How to Craft Your First Crossword Puzzle

A crossword puzzle is a word game consisting of a grid of squares where players solve clues to fill in intersecting words horizontally and vertically. Each clue hints at a word that fits a specific length. From casual to cryptic, crosswords range from beginner-friendly to brain-busting.

I am splitting this guide into crosswords produced with software (my preference and heartfelt recommendation) and crosswords produced manually (hard, hard work!!)

Crafting a Crossword Using Software

Choose a Theme: Pick a topic like Famous Landmarks or Fairy Tales to give your crossword a cohesive focus. For help with themes and ideas go to my guide on popular themes. If you’re stuck for ideas, use a thesaurus to find synonyms, online crossword puzzle websites for inspiration or books, magazines, or online news sources.

For my example crossword, my theme is going to be Sidmouth and its surrounding area. Why? Because I live here!

Make a Word List: Select 15–20 words related to your theme. Aim for a mix of short and long words, words that interlock well, some easier words and a few challenging ones.

You can use word list generators, like:

• OneLook (www.onelook.com) – Find words by topic.
• Crossword Tracker (www.crosswordtracker.com) – Check words used in past puzzles.

If you use ChatGPT or other AI chatbots then a prompt similar to this will produce some useful wordlists.

Generate a list of 50 words related to [insert topic or theme]. The words should include a mix of common and advanced vocabulary, covering different aspects, synonyms, and related terms. Ensure diversity by including nouns, verbs, adjectives, and other relevant parts of speech. Avoid overly obscure or unrelated words. The list should be practical and useful for writing, discussions, or creative projects.

I used this prompt so that ChatGPT could create a word list about Sidmouth and its surrounding East Devon area. This is the result:

Jurassic	Cliffs	Esplanade	Bay	Riviera
Heathland	Meadows	Estuary	Salcombe Hill	Peak Hill
Rockpools	Gulls	Limestone	Fossils	Otters
Heather	Wildflowers	Pebbles	Tide	Breeze
Regency	Connaught	Smuggling	Thatched	Limekilns
Promenade	Victorian	Salcombe Regis	Fishermen	Manor
Festival	Tea rooms	Cream tea	Harbour	Cobbled
Quaint	Seaglass	Mariner	Crafts	Retreat
Hiking	Sailing	Swimming	Cycling	Picnics
Sunset	Paddling	Folk music	Crabbing	Horse riding

Design the Grid: Use a crossword generator or draw the grid manually. Aim for symmetry if you’re creating a professional-style puzzle. However, be aware that symmetrical crosswords – often called newspaper style crosswords are notoriously difficult to construct using a set word list. If you don’t care for a theme for your crossword then newspaper style crosswords are a great choice.

With this example, the crossword is going to be freestyle and not symmetrical. The software I use – Crossword Compiler needs a very large Word-list of 1,000 to 5,000 to be able to create symmetrical, newspaper style crosswords.

Fortunately, Crossword Compiler comes with some large word lists. Others are available on the internet – https://www.spreadthewordlist.com/wordlist from Spread the Word has a free wordlist of 303,000 words!

The Freestyle crossword is more suited to use words that you’ve chosen, so I’ve taken 15 words from my word-list:

Jurassic	Cliffs	Peak Hill	Pebbles	Regency
Connaught	Thatched	Promenade	Salcombe Regis	Festival
Cream Tea	Gulls	Sailing	Folk music	Crabbing

Select the grid dimensions. I chose 20×20 and then told Crossword Compiler to Build Puzzle. Usually, Crossword Compiler produces a number of alternative puzzles. Sometimes it doesn’t use all the words. Simply increase the size of the crossword and see if then uses all of them. When you are satisfied with your crossword, then save it and export it to your computer. I usually export as a pdf.

Types of Clues

Straight Definitions: High point in Sidmouth, sounds like a mountain’s summit (4,4) = PEAK HILL

Grand gardens and cliffside views, named after a Duke (9) =CONNAUGHT

Synonyms: Cheerful =HAPPY

Wordplay & Puns: It grows on trees (4)” =LEAF

Anagrams: Cream Tea – Ace Mater mixed up Scone, jam, and clotted cream to produce Devon’s finest! (5,3) = CREAM TEA

A place to stroll with a mixture named rope (9) = PROMENADE

Fill-in-the-blank: To be or not to ___ =BE

Where to Get Help for Clues

• Thesaurus.com – Find synonyms.
• Oxford English Dictionary (OED) Online – Find definitions.
• RhymeZone (www.rhymezone.com) – Helps with word connections.
• Crossword Clue Solvers – Websites like OneAcross.com suggest words from existing crossword patterns.

