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1CUSTOM2CROSWORD
Crosswords made from your words.
Type the names, places and in-jokes that matter to you. Custom Crossword builds them into a real crossword in seconds, for a birthday, a wedding, a team or a classroom. Send it by link, or print it.
- Free to make and share
- No sign-up needed
- Solved on any phone
Summers at the Lake
Sample puzzle1D2S3POUA4CABINDKSD5H6FIREFLYAITEMS7LMHAOI8KAYAK9CANOEKG
Across
- 4 Wooden house used for sleeping in the woods (5)
- 6 Small bug that lights up during a summer night (7)
- 8 Small boat where the person sits low to the water (5)
- 9 Small boat shaped like a long pointed hull (5)
Down
- 1 Platform where boats are tied up in the water (4)
- 2 Time of day when the sun goes below the horizon (6)
- 3 Tool used to move a small boat through water (6)
- 5 Net or fabric bed for swinging between two trees (7)
- 6 Sport where people try to catch trout or salmon (7)
- 7 Body of water like Michigan or Superior (4)
How it works
Three steps, about five minutes.
No grids to draw and no squares to count. You bring the words; the layout is done for you.
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Type your words
One answer per line, as many as you like up to 60. The grid is built in seconds, and you can try other layouts until one looks right.
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Write your clues
A clue box for every answer, numbered as on the grid. Make them as easy, as personal or as fiendish as your solvers deserve.
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Share or print
Send a link that anyone can solve on their phone, and race each other if you like. Or download a print-ready PDF with the answer key.
Made for the moment
A puzzle for every occasion.
Each of these was made from a dozen words. Open one and solve it, the way your friends would.
Why people use it
A gift they'll actually sit down with.
Every answer is personal
It's built only from the words you give it. Nothing generic is slipped in to fill the gaps.
Race each other
Turn on a race and everyone who opens the link sees who's ahead, then who finished first and how fast.
Beautiful on paper
A typeset, print-ready PDF with the answer key, for a party table, a card or a classroom wall.
Pricing
Free to make. Pay only to print.
Make and share as many crosswords as you like. A print-ready PDF is US$3, or US$5 a month for 10.
Free
Make it, share it, solve it together.
US$0forever
No card, no sign-up to start
- Included: Make crosswords from your own words
- Included: Write your clues, choose and optimise the grid
- Included: Share by link; friends solve and race on their phones
- Included: Keep 10 crosswords in your browser, or 25 with a free account
- Included: The AI clue writer for 1 puzzle a month (free account)
- Not included: Print-ready PDF
One PDF
For the one puzzle you want on paper.
US$3per puzzle
Pay once, keep it forever
- Included: Everything in Free
- Included: A print-ready PDF of that puzzle, with the answer key
- Included: US Letter or A4; print as many copies as you like
- Included: Download it again any time; title and clue changes are free
Making lots of puzzles? See Plus and Pro.
Questions
Good to know.
Is it really free?
Yes. Making a crossword, writing its clues, and sharing it by link cost nothing, and you don't need an account to do it. You pay only if you want a print-ready PDF (US$3 a puzzle) or a plan for making lots of them.
What words can I use?
Any words that mean something to the people solving it: names, places, pets, inside jokes, a favorite song. Each answer can be 3 to 12 letters long, and a puzzle can hold up to 60 of them. Spaces and punctuation are taken out (Ice cream becomes ICECREAM), and if a word can't be fitted into the grid you're told which one and why.
How do my friends solve it?
You send them the link. It opens in the browser on any phone, tablet or computer: no app and no sign-up. Their progress is saved on their device as they go, and if you make it a race, everyone who joins sees the others filling in and who finished first.
What's in the PDF?
A typeset page with your title, the grid and the numbered clues, sized for US Letter or A4, and the answer key on its own page. Once you've bought a puzzle's PDF it's yours: download it again any time, and change its title or clues for free.
Who can see the crosswords I make?
Only people you give the link to. Shared puzzles are unlisted: they aren't searchable, aren't listed anywhere on the site, and are marked so search engines don't index them. Our privacy policy lists exactly what is kept.
More answers in Help.
Your words. Their puzzle.
Start with a few names and see the grid appear. It's free, and there's nothing to sign up for.