How can you create a crossword puzzle

Especially in crossword puzzles. Otherwise, you could be held personally liable. Our annual advent sale continues with six brand-new bundles just for you!

Step One: Get the right technology First things first. Step Two: Come up with a theme Like the gooey center of a deep-dish Chicago-style pizza, the most important part of any good crossword is its theme. Of course, when coming up with a theme, there a few rules you need to follow… Rule One: Make the theme entries symmetrical.

Pretty sneaky, huh? Rule Four: Blocks also need to be placed symmetrically. Rule Five: Words cannot be shorter than three letters. Oh no! Look out! The cops are pulling you and Jack over! Step Four: Add in the rest of the words! So, full disclosure… this part sucks.

Good luck. Step Five: Write the clues Wonderful! So the clues are important. Rule Nine: Make your clues short. Rule Make sure your clues are factually accurate. That would be a serious no-no. Crosswords Puzzles Former U. Become a patron. Suggested Reads October 30, War Department, Recently November 11, If you're using an online crossword puzzle maker or puzzle-making software, you may be restricted to a certain range of available sizes.

Make a list of words for your crossword puzzle. Usually you'll select words according to a theme of your choosing. Examples of common themes include foreign places or languages, words from a certain time period, famous people, and sports. Lay the words out in a grid format. This part of the process can feel as challenging as actually solving a crossword puzzle. Once you've laid the words out, black out any unused squares.

Every letter should correspond to both an Across word and a Down word, and be totally interconnected. If the answer to a clue is a phrase rather than a single word, there should be no spaces between the words. The answers should not include punctuation either. Many crossword puzzle creators automatically lay the words out for you. All you do is specify puzzle size and input the list of words and clues. Number the starting square for each word. This can also be pretty mind-bending, and many people prefer to use software instead of doing it all manually.

If you're using a crossword puzzle creator, it will handle the numbering for you automatically. Create a copy of the crossword puzzle. This time the starting square for each word should be numbered, but the squares themselves should be otherwise blank. Set aside the filled-in puzzle for use as an answer key. You can make as many copies of the blank one as you need.

Part 2. Begin with some straightforward clues. Add another level of challenge with indirect clues. These generally involve some sort of metaphor, or rely on lateral thinking.

Use cryptic clues. This type of crossword clue is far more popular in the UK than in the US. They rely on various kinds of word play, and usually involve multiple levels of puzzling out.

There is a huge number of sub-types within the cryptic clue category. Reversals require solving a cryptic clue and then reversing the solution. Organize the clues in list form. Number them according to their placement in the puzzle. List all the Across clues together in ascending numerical order, and list all the Down clues together in ascending numerical order.

Part 3. Use one of the standard sizes. Make sure the diagram has degree rotational symmetry. These should be arranged so that if you flipped the graph, the blacked out squares would be in the same places.

Avoid small words. Two-letter words are never allowed, and three-letter words should be used sparingly. Use referenced words. With some exceptions, the words in your puzzle should be words one can find in a dictionary, atlas, work of literature, textbook, almanac, etc. Use each word only once. Make the long words count. One hallmark of a well made puzzle is that the longest words are the ones most closely tied into the theme. Is there a program with a blank grid in which I can enter my words, black out the spaces and make ready to print?

You can do it through the puzzlefoundry. It also has a crossword builder and word-pattern search functionality. Not Helpful 16 Helpful I'm making my own crossword. How can I black out or delete spaces that are not filled with a word? You can black them out with a pen or marker, if you've printed it out. If you're doing it on the computer before printing, you can do it with Paint or a similar program using the paint bucket tool.

Not Helpful 14 Helpful Highlight the number of squares that will be used, then click border. It will make your crossword puzzle stand out. Not Helpful 17 Helpful No, crosswords are made for people to think about the answer, not to be inputted by provided answers. Not Helpful 27 Helpful There are many websites that allow you to create crossword puzzles.

Most of them ask you for a grid size, the words you have chosen, and hints. On those websites, the placement of words is random. You could also use applications like MS Paint to create a crossword puzzle.

There's really no practical reason for it. It's just an esthetic tradition. You could construct a puzzle just as easily without that symmetry! No, but it would be good if you use words that most people would know.

Not Helpful 6 Helpful Because in crosswords words are conjoined. If there is a small word such eg. There is no rule saying you can't use short words. You might want to make it easy to figure out or maybe you've found a word that is hard to find e. Not Helpful 5 Helpful How do I make a crossword puzzle related to science and how do I make one without printing it out? Starting off, you will need to make a list of words you want to be in your crossword.

Don't make it a huge list because you might not be able to fit all of them in.