Type your own words and clues, pick a seasonal border if you like, and download a print-ready crossword with an answer key. Great for spelling lists and vocabulary units. Free, no signup.
Type each answer followed by a colon and its clue, one per line. Click Make my crossword and the maker fits your words into an interlocking grid, numbers the squares, and lists the Across and Down clues under it. What you see in the preview is exactly what prints. Download a two-page PDF with the puzzle on page one and the answer key on page two.
Choose a Halloween, fall, Thanksgiving, Christmas, winter, spring or Easter border to turn a weekly spelling list into a holiday activity. The maker picks the border that leaves the most room for your grid. Click Try another border to see the others. Turn on the word bank for younger solvers: the answers are printed in a box under the clues, so the puzzle becomes a matching and spelling exercise.
Eight to twelve words is the sweet spot for elementary students. Words that share common letters (E, A, R, S, T) connect easily; if a word gets left out, swap it for one that shares a letter with the others, or click Shuffle layout. Keep clues short and concrete. A fun classroom twist is to have students write the clues for their own spelling words, then trade puzzles with a partner.
Want a ready-made puzzle instead? Browse our printable crosswords, including the Thanksgiving crossword puzzles, or try the word search maker.