank, and — if you want it — the answer key on its own final page, so it's easy to keep back while the puzzling happens.
The clue-writing shortcut
Writing twenty clues is the part that usually turns "fun idea" into "abandoned tab", so we've taken most of it off your plate. This is the same site that builds unlimited mini crosswords from a hand-written clue bank — and your puzzle gets to borrow it. Type a word we know, like PLANET or FRIEND, and a clue appears in the box automatically (you'll see it lightly highlighted). Keep it, tweak it, or overwrite it entirely — it's your puzzle.
For words we don't know — names, niche vocabulary, your dog — you can write your own clue, or simply leave it blank and switch on the word bank. Clue-less words are listed on the sheet and their clue reads "In the word bank (6 letters)", which turns the puzzle into a fit-the-words challenge. Younger children often find that more fun than clues, and it's the classic format for spelling practice: to place the word, you have to spell it.
What makes a word list weave well
A crossword is held together by shared letters, so the maker can only interlock words that actually have letters in common. A few things make the difference between a grid that hangs together beautifully and one with a straggler left over:
- Common letters are the glue. Words rich in E, A, R, S, T and O cross easily. A list full of rare letters (JAZZ, QUIZ, FJORD) is charming but stubborn — it'll weave, just less densely.
- Mix your lengths. A couple of long words give the grid a spine for short words to hang from. Twenty three-letter words have nowhere to meet.
- 8–20 words is the sweet spot. Fewer than five feels thin; past twenty-five the grid gets big (we cap it at what still prints nicely on A4).
- Total opposites can't touch. CAT, DOG and SUN share no letters at all, so no power on earth can cross them. If a word gets left out, the maker tells you and suggests the fix: shuffle again, or add a word that shares its letters.
For teachers: the five-minute Friday activity
This tool exists because of spelling lists. Paste Monday's list into the maker, tick Name & date line, print thirty copies, and Friday's early finishers are handled — solving the puzzle forces every child to spell every word correctly, because the crossings police it for you. A few teacher-shaped details we've built in:
- Word bank mode means zero clue-writing for pure spelling practice — and it's the right difficulty for younger years anyway.
- The answer key prints on its own page, so you can run one copy fewer and keep it on your desk.
- Large print sets a bigger grid and bigger clue text — made for early readers, and equally good for grandparents.
- Vocabulary and topic review work the same way: paste the key terms, keep our auto-clues for the everyday words, and write quick definitions for the technical ones. (PHOTOSYNTHESIS fits, by the way — words can be up to fifteen letters.)
Everything you make here is free to use in your classroom, tutoring sessions, or homeschool — no attribution required, though we never mind a mention.
For parties, gifts, and the fridge door
The other thing people make with their own words: puzzles about people. A birthday crossword where every answer is an in-joke. An anniversary quiz (first holiday, the restaurant, the dog). A baby-shower puzzle of name candidates. A "welcome to the family" puzzle for a new in-law, solved competitively at the dinner table. Put the guest of honour's name in as the longest word and it usually lands proudly down the middle of the grid. A personalised crossword costs nothing, takes five minutes, and gets photographed more than the cake.
Why your puzzle is a criss-cross (an honest note)
Look closely and you'll see your puzzle isn't shaped like a newspaper crossword — it's an open weave of interlocking words with breathing space around them, in the style of puzzle books and classroom worksheets. That's a deliberate choice, and it's worth being straight about why. A newspaper-style grid, where every square is filled and every letter is checked, mathematically requires far more words than any custom list contains — the only way to build one around your ten words would be to pad the grid with dozens of filler words from our dictionary. Some makers do exactly that. We think if you give us your words, the puzzle should be made of your words — all killer, no filler. (If you'd rather solve dense grids, our minis and themed crosswords have you covered, and you can read about how we build those on how we make our puzzles.)
Your words never leave your device
The whole maker runs in your browser: the weaving, the preview, even the PDF is assembled on your own machine. Nothing you type is uploaded, stored, or seen by us — type your family's names or next week's surprise party plans with a clear conscience. Your work-in-progress list is saved on your own device, so if you close the tab and come back tomorrow, your words are waiting.
Common questions
How many words do I need?
At least three (a crossword needs something to cross), up to thirty. The happiest grids come from 8–20 words with a couple of long ones in the mix.
Can I use phrases, like ICE CREAM or NEW YORK?
Yes — spaces, hyphens and apostrophes are squeezed out automatically, exactly as real crosswords do it, so ICE CREAM becomes ICECREAM in the grid. Accented letters are simplified too (JOSÉ works fine as JOSE).
Why did one of my words get left out?
It doesn't share enough letters with the others to cross anywhere legal. Shuffle layout re-attempts everything and often finds a home for it; failing that, add a word or two that shares its letters and rebuild.
Do I have to write the clues myself?
No. Words we recognise get a clue suggested automatically from the same hand-curated clue bank behind our own puzzles. For everything else, write a quick clue or lean on the word bank — both make a perfectly solvable puzzle.
Can I save my puzzle and finish later?
Your word list and options auto-save on your device as you type, so coming back later picks up where you left off. The finished puzzle itself lives in the PDF — download it and it's yours forever.
Can people solve my puzzle online?
Not yet — this maker is print-first, because that's what nearly everyone wants it for. A shareable play-online link is on our roadmap; if that's the feature you're waiting for, tell us and you'll nudge it up the list.
Is it really free? Even for school or commercial use?
Really free — no signup, no watermark ransom, no "3 puzzles per month" surprise. The puzzles you make are yours to print, hand out, and use in your classroom, church bulletin, or company newsletter as you please.