How to make a crossword
1. Give the crossword a title. 2. Type one answer per line followed by its clue, like Mars: The red planet. You can also separate the answer and clue with a dash, an equals sign or a tab. 3. Click Make crossword. The maker fits the answers into a grid where every word crosses at least one other, numbers the squares, and lists the clues under Across and Down.
If an answer has no letters in common with the rest, it can’t cross anything, so it’s left out and named under the form. Click New layout to try a different arrangement, or add an answer that shares letters with it.
Solving on screen
Click a square and type. The cursor moves along the word as you go, and the matching clue is highlighted. Click the same square again, or use the arrow keys, to switch between across and down. Backspace steps back through the word.
Check marks wrong letters in red without giving anything away, Reveal fills in the whole grid, and Clear empties it to start again.
Printing and sharing
Print prints the empty grid with its clues on one page. Print with answers adds a filled-in answer key on a second page. To save a PDF, pick “Save as PDF” as the printer.
Copy share link copies a link to this exact crossword. The answers and clues are packed into the part of the link after the # sign, which browsers never send to a server, so nothing is stored on Wordformat.
Writing good clues
Keep each clue to one fact, and match its form to the answer: a plural clue for a plural answer, a verb clue for a verb. The length hint in brackets, such as (5) or (3,5) for a two-word answer, is added automatically. For a class, write the clue first and check the answer is the only sensible fit; for a party, clues about the guests make the crossword personal.
Crosswords with 10 to 20 answers of different lengths fit together best. Very short answers (two or three letters) are hard to cross, and long answers with common letters such as E, A, R and S help hold the grid together.