---
title: "Free Codeword Maker — Printable Codebreaker Puzzles with Answers | PuzzleBindery"
description: "Make a free printable codeword (codebreaker) puzzle in seconds. Pick a theme or use your own words, choose difficulty and starter letters, print with the answer key."
canonical_url: "https://puzzlebindery.com/codeword-maker"
source: "PuzzleBindery"
---
# Free Codeword Maker

A codeword (also called a codebreaker or cipher crossword) is a crossword grid with no clues: every letter has been swapped for a number, the same number for the same letter everywhere. You get a few starter letters, and cracking the rest of the code fills the grid.

## What you get

-   A fresh, unique puzzle every time, built from a random seed
-   88 built-in themes, or paste your own word list
-   Three difficulty levels: easy gives you common letters as starters, hard gives only rare ones
-   Choose how many starter letters to reveal (1 to 6)
-   A letter key beneath the grid to track which numbers you have solved
-   Answer key included, and export as PDF, PNG or JPG at print quality

## How to solve a codeword

Start from the given letters and fill in every cell that shares their numbers. Short words and double letters are the way in: a three-cell word ending in two identical letters is often ALL or SEE, and once one word falls, its letters cascade through the grid. No trivia knowledge needed, which is why codewords are a favourite with crossword solvers who are tired of clue-writing conventions.

## Perfect for quiet time, classrooms and activity groups

Codewords are self-contained logic: everything you need is on the page. That makes them good classroom finishers, waiting-room puzzles and care-home activities. Print as many copies as you like.

## Making a whole puzzle book?

PuzzleBindery assembles codewords, word searches, sudoku, mazes, cryptograms and crosswords into a complete print-ready book for Amazon KDP or Etsy, with a title page, page numbers, an automatic solutions section and a full-wrap cover sized to your exact page count. It is a [one-time purchase](https://puzzlebindery.com/#pricing), not a subscription.

**More free tools:** [All free tools](https://puzzlebindery.com/tools) · [Publishing guides](https://puzzlebindery.com/blog/) · [88 printable word searches](https://puzzlebindery.com/printable/) · [Spine width calculator](https://puzzlebindery.com/cover-calculator.html) · [Word search maker](https://puzzlebindery.com/word-search-maker.html) · [Sudoku maker](https://puzzlebindery.com/sudoku-maker.html) · [Maze maker](https://puzzlebindery.com/maze-maker.html) · [Cryptogram maker](https://puzzlebindery.com/app.html#quick/cryptogram)