Free printable kakuro puzzles and tools

Math Crossword Puzzle Generator

Fill the empty squares so every row and column equation is true. Make printable math crosswords with answers, or play them on screen.

A math crossword, sometimes called a crossword puzzle in mathematics, is a crossword made of equations instead of words. Rows and columns of connected squares each hold a sum such as 6 + 3 = 9, with some squares left empty. This free generator makes printable math crossword puzzles in your browser, and you can also play them online as a math crossword game without printing anything.

There is no sign-up. Choose the signs, the size of the numbers and how many squares are empty, then make 1 to 6 puzzles at a time. Every puzzle has exactly one answer, and nothing is uploaded to a server.

Each card has an answer toggle, and you can print with or without answers. The Copy link button gets you the same puzzles again later. What you make here is free to use in class or in products you sell, such as KDP puzzle books or Etsy printables.

Math crossword example

How to use the math crossword generator

  1. Set Grid size to 7 x 7, 9 x 9, 11 x 11 or 13 x 13. This is the largest area the equations can use; empty border rows and columns are cut off, so the grid may be smaller.
  2. Set Signs to add and subtract, to add, subtract and multiply, or to all four signs.
  3. Set Numbers to single digits, up to 20, or up to 99.
  4. Set Empty squares to Few, Some or Many. Many is harder.
  5. Tick Also hide some signs if you want to work out the sign as well as the digits.
  6. Set Number of puzzles from 1 to 6 and choose Paper: Letter or A4.
  7. Click Generate. Each click makes a new random batch.
  8. On each card, the grey squares are fixed and the white squares are yours to fill. Click Show answer to see the solution, or Play on screen to solve it in your browser.
  9. Click Print puzzles only or Print puzzles + answers.

On screen, click an empty square and type a digit, or + - * / for a hidden sign. Arrow keys move to the next empty square, Space or Enter switches between across and down, and Backspace erases. On a touch screen, use the on-screen keys. Check marks wrong squares, and Reveal square, Reveal all and Clear grid help when you are stuck. Progress is not saved if you reload the page.

What is a math crossword?

A math crossword, also called crossword mathematics, a math cross puzzle or an arithmetic crossword, uses a crossword grid but fills it with numbers and signs. Every unbroken row or column of squares is one equation in the form number, sign, number, equals, number. You read rows from left to right and columns from top to bottom.

Where a row and a column cross, they share one square, so that digit has to work in both equations. That crossing is what makes the puzzle solvable: one equation tells you something about a square, and the other equation checks it.

The generator builds each grid from equations that only meet at digit squares, so there are no stray runs of squares that are not an equation. A number never starts with 0, and every equation is whole-number arithmetic: division is always exact, and the multiplication and division tables stop at 12 x 12. At the Up to 20 and Up to 99 settings, results can be larger than the range, for example 12 x 12 = 144. Few empty squares make an easy puzzle; many empty squares and hidden signs make a hard one.

How do you solve a math crossword?

Start with the equation that has the fewest empty squares. If only one square is empty, work it out directly: in 7 + _ = 15, the missing number is 15 minus 7, which is 8. Write it in, then look at the other equation through that square.

When an equation has two empty squares, use the crossing equations to cut down the options. In 4_ + 3 = 51, the number 4_ must be 51 minus 3, which is 48, so the missing digit is 8. Check each guess in the equation that crosses it before moving on.

When signs are hidden, try the signs that make the numbers fit. In 8 _ 2 = 4 only division works, and in 8 _ 2 = 16 only multiplication does. Work in small steps, and use Check on screen to see whether a square is wrong.

Frequently asked questions

Can I play the math crossword online?

Yes. Click Play on screen on any puzzle card to solve it in your browser with the keyboard or the on-screen keys. Progress is not saved if you reload the page, so finish in one sitting or print the puzzle instead.

Does every puzzle have only one solution?

Yes. After the generator picks the empty squares, a solver counts the answers. It accepts any arithmetic that fits the grid, not just the number range you picked, and keeps a square empty only if the answer stays unique.

Are the answers included when I print?

Only if you choose Print puzzles + answers. The answer grids are added after the puzzles, four per page, with the filled-in squares shaded. Six puzzles give 6 pages without answers and 8 pages with them.

Which signs and numbers can a math crossword use?

You can use plus and minus, add multiplication, or use all four signs. Numbers go up to 9, 20 or 99. Multiplication and division use factors up to 12, so the usual times tables are covered.

Are the puzzles OK for commercial use, like KDP books?

Yes. The puzzles and answer grids you make are royalty-free for personal, classroom and commercial use, including KDP puzzle books, Etsy printables and Teachers Pay Teachers. You do not need to credit us. The only limit is copying the generator itself to run a competing service; see the terms.

How is a math crossword different from a number crossword or kakuro?

In a math crossword the clues are the equations themselves and you fill in digits and signs. A number crossword gives you a list of numbers to fit into a grid, and kakuro uses sum clues with digits 1 to 9.