Make an arrowword (clues in the grid)

What is an arrowword?

An arrowword, also called a Swedish-style crossword, is a crossword where the clues are written inside the grid. A small box sits just before each answer. The clue is printed in the box, and an arrow shows whether the answer runs to the right or downwards.

A classic crossword has numbered squares and a separate list of Across and Down clues, so your eyes keep jumping between the grid and the list. In an arrowword everything is in one place, which many solvers find calmer. The style is a newspaper favourite in many European countries, and it goes by other names too: mots fléchés in France, autodefinido in Spain, Schwedenrätsel in Germany.

Our generator builds the grid freely, so the words cross each other wherever they share a letter. The clue boxes sit at the start of the words. That is not as densely packed as the arrowwords in a printed puzzle book, but it is a real arrowword that you can solve and print.

How to make one in the workshop

Open the workshop, type your answers and a short clue for each, and press Generate. Then switch on Clues in the grid. It is the button with the little grid symbol at the top of the grid area, next to Shuffle. The same puzzle is redrawn with the clues in boxes and arrows instead of a list.

A box only has room for about 20 to 24 characters, in at most three short lines, and a word is never cut off. While you type, a character counter shows how much room is left. If a clue is too long, its box shows only the number, and the full clue appears in a list called More clues under the grid. Nothing is lost, but the puzzle is nicer when every clue fits.

• Empty squares can be shaded grey with hatching, so the grid looks like a finished puzzle.
• You can still mark squares for a hidden solution word, just as in a normal crossword.
• Switch the option off at any time and the same puzzle goes back to a clue list.

Writing good short clues

A clue for an arrowword is one to three words. A synonym or a very short definition works best: Big cat for TIGER, Capital of Italy for ROME, Opposite of hot for COLD. Skip full sentences, because the box simply has no room for them.

Keep every clue clear enough to have exactly one answer, and never use the answer itself or a word that is obviously part of it. If a clue needs a long explanation, shorten the idea instead of the letters: Sea mammal is better than A clever animal that lives in the sea and jumps out of the water.

If you are making the puzzle for learners, use the target language for the answer and a short translation or picture word in your own language as the clue. Short clues are also easier for children to read.

Solving, printing and sharing

On a phone, tap a clue box to select its word, then type the letters. Tap another box to jump to the next word. Solving works on any phone, tablet or computer, without an account.

To print, choose A4 or Letter. The puzzle is on page 1 with the clue boxes in the grid, and the answer key is on page 2, so you can simply leave it out. Share the short link to let others solve online, or embed the puzzle on your own webpage. The link keeps the clue boxes, and so do saved puzzles.

Arrowwords suit newspaper-puzzle fans, seniors who like a compact page, classrooms practising vocabulary, and kids who find a long clue list tiring. Everything is free, without a sign-up and without ads.