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Teacher's Guide

Turn a vocabulary list into a complete, print-ready crossword puzzle in under two minutes.

Teacher Wizard →
Square One editor

What Teacher Mode does

Enter vocabulary words. Square One sizes the grid, places every word, fills remaining slots, and generates Easy clues with AI. Print-ready in about two minutes.

Step-by-step walkthrough

  1. 1

    Open the Words tab

    Click Words in the left sidebar. The word input area appears at the top.

  2. 2

    Enter your word list

    Type or paste words into the large box — one per line or comma-separated. Press Ctrl+Enter (⌘Enter on Mac) or click Bulk Add. For one word at a time, use the single-line field above it and click Add.

    PHOTOSYNTHESIS
    CHLOROPHYLL
    MITOSIS
    OSMOSIS
    NUCLEUS
    Tip: Spaces and hyphens are stripped automatically. Write WORD: CLUE to supply the clue text at the same time, or click CSV to upload a .csv or .txt file.
  3. 3

    Let Square One suggest a grid size

    A banner under your words recommends a grid size, and marks the current size ✓ current once it matches. Set the size yourself in the Grid tab.

    Grid tab settings
  4. 4

    Click "Generate Puzzle from Words"

    One click generates a black-square pattern, places your words at maximum priority, and fills remaining slots. Progress streams live.

    ✓ placed

    Placed words appear with a green ✓ chip.

    · not placed

    Unplaced words stay grey with a dot. Try Regenerate (Larger) to bump the grid size.

  5. 5

    Generate clues with one click

    Click Generate Clues (Easy) for AI-written student-friendly clues. Groq and Google Gemini have free tiers.

    No API key? Write clues manually — click each clue text area and type. The Dictionary tab shows definitions to help.
  6. 6

    Export as PDF

    Click Export in the toolbar, then Download PDF — and Download Answer Key PDF for your own copy. To save ink, open the print-ready page instead and tick Black & white before printing.

Using your own definitions as clues

Provide definitions alongside words in CSV format to match your curriculum exactly:

MITOSIS, "Cell division producing two identical daughter cells"
OSMOSIS, "Diffusion of water through a semi-permeable membrane"
NUCLEUS, "Control center of the cell; contains DNA"

Upload as a .csv file via the upload button. Definitions become default clue text.

Tips for better puzzles

📏

Keep words to 4–15 letters

Very short words are too easy; over 15 may not fit a 15×15 grid.

🔢

10–20 words is a sweet spot

Under 8 means too much filler. Over 25 on a 15×15 gets crowded.

🔄

Regenerate if a word didn't fit

Click Regenerate for a new attempt, or Regenerate (Larger) to bump the grid by 2.

⭐

Mark theme entries with ★

Click ★ in the Clues panel to highlight vocabulary words in the grid.

💾

Save before regenerating

Sign in to save, then regenerate freely and duplicate favorites from the dashboard.

Sharing puzzles with students

Print: Download the PDF and print. Keep the answer-key PDF for yourself.

Web link: Sign in, click Share in the toolbar, and copy the URL. No account needed to solve.

Embed: Download the HTML player — a single file you can post on Google Classroom or any LMS.

QR code: The same Share popup shows a QR code — "Download QR code ↓" saves it as an SVG to drop into printed worksheets.