PuzzleBirch

Printable puzzle makers & word solvers

PuzzleBirch · Maker

Crossword maker

Write your answers and clues; PuzzleBirch lays the words out so they cross as often as possible, numbers the squares and prints the puzzle with a separate answer key.

All 12 answers placed, crossing 12 times on a 18 × 9 grid.

Forest friends

Name ____________________

12345678910

Across

  1. 5A stag grows a new one every year (6)
  2. 6Hoots at night (3)
  3. 7Crusty growth on old stones and bark (6)
  4. 8Black-and-white digger (6)
  5. 9Red-breasted garden bird (5)
  6. 10Prickly visitor that rolls into a ball (8)

Down

  1. 1Prickly blackberry bush (7)
  2. 2Bushy-tailed nut collector (8)
  3. 3Pops up overnight after rain (8)
  4. 4Feathery plant of damp woods (4)
  5. 5Seed of an oak (5)
  6. 8Tree with white, papery bark (5)

12 cluespuzzlebirch.me · layout birch

Writing a crossword that works

Put each answer on its own line, then a colon, then the clue: Owl: Hoots at night. A tab or a spaced dash works too. Answers can be several words (“ice cream” becomes ICECREAM in the grid, with the clue showing 3,5 when letter counts are on).

PuzzleBirch places the longest answers first and tries dozens of arrangements, keeping the one that uses the most of your words with the most crossings in the smallest, squarest grid. Words only touch where they cross, so the puzzle never contains accidental extra words. If an answer shares no usable letter with the others, it is listed above the preview instead of being dropped without a word; adding a linking word, or another layout number, usually helps.

Ten to twenty answers of mixed lengths make the most satisfying grids. Long words with common letters (E, A, R, S, T) are the best connectors. Print gives the puzzle on one page and the filled-in grid with the answers beside each clue on the next; choose “Save as PDF” to keep a copy.

Questions

Why is one of my answers not in the grid?

It could not cross any other answer without running alongside a word. Try another layout number, or add an answer that shares letters with it.

Are there black squares?

No. This is a free-form crossword, the style used in classrooms and puzzle books for children: only the squares you fill in are printed, which also saves ink.

Can I share the crossword with another teacher?

Copy link puts the title, answers, clues and layout number into a link. Opening it rebuilds the same crossword in any browser.