I got a task last weeks from my lecturer to create a crossword using Microsoft word. There’re two ways to make a crossword puzzle using Microsoft word :
- Create crossword puzzle using available crossword puzzle template
- Create manually using table
Both of that way is quite hassle. But, we can try another way that is easier by using EclipseCrossword software. That file size is only 513 KB. You can download the latest software from this official website. Click here for download.
If the program has been installed in your computer, let’s go through the steps involved in creating a puzzle of our own.
1. Open your EclipseCrossword program and start a new crossword.
2. Create a new crossword puzzle
All crosswords depend on a set of words that will interlink with each other to create the puzzle itself. This set is called a word bank or word list. Let’s create one by selecting the default option"Let me create a word list from scratch now".
Create the Word List
Step 2 is where the bulk of our work is to be done – here’s where we enter the words and the clues associated with each word. As each word and the associated clue is added, it’ll appear in the section to the left. You can easily remove a word from the list by double-clicking the word in the list and then clicking the "Remove word" button. One can also save and re-open previously created Word Lists via the "Tools" button.
When you’ve finished entering all the words you want to include in the puzzle, click the NEXT button to continue onward.
Step 3 is an optional step that normally doesn’t appear – you can enable it from the OPTIONS > ADVANCED page. Here’s where you can specify a particular word to be the Primary word – a word around which the entire puzzle will be constructed. For now, we’re leaving the default option as is, and moving on to step 4 wherein we can name the crossword puzzle – perhaps by date or a particular theme. One can optionally enter some copyright info too, so visitors might know who’s designed the puzzle.
A wee bit of design now, Step 5 allows us to tailor the crossword puzzle’s grid dimensions. This helps in perhaps adjusting the cosmetic look of the puzzle. For now, the defaults work fine – this may change if the words in your wordlist are too long or there are a larger number of words in your list, thereby creating a larger puzzle.
Step 6 displays a preview screen showing you the options that you’ve chosen in the previous steps – the name of the puzzle as well as the number of words and the size of the puzzle are shown. If there are any changes you’d like to make, now’s the time to do so by clicking the BACK button and moving to the appropriate step. If all seems well, click NEXT to proceed.
Alrighty then, we’re finally able to see a visual layout of the words and how they interlink with each other. If the layout doesn’t appeal to you, click the Make another puzzle like this one link to redraw the puzzle. When you’re satisfied with the way the words are arranged, click theNEXT button to move on to the final step – saving and publishing your puzzle. click the Publish crossword tab to get to the publishing options, where you can save files that you can open in other software.
Next, you'll want to save a copy of the clues for this puzzle in Rich Text Format, which almost all word processing and desktop publishing software for Windows can open. Click Rich Text Format (RTF) to save a copy of the clues in this format. Choose a file name and save your file in a place where you can find it later, and then click Save. Remember where you saved the file—look in the box next to "Save in" at the top of this window to see where your file is being saved.
The file you just saved only includes the clues, not the empty puzzle grid for people to fill out. You'll want to save a picture of the puzzle grid in Windows metafile format, which Microsoft Word can open. (If your word processing software can't open this type of file, you can also choose PostScript instead.) Click Windows metafile (WMF) to save a copy of the puzzle grid in this format. Choose a file name and save this file in the same place where you saved the clues so it's easy to find later.
Now you can open the copy of the clues that you just saved in Word. Find the file you just saved in step 3, and double-click on it to open it. (If your word processor doesn't open when you do this, you'll need to start your word processor and then open this file manually.) You should now see "Across" and "Down" and the clues for your puzzle, but no puzzle grid..
Tip: When you clicked Rich Text Format (RTF) earlier, EclipseCrossword actually saved two files. The one with "(key)" in the name is the answer key. You probably want the one without "(key)".
Next, you need to insert the puzzle grid into your Word document. Click Insert at the top, and then Picture. (If you have an older version of Word, you'll then need to click From File...) Then, find the puzzle grid file that you saved in step 4, and click Insert. Word will insert this picture into your document.
Tip: When you clicked Windows metafile (WMF) earlier, EclipseCrossword saved two files. The one with "(key)" in the name is the answer key. You probably want the one without "(key)".
