PPuzzleCraft

A Free Puzzlemaker Alternative

Looking for a Puzzlemaker alternative? Make crosswords and word searches free, save them, share a play link and let students solve on screen.

Discovery Education Puzzlemaker has helped teachers print puzzles for years. If you also want to save your puzzles, share a link, or have students solve on a screen, PuzzleCraft does all of that for free.

Type a unit topic and PuzzleCraft suggests words and kid-friendly clues for you to check, or paste your own vocabulary list. Every puzzle prints with an answer key, and you can also send a play link for remote work or early finishers.

Sign in for free to keep a library of your puzzles, duplicate one to make a version B, and reuse it next year.

Ready-made printable crosswords

Valentine's Day CrosswordMother's Day CrosswordSpring CrosswordChinese New Year CrosswordEaster Story CrosswordBaseball CrosswordTennis CrosswordFishing CrosswordOcean Animals CrosswordDogs CrosswordArctic Animals CrosswordSpace CrosswordChemistry CrosswordElectricity CrosswordVegetables CrosswordGardening CrosswordCooking CrosswordWorld Capitals CrosswordAll topics →

How PuzzleCraft compares

FeaturePuzzleCraftDiscovery Education Puzzlemaker
Free to useYesYes
Print with answer keyYesYes
Students solve on screenYesNo
Share a play linkYesNo
Save and reuse puzzlesYes (free account)No
AI word and clue suggestionsYesNo

Based on Discovery Education Puzzlemaker's public pages as of October 2026. Features may change.

🛡️ Safe for kids and classrooms

  • ✅ No ads anywhere on PuzzleCraft.
  • ✅ No account needed for kids to play.
  • ✅ We never sell personal information.
  • ✅ Analytics cookies only run if a grown-up clicks Accept.

Read exactly what we collect in our Privacy & Cookie Policy.

Frequently asked questions

Is PuzzleCraft really free?

Yes. Making, playing, printing and sharing puzzles is free. A free account lets you save puzzles and use the AI word helper.

Can I use my own words?

Yes. Paste a list with one word per line (add a clue after a dash for crosswords), or add words one at a time. You can also edit any AI suggestion.

Can I print the puzzle and the answer key?

Yes. Every puzzle has a Print button and a separate Answer Key button. Choose "Save as PDF" in the print window to download a PDF.

How do I share a puzzle?

Click Share link under the puzzle. Anyone who opens the link gets the exact same puzzle to play in their browser, no account needed.