puzzFree printable kriss kross puzzles for kids
A kriss kross — also sold as a word fit, a fill-in crossword or a criss cross — looks like a crossword and works nothing like one. There are no clues. Instead the child is handed every answer up front, grouped by length, and has to work out which word belongs in which slot. It is a logic puzzle wearing a crossword costume, which makes it a much fairer thing to give a child than a real crossword: nobody is blocked because they have not heard of an opera or a river in Wales.
The only tools are word length and letter crossings. A seven-letter slot can only take a seven-letter word, and once a word is placed, the letters it drops into crossing slots narrow those down in turn. Children who start by guessing quickly discover it does not work and switch to counting — which is precisely the habit these puzzles exist to build. Every grid here has exactly one arrangement that fits, checked by a solver.
The 3 free kriss kross packs
Easy
Three free printable easy kriss kross (word fit) puzzles for ages 7-9, with answers.
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Medium
Three free printable medium kriss kross (word fit) puzzles for ages 8-11, with answers.
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Tricky
Three free printable hard kriss kross (word fit) puzzles for ages 9-12, with answers.
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- Four A4 pagesThree puzzles, then a full answer key. Print the first three only if you would rather keep the answers.
- One verified solution eachEvery puzzle is passed through a solver and discarded unless exactly one answer fits.
- No sign-up, no watermarkA direct PDF download. No email address, no account, nothing to dismiss.
- Free to photocopyUse them at home, in a classroom, at a childminder or in a holiday club.
Which pack for which age?
| Kriss Kross pack | Ages | What it asks of them |
|---|---|---|
| Easy | 7-9 | A small grid with short words. Usually one length group has a single word to open with. |
| Medium | 8-11 | More slots and more words per length group, so crossings have to do the work. |
| Tricky | 9-12 | The largest grids, with several same-length words competing for the same slots. |
How to solve a kriss kross puzzle
Never start with a guess. Start with whichever slot has the fewest possible words.
- Count the slots and the wordsLook at the grid and count the length of each empty run. Then look at the word bank, which is already grouped by length. Every slot of a given length must be filled from that length group, and there are exactly as many words as slots.
- Find a length with only one wordScan for a length where the bank holds a single word — or where the grid holds a single slot. That word can only go in that place, so write it in with no risk at all. This is the standard opening move and there is almost always one available.
- Follow the crossingsEvery letter you write down lands in a crossing slot too. Go to each crossing slot and check which remaining words of the right length have that letter in that position. Usually most candidates die immediately.
- Write in pencil and cross words offStrike each word off the bank as you place it. The bank shrinking is what makes the later slots easy, and a word that is still listed but seems to fit nowhere is the clue that an earlier placement was wrong.
- Trust that only one arrangement worksIf two words of the same length both seem to fit a slot, look at their crossing letters rather than picking one. Each puzzle has exactly one complete solution, so any genuine ambiguity means there is a crossing that has not been checked yet.
Common questions
What is a kriss kross puzzle?
A crossword-shaped grid with no clues. You are given the complete list of answers, grouped by length, and you work out where each word goes using slot lengths and the letters where words cross. It is also sold as a word fit, a fill-in crossword or a criss cross.
How is it different from a crossword?
A crossword tests what you know; a kriss kross tests how you reason. Because every answer is printed on the page, general knowledge and vocabulary never block a child — the whole puzzle is deduction from length and letter crossings.
What age are these for?
Roughly seven and up. A child needs to be reading confidently enough to count letters and compare words at a glance. Below that, a word search is the better fit.
How do you start a kriss kross when nothing is filled in?
Look for the length group in the word bank that has the fewest words, or the length where the grid has the fewest slots. If a length has exactly one word and one slot, that placement is forced and gives you your first crossing letters for free.
Are the words hard?
No. The word bank is drawn from everyday vocabulary a primary-age child will already know. The difficulty comes from the number of slots and how many same-length words compete for them, never from obscure words.
Other free printable puzzles
The same puzzles, on an iPad
Puzzeroo has two hundred word fit levels and six hundred more across the other three puzzle types. It works fully offline, shows no adverts, asks for no account, and costs one payment rather than a subscription. The worksheets above are generated from a separate puzzle range, so they never duplicate a level in the app.