How to Make a Crossword Puzzle With Spelling Words

by Laura Gyre

Overview

Studying spelling words can be dull, and getting kids to do it can be challenging. Making a crossword puzzle with spelling words can add a bit of interest to the lesson, plus a bit of extra learning value. If you use the definitions of the words as the crossword puzzle clues, students can even practice vocabulary while they study their spelling words.

Step 1

Write one of the longest spelling words in pencil near the middle of the graph paper, with one letter per box.
Step 2

Find another word that shares at least one letter with the first word, and write it in downwards, crossing the first word at the shared letter.
Step 3

Add the rest of the spelling words, crossing any existing word wherever possible. If you have leftover words that don't cross anything, just try to fit them somewhere else on the paper, possibly crossing other leftover words.
Step 4

Write a tiny number in the upper-left corner of the box of the first letter of each word. In some cases, a horizontal word and a vertical word may share the same number.
Step 5

Trace the shape of the puzzle onto the tracing paper with a pen. Trace the tiny numbers and the outlines of the boxes with letters in them, but not the letters themselves.
Step 6

Write the clues (definitions of the words or other hints) at the bottom of the tracing paper, or on another piece of paper if you run out of room. Separate the clues into "down" words and "across" words. Arrange the clues by number within each category.
Step 7

Make as many copies as you need of the crossword puzzle, and the clue page if it's separate. Keep your original graph paper sheet as an answer key.