How do I type the clues?

One per line: the answer, a colon, then the clue. For example “sun: It shines in the sky during the day.”

Usually. The maker tries many layouts and keeps the one that fits the most words. Any word that cannot cross another is named on the answer key.

How many words can I use?

Up to 20. Between 6 and 12 makes a puzzle that fits nicely on one page.

Crossword Maker: Free Printable Crossword Puzzles With Your Clues

Vocabulary practice with a twist

A crossword makes children recall a word from its meaning and spell it exactly, letter by letter, to fit the squares.

More puzzles

See the word search maker and, for pre-readers, the picture crossword in picture puzzles.

In the Australian Curriculum

FoundationBuilding vocabulary from everyday experiences and topics taught at school (AC9EFLA08), a thread that continues in every year.
Year 3Spelling longer words with several syllables, using knowledge of sounds and word parts.

Crosswords aren’t named in the curriculum, but the topic vocabulary they practise is. Science, HASS and Health units all come with key words, and a crossword made from a unit’s word wall is a quick revision task at the end of a term.

Writing a good clue is harder than solving one. Older students can write the clues for a partner’s crossword, which asks them to define each word precisely in their own words.

Summarised in our own words from the Australian Curriculum: English, Version 9.0 (ACARA).