Crossword Puzzle Maker

Use this crossword puzzle maker to turn your word list and clues into a printable worksheet with a PDF answer key

Crossword Puzzle Maker turns a word list and your clues into a crossword grid with an answer key, then hands you the sheet as one PDF. Prepare vocabulary practice, spelling practice or a club activity from your own terms. Paste the pairs, pick a size and export: this crossword puzzle maker builds a numbered grid for a printable worksheet. Check the result before giving it to your class. 🚀 Three steps to a worksheet 1. Click the icon. The workspace tab opens with the list on the left and an empty grid on the right. 2. Paste custom words and clues, one pair per line, or drop a two-column CSV. Pick Auto or 11, 13, 15, 17 or 21. 3. Press Export PDF. The puzzle and clues come first, followed by the filled grid. Long clues can extend the document to four pages, so the key is not always on page 2. 🧩 What a custom crossword puzzle maker has to get right 1️⃣ Unplaced words appear on the Not placed list. A single word can form the starting entry without a crossing. 2️⃣ Answers use 3 to 20 Latin letters, including accents. Spaces, digits and punctuation are refused. The input accepts up to 100 words and 20,000 characters in total. 3️⃣ Saved words, settings and the seed rebuild the same layout in the same engine version. Different layout tries a new seed. 4️⃣ The preview and PDF use the same letter positions and numbering, but screen styling and page layout differ. Review the exported sheet before printing. 5️⃣ Long clues wrap within their column. A PDF that would exceed four pages is refused rather than silently cut off. 📄 Settings for the printed sheet ➤ Letter or A4 ➤ ink-saver mode for a school printer ➤ a name / date line on page 1 ➤ include or omit solutions when using Print ➤ a print ready PDF for the class pack 📋 The answer key belongs next to the puzzle This crossword puzzle maker keeps the filled grid with the clues. 👥 A crossword puzzle maker for teachers, tutors and clubs • Teachers preparing a lesson from their own terms • Parents making a party worksheet • Tutors importing pairs from a spreadsheet • Club volunteers preparing a paper activity • Learners practising spelling with their own definitions 🎲 Different layout and the unplaced list The Not placed list names omitted words. Try a larger grid or Different layout, then inspect the result again. Export remains available for the last valid preview, even if your current input has an error. Crossword Puzzle Maker never claims that all submitted words reached the sheet: the crossword contains the placed entries only. 🎓 Start with a sample or switch puzzle type 📌 Open Weather words, Fractions or Spanish verbs from the empty state and watch the cells fill. 📌 Drop a CSV of your own pairs when they already live in a spreadsheet. 📌 Switch to Word search to make a letter-search puzzle from the same list. 💡 You can also export an editable Word document and a PNG of the grid. PNG does not contain the clues or separate solutions. Use PDF for a complete printable sheet, or Print to choose whether the solutions are included. 🎲 The short version - Open the workspace from the toolbar icon - Paste the word list and your clues - Watch the grid fill, then Export PDF - Print the puzzle with or without its solutions Use this crossword puzzle maker for a spelling list or a club activity. Auto tries a compact grid; fixed choices are 11, 13, 15, 17 and 21. A larger size can help but does not guarantee that every answer fits. Different layout changes the seed. Name and date add a header line. Ink saver changes blank squares. ❓ Questions people ask Q: Can I get the same layout again? A: Reopen a saved puzzle. It retains the words, clues, grid size and seed. A later engine version may rebuild it differently and shows a notice. Q: What if a word will not place? A: It stays on the Not placed list. Raise the size, try Different layout, or shorten that answer. Check which entries will be printed. Q: Where is the answer key? A: It follows the puzzle and clues in the same print ready PDF. Its page number depends on how much room the clues need. 🎯 Open Crossword Puzzle Maker and try your own pairs. Check the crossings, omissions and output before printing. Crossword Puzzle Maker keeps your draft and up to 50 saved puzzles. At the limit, delete one before adding another; old puzzles are not silently discarded. Crossword Puzzle Maker uses the packaged fonts for the PDF. Unsupported characters cause an explicit error: edit the text or try Word or Print. Your clues stay with the grid and answer key in the PDF, while downloaded files are separate from the saved-puzzle list.