OneTaskBy Tim King · Updated
Crossword Maker
Interlocking Grid, Numbered Squares and Across and Down Clues to Print
OneTask is free, with no sign-up, and built by one person.
If this tool saved you time, a coffee helps keep new ones coming.
How the Crossword Maker works
This crossword maker turns a list of words and clues into a printable crossword. Write each answer, a colon and its clue on its own line, and the maker interlocks the words into a compact grid, numbers it and sets out the Across and Down clues. Tick "Show answers" for the answer key.
How the crossword maker builds the grid
It places the first word, then fits each next word across or down through a letter it shares with a word already on the grid. Every placement is checked so that no two answers touch side by side, which would spell out words that are not in the list. The maker tries dozens of word orders and keeps the layout with the most crossings in the smallest area.
Writing good clues
Keep each clue to one line and make it fit the answer's form: a plural answer needs a plural clue. For a class quiz, a short definition works well. The number of letters is added after each clue automatically, as in a newspaper crossword.
When a word will not fit
A word that shares no letters with the rest of the list cannot cross anything, so it is left out and named in the note above the puzzle. Adding a word that shares letters with it, or pressing New puzzle for a different layout, usually brings it in.
FAQ
How many words should I use?
Between 8 and 20 works best. Fewer words give a sparse grid with few crossings, and very long lists make a large grid that is hard to print clearly. The maker accepts up to 40 entries.
Can answers have more than one word?
Yes, but spaces and punctuation are removed, so "solar wind" goes in the grid as SOLARWIND. Mention it in the clue, as setters do, for example "Stream of particles from the Sun (5,4)".
Is this an American-style or British-style crossword?
Neither exactly. Those styles fill every square of a fixed symmetrical grid, which needs a huge word list. This maker builds a free-form crossword, the kind used in classrooms and puzzle books, where the grid grows around your own words.
See also: all Puzzle Makers tools, Scrabble & Board Games, Puzzle Solvers, Anagrams & Rhymes.
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