- Create crossword puzzle using available crossword puzzle template
- Create manually using table
Both of that way is quite hassle. But, we can try another way that is easier by using EclipseCrossword software. That file size is only 513 KB. You can download the latest software from this official website. Click here for download.
If the program has been installed in your computer, let’s go through the steps involved in creating a puzzle of our own.
1. Open your EclipseCrossword program and start a new crossword.
2. Create a new crossword puzzle
All crosswords depend on a set of words that will interlink with each other to create the puzzle itself. This set is called a word bank or word list. Let’s create one by selecting the default option"Let me create a word list from scratch now".
Create the Word List
Step 2 is where the bulk of our work is to be done – here’s where we enter the words and the clues associated with each word. As each word and the associated clue is added, it’ll appear in the section to the left. You can easily remove a word from the list by double-clicking the word in the list and then clicking the "Remove word" button. One can also save and re-open previously created Word Lists via the "Tools" button.
When you’ve finished entering all the words you want to include in the puzzle, click the NEXT button to continue onward.
Step 3 is an optional step that normally doesn’t appear – you can enable it from the OPTIONS > ADVANCED page. Here’s where you can specify a particular word to be the Primary word – a word around which the entire puzzle will be constructed. For now, we’re leaving the default option as is, and moving on to step 4 wherein we can name the crossword puzzle – perhaps by date or a particular theme. One can optionally enter some copyright info too, so visitors might know who’s designed the puzzle.
A wee bit of design now, Step 5 allows us to tailor the crossword puzzle’s grid dimensions. This helps in perhaps adjusting the cosmetic look of the puzzle. For now, the defaults work fine – this may change if the words in your wordlist are too long or there are a larger number of words in your list, thereby creating a larger puzzle.
Step 6 displays a preview screen showing you the options that you’ve chosen in the previous steps – the name of the puzzle as well as the number of words and the size of the puzzle are shown. If there are any changes you’d like to make, now’s the time to do so by clicking the BACK button and moving to the appropriate step. If all seems well, click NEXT to proceed.
Alrighty then, we’re finally able to see a visual layout of the words and how they interlink with each other. If the layout doesn’t appeal to you, click the Make another puzzle like this one link to redraw the puzzle. When you’re satisfied with the way the words are arranged, click theNEXT button to move on to the final step – saving and publishing your puzzle. click the Publish crossword tab to get to the publishing options, where you can save files that you can open in other software.
Next, you'll want to save a copy of the clues for this puzzle in Rich Text Format, which almost all word processing and desktop publishing software for Windows can open. Click Rich Text Format (RTF) to save a copy of the clues in this format. Choose a file name and save your file in a place where you can find it later, and then click Save. Remember where you saved the file—look in the box next to "Save in" at the top of this window to see where your file is being saved.
The file you just saved only includes the clues, not the empty puzzle grid for people to fill out. You'll want to save a picture of the puzzle grid in Windows metafile format, which Microsoft Word can open. (If your word processing software can't open this type of file, you can also choose PostScript instead.) Click Windows metafile (WMF) to save a copy of the puzzle grid in this format. Choose a file name and save this file in the same place where you saved the clues so it's easy to find later.
Now you can open the copy of the clues that you just saved in Word. Find the file you just saved in step 3, and double-click on it to open it. (If your word processor doesn't open when you do this, you'll need to start your word processor and then open this file manually.) You should now see "Across" and "Down" and the clues for your puzzle, but no puzzle grid..
Tip: When you clicked Rich Text Format (RTF) earlier, EclipseCrossword actually saved two files. The one with "(key)" in the name is the answer key. You probably want the one without "(key)".
Next, you need to insert the puzzle grid into your Word document. Click Insert at the top, and then Picture. (If you have an older version of Word, you'll then need to click From File...) Then, find the puzzle grid file that you saved in step 4, and click Insert. Word will insert this picture into your document.
Tip: When you clicked Windows metafile (WMF) earlier, EclipseCrossword saved two files. The one with "(key)" in the name is the answer key. You probably want the one without "(key)".
Now that you've got your crossword puzzle and clues in Word (or your favorite Word processor), you can customize things how you see fit. You can change fonts and colors, resize the puzzle grid, add columns, or add it to a newsletter or worksheet that you're working on. The possibilities are endless.
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