Crossword Compiler is a powerful and full-featured program to help you create, edit and print crossword puzzles.
You can design and edit normal crosswords, barred grids, clues-in-squares puzzles, fill-ins, French-style crosswords, coded grids, skeleton puzzles and free-form crosswords. You can color grid lines and squares, show hint letters in the puzzle, include graphics in the grid, and more. You can fill in entire blank puzzles, or a particular section, with words from the supplied word list or one of your own. Create thematic and pangrammatic puzzles automatically from word lists. Optimize the filling process to use more 'good' words.
You can also create vocabulary puzzles. Simply type in a short list of words and let the program to build a crossword using as many of them as possible. The computer places the black squares for you, and tries to get as many intersecting words as possible. Create free-form puzzles directly from a larger word list.
You can also search for words matching a pattern. Find multi-word anagrams of words and all the words that can be made from the letters of another word. Search through different word lists (including ones you've made yourself).
The clue editor lets you write joint clues (link words in the grid together). Find anagrams of the clue word. Look up cryptic abbreviations in the supplied, or your own, look up files. You can use italic, bold and underline in clues, and add explanations/citations to each clue.
The clue database lets you add clues from puzzles, paste clues from the database into the clue editor, and browse and edit the database. Use clues that are most recent, oldest, or use them randomly.
You can copy your puzzles to the Clipboard or save to a file for use in other programs. You can export a puzzle, solution, numbered solution, clues, answers and explanations. Print out clues with answers for professional crossword submissions.
The Word List Manager lets you view, edit and create word lists. Word lists can contain words from 2-50 letters long.
You can customise most properties of the grid and clues. You can change square sizes, size ratios, fonts, colours, line thickness, side numbering, clue numbering, clue spacing, etc. Save the settings and grids in template files for easy reuse. You can export puzzles in TIF or EPS format. |
