Fill-In Crosswords
About Fill-In Crosswords
Fill-In Crosswords is a free word puzzle game where you place a list of given words into a crossword-style grid. Unlike traditional crosswords with cryptic clues, every word you need is shown to you in the bank below the puzzle. The challenge is figuring out exactly where each word fits, using the grid pattern and the letters that crossing words must share at intersections. It is a calmer kind of puzzle, more about pattern recognition and logical deduction than vocabulary.
This style of puzzle is sometimes called a kriss-kross, criss-cross, or fill-it-in. The game runs entirely in your browser on phone, tablet, or desktop. There is nothing to install and no account to create.
How to Play
Tap or click an empty cell in the grid to select a word slot. The slot lights up in yellow. Then tap a word from the bank to place it. If its length matches the slot, the letters drop into the grid. You can also type letters directly with your keyboard once a slot is selected. Backspace removes letters one by one and the eraser button clears the entire selected slot.
Words that cross each other must share their letter at the intersection. Use this constraint to deduce where ambiguous words go. The puzzle is complete when every word has been placed into the grid, and your final time is added to your local best-times list.
Tips & Tricks
Start with the rarest length
The word bank is grouped by length, so scan those groups before anything else. If a length has just one word and the grid has just one slot to match it, that placement is forced and hands you a guaranteed first foothold. Locking in the words you are certain about creates the crossings that unravel everything else.
Let the selected slot narrow your choices
When you tap a slot, every word of the wrong length fades into the background, leaving only the candidates that can actually fit. Lean on that instead of rereading the whole list. A long slot with only two or three words of the right length is often easier to solve than it first looks.
Anchor on the intersections
Place the words you are most sure of first, then read the letters they drop into the crossing slots. A single fixed letter, especially an unusual one, often rules out every remaining candidate but one. The crossings are not just a rule to satisfy, they are your best source of free information.
Break ties with the crossing letter
When two words of the same length both seem to fit a slot, look at the cell where that slot crosses a word already in place. Only one of the candidates will share the right letter there, and that quietly settles it without any guessing.
Use the keyboard and eraser to move fast
Once a slot is selected you can type the word straight in rather than hunting for it in the bank. Backspace fixes a single slip, and the eraser clears a whole slot cleanly when a guess does not pan out, so you can try a placement and back it out without disturbing the words around it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a fill-in crossword?
A fill-in crossword (also called a kriss-kross or criss-cross) is a crossword variant where the answers are provided in advance. Your job is to slot each answer into the right place on the grid. Letters at crossings must match between intersecting words, and that constraint is what makes the puzzle solvable.
How is it different from a regular crossword?
A regular crossword gives you cryptic or definition-style clues and asks you to come up with the answers. A fill-in crossword skips the clues. You see all the answers up front and must figure out the geometry. It leans more on pattern matching and logic than on vocabulary.
Is the game free?
Yes. It runs entirely in your browser. No sign-up, no payment, no installation.
Does my progress get saved?
Your current puzzle progress and best completion times are saved locally in your browser. They are tied to that browser profile, so clearing site data or switching devices will not bring them with you.
What devices are supported?
Any modern browser on phone, tablet, or desktop. The grid scales to fit the screen and you can play with touch, mouse, or keyboard.
Are new puzzles added regularly?
Each new game generates a fresh puzzle in your browser. More puzzle settings and difficulty levels are planned.
A Short History of Fill-In Crosswords
Fill-ins are a younger branch of the crossword family, so their story starts with the original. The first crossword was published on December 21, 1913, by a journalist named Arthur Wynne in the New York World. He called it a word-cross, and only a printer's error a few weeks later flipped the name into the crossword we use today. Wynne's grid was a hollow diamond rather than the neat square most of us now picture. The fill-in came along later as a friendlier variant, keeping the interlocking grid but handing you the answers instead of clues, and it has been a regular feature of puzzle magazines ever since.