I could use software or even ChatGPT, but I like to have control of the clues. So, I do them myself using my creative mind! I’ve made the clues quite difficult to solve if you don’t know the Sidmouth area. The clues for my crossword are:

Across

1 Charming old cottages often have this roof (8)

3 Rod crooned this watery activity (7)

4 Chips beware! You’re being watched from above (5)

8 Folk bring music, dance, and culture to Sidmouth (8)

9 Ace Mater mixed up Scone, jam, and clotted cream to produce Devon’s finest! (5,3)

12 Standing tall and mighty, shaped by the sea over time (6)

13 Drop a line and see what you catch – but don’t pinch! (8)

14 Small, smooth, and covering the beach – not sand! (7)

Down

2 Grand gardens and cliffside views, named after a Duke (9)

5 See crab go slim in this nearby village (8,5)

6 A period of elegance, seen in Sidmouth’s architecture (7)

7 This coastline is a fossil hunter’s dream (8)

8 People’s melodies create harmony (4,5)

10 A place to stroll with a mixture named rope (9)

11 High point in Sidmouth, sounds like a mountain’s summit (4,4)

There is no need to put full stops at the end of each clue. Some clues are puns, some are anagrams, some cryptic with wordplay or puns and some are straightforward answers. Mix them up for more enjoyment and challenge.

Crossword Compiler allows you to add the clues onto your crossword. When you’re happy with your clues, cut and paste them into the software. Save your puzzle. Export the puzzle as a pdf including blank puzzle, answer puzzle and clues.

Test the Puzzle

Test the puzzle yourself – Ensure all words and clues make sense.

Ask a friend or family member to solve it – If they get stuck too often, simplify some clues.

When tested, print out copies of your crossword puzzle and share them with family and friends for a fun challenge or export as PDF or PNG – Most software lets you save the puzzle.

If you’re feeling entrepreneurial then publish your crossword by adding it to a puzzle book, or uploading it to sites like Puzzle-Maker.com.

Crafting a Crossword by hand

If you are feeling very adventurous and want to attempt a crossword by hand, then here are the eight steps I would use to create a crossword aimed at family and friends.

Choose a Theme (Optional but Helpful)

Start in exactly the same manner as you would do when using software by finding a theme. Choose a broad but specific theme, like Things in the Garden instead of just Flowers.

1.Make a Word List

Again write down 10-20 words related to your theme. Aim for a mix of short and long words (e.g., DOG, SUNFLOWER, PUZZLE). Try to include some common letters like vowels (A, E, I, O, U) to make crossing words easier. Write each word on a separate piece of paper or sticky note so you can rearrange them easily.

2.Arrange Words in a Grid

On graph paper, lightly draw a 15×15 grid (or any size you prefer). Make sure the grid is balanced and not too cluttered. Place the longest word in the centre of your grid. Start adding words that share common letters with your first word. Try to place words both across and down. You may run into a situation where words don’t fit together. If two words don’t fit, try swapping their positions, using a shorter synonym or adding another word to help connect them.

3.Fill in Black Squares If Needed

Black squares are used to separate words when they don’t fit together perfectly. If you’re creating a newspaper style crossword then add black squares symmetrically (if you add one on the left, add one on the right). Too many black squares can make the puzzle look odd and unbalanced. Use them sparingly! Aim for no more than one-sixth of the total squares to be black.

4.Number the Clues

Number the starting letter of each word in the puzzle. Write Across and Down clues separately. Forgetting to number words correctly only causes confusion. Double-check that every word has a unique number before writing the clues.

5.Write the Clues

As before, make your clues clear but challenging. Example: for an answer of DOG an easy clue would be A pet that barks whilst a harder clue would be Man’s best friend.

Test the clues on a family member to see if they make sense!

6.Create a Neat Copy

Draw the final version neatly on paper or type it on a computer. Make sure you have the grid with black squares and numbered spaces, the Across & Down clues and an answer key.

7.Share and Have Fun!

Make copies for family and friends. Challenge them to solve it. You can also laminate it or turn it into a fun family game night activity.