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Free Word Chain Puzzle Maker — Printable PDF

Create custom word chain puzzles where each word must start with the last letter(s) of the previous one. Enter your own words, use the built-in word finder, and download a print-ready PDF for your students.

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Free printable word chain puzzle maker
Create Your Word Chain Puzzle Now

Create your word chain puzzle

Title:
Length of words
Size of the chain
Words found (max 100)
Instructions:
Include solution page
Paper format:
This option is only for members.
Membership is free.
Excel export/import ?
Puzzle management ?

Word chain is a word game where the next word has to start with the last letter of the previous word. With this puzzle maker you can create a closed exercise for your kids. You will fill the puzzle with the words and when you print the puzzle the letter the start and end letters of the words are not printed. You can use the word finder of the app to find valid words for the puzzle.

How to create a puzzle

1. Choose the lengths of the words. You can opt for a fixed length or vary. When you choose for a fixed length, all the words in the puzzle must have this length. When vary is used, than the length is variable for the words.
2. Choose chain size. You can choose between 1 and 2. This determines if the last letter is the start letter of the next word or the last 2 letter will be the first 2 letters of the next word.
3. Enter the words. You can just type the word and press enter or click on the 'search word' button behind the word.
  a. When you press enter, the app will try to find words that you can use for the next word.
  b. When you press on the search button, the app will use the letters that are already typed for the words. It will use the letters in front of the cursor to find new words.
  c. The app will only randomly show 100 words when searching for words. In case you cannot find a good word, press again on the search button. It will show different words, in case there are more than 100 available words.
4. The letters in the yellow fields in the puzzle will not be printed in the pdf file. These are the letters that have to be found.

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FAQ – Word Chain Puzzle Maker

What does the "chain size" setting control?

 Chain size controls how many letters overlap between consecutive words. Set it to 1 and the last letter of each word must be the first letter of the next. Set it to 2 and the last two letters of each word must be the first two letters of the next — making the puzzle significantly harder to construct and solve.

Which letters are hidden in the printed PDF?

 The connecting letters — shown in yellow fields in the editor — are not printed. Students must find and fill them in. These are exactly the overlapping letters determined by the chain size setting.

Why does the word search show different results each time I click the search button?

 The app randomly selects up to 100 words from all valid options. If you cannot find a suitable word in the first 100, click the search button again — it will show a different random selection from the same valid pool.

Can I mix words of different lengths in one puzzle?

 Yes. Select Vary in the "Length of words" setting. This removes the fixed-length restriction and lets you add words of any length in the same puzzle. Select a specific number (5–12) to enforce a fixed length for all words.

How do students know where each word starts and ends in the chain?

 The puzzle layout shows the word slots in sequence. The hidden connecting letters mark the boundary between words, so students can see the structure of the chain and work out which letters they need to find.