Creating a Crossword Puzzle Online: General Tips

• 1). Select a website to use for creating your crossword puzzle online. The crossword generator at CrosswordPuzzleGames.com has the fewest customization options, but can be completed the most quickly because little information is required to create a puzzle. The crossword generator at ArmoredPenguin.com has the most customization options and includes the ability to output your completed puzzle in the PDF format. The crossword generator at The Teacher's Corner has the ability to create a master key which a teacher can use to quickly check students' answers.
  
  
• 2). Enter the words that you would like to use for your crossword puzzle, including a hint for each one. Each of the three sites listed in this article requires the words and hints to be entered in separate boxes. Enter the word that you would like to use in the first box in a row, then enter the hint in the second box. Continue until all of the boxes are used or you have run out of words.
  
  
• 3). Click the "Create My Crossword Puzzle" button at the bottom of the screen if you are using the crossword generator at CrosswordPuzzleGames.com. If you are using ArmoredPenguin.com, continue to Section 2 to learn how to use the customization options. Or skip to Section 3 to learn about the crossword generator at The Teacher's Corner.
  
  

Using the Crossword Customization Options at ArmoredPenguin.com

• 1). Enter a number (in seconds) in the box labeled "Computation Time." A good crossword puzzle has plenty of words that intersect with one another. The number that you enter represents the number of seconds that you want to give the server to create the best possible puzzle from your words.
  
  
• 2). Enter a number in the box labeled "Size of Square" to represent the number of spaces that you would like the puzzle to take up horizontally and vertically, then enter a number in "Expansion" to represent the number of spaces that the server can grow the puzzle by if the ideal crossword setup cannot be found in the minimum number of squares.
  
  
• 3). Enter a number in the box labeled "Minimum number of groups" to represent the number of word groups that you are looking for in the final puzzle. The server attempts to group all of the words together, but this may not be possible, depending on the words that you entered.
  
  
• 4). Click the "Make Puzzle" button to generate your puzzle.
  
  

Using the Crossword Customization Options at The Teacher's Corner

• 1). Select a radio button under "Font" to change the typeface that will be used in the completed crossword puzzle. Each radio button has a preview of what the given font will look like.
  
  
• 2). Place a check in the box labeled "Generate Key" to have the final printout include a completed answer key.
  
  
• 3). Click the drop-down menu next to "Size of Crossword Squares" to change the size of the cells in the crossword puzzle. You may wish to use larger squares for a puzzle that will be completed by younger children.
  
  
• 4). Place a check in the box labeled "Show the Word Bank" to have the printed crossword puzzle include a list of the words included. This feature can make the puzzle easier for young children to complete.
  
  
• 5). Click the "Make Crossword Puzzle" button to generate the puzzle.