Crossword Puzzle Generator
Turn your own answers and clues into a connected crossword, with a blank worksheet, a separate answer key and local file exports.
Crossword preview
Preparing sample…
PDF opens a clean worksheet in a new window. Choose Save as PDF; disable browser headers and footers. The answer key starts on a separate page.
How to create a crossword
Enter 5–30 answer/clue pairs or paste one pair per line as ANSWER | clue (tabs and a spaced hyphen also work). Add a title, choose settings and click Generate Crossword. Review the included and omitted words, then print or save PDF, download a blank or solved PNG, or export JSON to edit later. The sample uses ten space-related words.
How placement and numbering work
Across answers run left to right; Down answers run top to bottom. An Across and Down answer starting in the same square share its number. Matching letters form intersections. The bounded search tries multiple starting words and placements, backtracks over alternatives, and scores placed count first, then intersections, compactness and orientation balance. Every added word must intersect the existing group; unmatched entries are reported, not invented or silently removed.
This is a free-form educational crossword builder, not a dictionary, clue writer or guaranteed newspaper-style constructor. It does not enforce rotational symmetry or all-words-crossed-twice conventions. Answers normalize to 2–20 A–Z letters: spaces and punctuation are removed and common accented Latin letters are folded. One square holds one normalized letter. Search uses bounded attempts/nodes/time in a worker; a partial layout may be the best found. Regenerate or revise words if needed. Print / Save PDF uses the browser dialog; choose Save as PDF and turn off browser headers/footers for clean worksheets. Long clue lists flow onto extra pages before a separate answer-key page.
Classroom and homeschool uses
Use your own vocabulary definitions, science terms or reading-review clues. Keep clue wording appropriate for the learner, review every answer before printing, and choose Easy hints or a word bank for extra support. A regenerated layout changes placement while preserving your answer/clue pairs.
Sample workflow
In the included space sample, PLANET, EARTH, ORBIT and other answers connect through shared letters. Blank preview and blank PNG show numbered empty cells; Show answer key reveals the exact same placements. Easy adds answer lengths and first-letter hints and enables a word bank by default. Medium shows lengths; Hard removes those hints. The word-bank checkbox remains an independent choice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are some answers omitted?
They may not share usable letters, may create illegal neighboring runs, or may not fit within the selected grid/search bounds. The preview lists every omitted answer. Try Regenerate, Spacious or revising a few entries. A fully disconnected set is rejected.
Can I use phrases, apostrophes or accented words?
Yes, when they normalize to 2–20 Latin letters. NEW YORK becomes NEWYORK and café becomes CAFE. Digits and unsupported symbols are rejected. Normalized duplicates are detected before generation.
What makes the difficulty settings different?
Easy gives letter counts and first-letter hints and initially enables the word bank. Medium retains counts; Hard shows only your clues. You can override the word bank separately. Difficulty does not change answers or pretend a random layout is harder.
Are my puzzle files uploaded or saved to an account?
No. Generation runs in this browser, and PNG/JSON files download locally. Import validates a saved JSON file, including its grid and numbering. PDF is produced through browser printing. There is no account, server upload or automatic cloud storage.
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