Article: If you're trying to make a more official, standardized crossword puzzle, there are specific dimensions you have to adhere to. If you're making a more casual puzzle, though, you can pick whatever size you want. If you're using an online crossword puzzle maker or puzzle-making software, you may be restricted to a certain range of available sizes. If you're making your puzzle by hand, it's totally up to you. Usually you'll select words according to a theme of your choosing. That theme, or a clue to it, can then become the title of the puzzle. Examples of common themes include foreign places or languages, words from a certain time period, famous people, and sports. This part of the process can feel as challenging as actually solving a crossword puzzle. Once you've laid the words out, black out any unused squares. In a US style crossword, there should be no "hanging words," or words that do not connect to other words. Every letter should correspond to both an Across word and a Down word, and be totally interconnected. In a UK style crossword, hanging words are permitted. If the answer to a clue is a phrase rather than a single word, there should be no spaces between the words. You don't need to worry about capitalizing proper nouns in your answers, as crosswords are usually filled out in all caps. The answers should not include punctuation either. Many crossword puzzle creators automatically lay the words out for you. All you do is specify puzzle size and input the list of words and clues. Begin in the upper-left corner of the puzzle, and divide the words by whether they run vertically or horizontally, so that you have a "1 Down," and a "1 Across," etc. This can also be pretty mind-bending, and many people prefer to use software instead of doing it all manually. If you're using a crossword puzzle creator, it will handle the numbering for you automatically. This time the starting square for each word should be numbered, but the squares themselves should be otherwise blank. If you're creating your puzzle by hand this will be a bit more labor intensive, but if you're using a crossword puzzle creator it should be done for you. Set aside the filled-in puzzle for use as an answer key. You can make as many copies of the blank one as you need.

What is a summary?
Decide on a grid size. Make a list of words for your crossword puzzle. Lay the words out in a grid format. Number the starting square for each word. Create a copy of the crossword puzzle.