Built on your own device · nothing uploaded
Crossword gift maker
Type 3 to 25 clues about someone and the crossword builds itself as you type: the puzzle sheet, the answer key and a poster of the solved grid, in a print-ready PDF for US$8.99. A word search for parties and classrooms works the same way. Nothing you type leaves your device.
A small preview. The files are full size, 300 dpi.
US$8.99 one-off · download
- Your words, your clues: the grid builds itself and crosses them where they share a letter; reshuffle until you like it.
- Three sheets in one PDF: the puzzle with its clues, the answer key, and a poster of the solved grid to frame, in the size you choose from five (18 × 24, 24 × 36, 16 × 20 and 11 × 14 inches, and A2 (which also prints well at A3 and A4)).
- Three looks and a phone picture. Change a clue any time: the download page keeps working.
You pay on Stripe’s secure page; any sales tax is shown there. Refunds: 30 days, no questions asked. Your words and clues stay on this device: the payment page gets only the product.
Clues that cross well
A crossword crosses two words where they share a letter, so words with common letters (A, E, R, S, T, N) cross easily and a word made of rare letters may be left out. Ten to fifteen words of four to eight letters make a grid that fills a page and still reads at a glance. Press Reshuffle to see other arrangements: every one is drawn from your words alone, with no filler.
The three sheets
The puzzle sheet shows the empty grid with its numbers and the clues below, Across then Down. The answer key shows the same grid filled. The poster is the solved grid, large, under your title, for a frame: the gift that stays on the wall after the puzzle is solved. Each is a page of the one PDF, in the size you chose; the poster is also a 300 dpi picture and a phone picture.
The word search
Type the words, one a line, and the maker hides them in a square of letters, running right, down and diagonally down, and backwards and upwards too if you tick “harder”. The filler letters are re-rolled until no word can be found a second time. The word list sits under the grid; the answer key marks each word. Good for a party table, a classroom or a rainy afternoon.
The puzzle costs US$8.99, once. Everything on this page before the buy button is free to try, with a preview watermark. Also on this site: the family tree poster and the sound wave poster.
Questions about the crossword gift
How do I write the clues?
One a line: the answer, a colon, then the clue, like “Lisbon: where we first met”. 3 to 25 words of 2 to 15 letters. Accents, spaces and hyphens are dropped in the grid (José Lim becomes JOSELIM); the clue can say anything.
A word is “left out”. Why?
A crossword only crosses words where they share a letter. If a word shares no letter with the others at a free spot, the maker says so instead of forcing it. Press Reshuffle for another arrangement, or change the word; short words with common letters cross best.
What is in the PDF?
Three sheets: the puzzle with its numbered clues (and a clues page if they run long), the answer key, and a poster of the solved grid with your title, in the size you chose (five sizes: 18 × 24, 24 × 36, 16 × 20 and 11 × 14 inches, and A2 (which also prints well at A3 and A4)). Print at 100% at home or at any print shop.
What about the word search?
Switch to Word search and type the words, one a line. The grid hides them, running right, down and diagonally down (and backwards and upwards too if you tick “harder”), and fills the rest with letters, re-rolled until no word can be found twice. The PDF has the puzzle with its word list and the answer key with the words marked.
Can I change the clues after paying?
Yes. The download page holds the same boxes. Fix a clue, add a word, reshuffle or change the look, and make the files again as often as you like. Bookmark the page: its link keeps working.
Where do my words go?
Nowhere. The puzzle is built and drawn in your browser, and the files are made there. When you pay, our server and Stripe learn only the product. The words stay in your browser’s storage so the download page can find them.
Can I get my money back?
Refunds: 30 days, no questions asked. Email us within 30 days of buying and we refund you in full.