Crossword - this is the puzzle that everyone knows. Currently, there are many variations of this entertainment, but one thing is for sure - many people like to solve crosswords. It follows from this that there are people who like to create them.
Creating a crossword puzzle may be required for various purposes. Someone makes them to test the knowledge of students, and someone for themselves and their friends. If you decide to create your own puzzle for the first time, Excel will help you with this.
Cell alignment
So, we begin to understand how to make a crossword puzzle in Excel. Many users have already noticed that the Excel spreadsheet editor is great for creating crosswords, because it has the main thing - cells. Of course, these cells are not quite the right shape, so now we’ll figure out how to give them the right look.
To resize, first of all, you need to select the entire sheet of the program so that changes occur everywhere. The easiest way to do this is to press CTRL + A.
After highlighting anywhere in the workspace, right-click (RMB) to open the context menu. In it you need to select the item "Row Height". A small window will appear with an input field, you need to specify the line height of 18 points and click "OK".
So, we indicated the height, but the cells are still not exactly in the right shape - you need to change the width. To do this, without dropping the selection, click RMB on the column name, for example, on column F. In the context menu, select "Column Width", respectively. In the window that appears, enter the number 3 and click "OK."
As you can see, the cell size has become square, which we needed. But this is only the first step, how to make a crossword in Excel. Further it will be more difficult. By the way, you can set your own cell size, but keep the proportions.
Making cells
It is impossible to compose a crossword puzzle without cells, so the next step will be to create them.
Initially, determine the shape of the crossword puzzle itself. You can use either another for the sample, or your own. Calculate what area it occupies and measure it in the program. Suppose a crossword puzzle takes 11 by 9 cells, respectively, we select this area.
Now you need to set the boundaries, for this we use the tool of the same name, which is located in the "Home" tab in the "Font" section. By clicking on the arrow next to it, a drop-down list will appear in which select "All Borders".
So, there are cells, but there are too many. Therefore, the next step will be cutting off the excess. Remember: to understand how to make a crossword puzzle in Excel, you need to read the article to the end.
Creating a crossword puzzle shape
From the mass of our cells we need to remove those that interfere. To do this, it is very convenient to use the "Clean" tool, which is located on the toolbar in the "Editing" section, on the same "Home" tab. By the way, this tool has a picture of an eraser.
All you need to do is select the extra cells one by one and click on the "Clean" tool. If, when pressed, you are asked what method to clean, then select "Clear all."
As a result, you should get the form that was originally conceived. Once you achieve this, continue to the next step.
Adding Numbering
Now you need to number the necessary cells of the crossword puzzle. There are two ways to do this: enter numbers in the cells themselves or number cells nearby. In the example, we will use the second option, since for a given crossword puzzle this is better.
All you need to do is select the desired cell, enter the appropriate number and press ENTER. However, the numbers may be too large or, conversely, small, so give them the right size. If you did the crossword exactly as indicated in the article, then the font size "8" is perfect.
By the way, to make the numbering look better, you can place the number in one of the corners, for example, in the lower right. To do this, select the desired cell and on the toolbar, in the "Home" tab, press the two buttons "Align to the bottom edge" and "Align to the right edge" in turn. These buttons are located in the Alignment tool group.
In the end, you should get about the same as shown in the image below.
Also, do not forget that you can improvise by changing the size of both the cells themselves and the font. You can also completely change the font or change the arrangement of numbers.
Enter questions
The crossword puzzle in Excel has almost been created, it remains only to enter the questions that will need to be answered. It is very easy to do. Initially decide where they will be written. You can right, left, top or bottom of the puzzle itself - only you decide. But the example will be on the right.
First of all, select the approximate area that the questions will take, and click on the "Combine" button. This button is located in the "Home" tab, in the "Alignment" group. From the pop-up menu, select "Merge Cells."
Now you need to enter the questions themselves, not forgetting to put their number first. That's all, now you know how to make a crossword puzzle in Excel.