Puzzles / Crosswords

Construct by hand. Publish as a team.

A grid editor for constructors and setters, from the 5×5 mini to the 15×15, built around your own word lists, with a desk where editors verify every puzzle.

Mini5×5

Midi7×7

Standard11×11

LargeBeta15×15

5×5 to 15×15: mini, midi, 11×11, and 15×15
Seven symmetry settings: six symmetries, or none
Your word lists: up to 250,000 entries each
.puz and .ipuz: plus print-ready pages

A grid editor that leaves the craft to you

Start with your theme entries, then place black squares round them and your symmetry follows. Pick any square to see the entries that fit across and down, ranked by how well they cross, with dead ends struck out. When a corner won't fall, look through fills that keep your theme entries, and take one or keep going.

By the seaDraftAuto savedFinishDelete

⌘-click or press period for a black square.

AutocompleteGrid fillsClues

Pick a square to see the words that fit through it.

Seven symmetry settings as you build your grid

Rotational, quarter turn, mirror left and right, top and bottom, or both ways, mirror across the diagonal, or none. Every black square you place is mirrored for you, and switching asks before it clears any letters.

Rotational

Quarter turn

Mirror left and right

Mirror top and bottom

Mirror both ways

Mirror across the diagonal

None

Use our hand-crafted word libraries, or bring lists of your own

Everyday words, plus libraries of answers most adults in India, the US, the UK, Australia, or Canada know. Add up to three lists of your own, one entry per line with an optional score, and they rank alongside ours.

Word librarieson top of everyday words

IndiaCricket, food, festivals, films
United StatesPlaces, sports, history, pop culture
United KingdomFootball, TV, British English
AustraliaWildlife, sport, Aussie English
CanadaHockey, music, Canadian English

Draft to verified, on one desk

Your team builds, fixes clues, and marks each puzzle verified, and the series calendar shows what runs when. Owners, admins, constructors, and viewers each see what they need; guests see only the projects you share with them.

Mini #43DraftVerified

Verified by Priya, Tue 20 Oct

Files for print and the web

.puz for Across Lite with your team as author, .ipuz with your team as publisher, plain text, images of the grid and its solution, and a print-ready page. A whole project downloads at once, in publishing order.

.ipuzThe open format crossword apps import

.puzFor Across Lite and older players

.txtClues as plain text

.jpgPuzzle and answer key

A calendar when you need one

Give a series its release days, time, and time zone, and every puzzle lands on its day, so the desk can see what runs when. Build each one by hand, or draft a few onto the open days when the week gets busy.

Daily MiniReleases 06:00 Asia/Kolkata

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

Sun

Features

Everything a constructor reaches for.

The grid

Start from a draft never made a puzzle? Draft one, or a whole set, and edit from there
Grid sizes mini, midi, 11×11, and 15×15
Grid patterns start blank, or from a standard grid at your size
Custom black square placements press . or ⌘-click any square
Symmetry rotational, mirror, diagonal, or none; black squares follow
Grid warnings two-letter entries, unchecked squares, dupes, and broken symmetry
Finish check empty squares, unclued entries, or a disconnected grid block it

The fill

Word fill suggestions up to 100 for the current slot, ranked by crossings
Unfillable last entries that leave a crossing empty are struck out
Grid fill up to 20 candidate fills around your entries
Word scores each fill labelled by its average score
No duplicates similar words never share a grid
Native profanity filter slurs and sensitive topics stay out too

Word lists

Curated word list scored by difficulty, so familiar words show up first
Curated regional word lists for India, the US, the UK, Australia, and Canada
Upload custom word lists up to 250,000 entries each
Screened like ours uploaded words pass the same content checks

Clues

Clue editor write each entry's clue by hand
Clue lookup past clues, definition, and etymology for each entry
Clue suggestions brainstorms to get you started
Custom clue instructions up to 500 characters, when you want more ideas or a different angle

Export and publish

Embed on your site: theme, grid style, timer, check, and reveal
Print to PDF a print-ready page, via the print dialog
.puz for Across Lite, your team as author
.ipuz the open format, your team as publisher
Images the puzzle and its solution, as JPG
Plain text every clue with its answer
Bulk export a whole project as one zip or print run, in order

The desk

Organizations one for each publisher or client you work with
Projects series, books, and one-offs, as many as each organization needs
Members owners, admins, constructors, and viewers; guests see only the projects you share
Draft and Verified each puzzle marked once it's checked
Release calendar days, time, and time zone for each series

Puzzles

The other puzzles.

Sudoku6×6 and 9×9, one solution, no guessingPicdokuSoonSudoku with pictures in place of numbersWord wheelSoonNine letters, every word uses the middle oneSliding pictureSoonA picture cut into tiles, with one gapWord ladderSoonOne letter changes on every rung