anyone can make a good crossword puzzle

our mission is to maintain a wordlist compiled in a data-driven way from freely available resources that new crossword puzzle constructors can use out-of-the-box for creating clean grids accessible to a variety of solvers.

download our word list for free

131,110 out of 325,500 answers scored 50 since our last update on september 1, 2026

subscribe to version update emails

analyze a puzzle

drop a .puz file into the analyzer to see every answer in the grid scored against our list, alongside where and how often it has run in 26 crossword venues since 1994. it runs entirely in your browser — nothing is uploaded.

spread the word(list) is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. you’re welcome to use spread the word(list) in a product you’re offering free of charge, with attribution. it’s no problem to sell crossword puzzles made with spread the word(list).