Free printable puzzles

Printable Medium and Hard Crossword Puzzles

6 crosswords ready to print for solvers who want more than an easy grid: 3 medium puzzles with 15 words and 3 hard puzzles with 20 general knowledge clues. Free PDF with answers, no account needed.

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3 medium crossword puzzles to print

Each medium puzzle has 15 words on one broad theme. The clues are short definitions that ask for a little thought. Each PDF has the grid and the clues on page 1 and the solution on page 2.

1. Medium crossword: Food and Drink

15 words, 7 across and 8 down.

Across

2. Hard cheese named after an English village (7)
6. Red powder made from dried peppers (7)
7. Small legume used in soups and in Indian dal (6)
9. Yellow condiment often put on hot dogs (7)
11. Costly yellow spice taken from crocus flowers (7)
13. Its bulb is divided into cloves (6)
14. Long, thin French loaf (8)

Down

1. Nut used to make marzipan (6)
3. Strong Italian coffee served in a small cup (8)
4. Beaten eggs cooked in a pan (6)
5. Ice cream flavor that comes from the pod of an orchid (7)
8. Twisted, salted baked snack (7)
10. Dairy food made by fermenting milk (6)
11. Japanese dish made with vinegared rice (5)
12. Long strips of pasta, common in Asian soups (7)

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2. Medium crossword: Nature and Science

15 words, 8 across and 7 down.

Across

2. Gas that humans need to breathe (6)
3. It happens when the Moon hides the Sun (7)
7. Warm-blooded animal that feeds its young with milk (6)
11. Slow-moving river of ice (7)
12. Path of the Moon around the Earth (5)
13. Natural home of an animal or a plant (7)
14. Fine powder that bees carry from flower to flower (6)
15. Remains of an ancient plant or animal preserved in rock (6)

Down

1. Icy body with a bright tail that travels around the Sun (5)
4. Saturn or Neptune, for example (6)
5. Mountain that can erupt with lava (7)
6. Force that pulls objects toward the ground (7)
8. It attracts iron (6)
9. Violent funnel-shaped windstorm (7)
10. Solid with a regular shape, like quartz or a snowflake (7)

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3. Medium crossword: Arts and Leisure

15 words, 7 across and 8 down.

Across

2. Jigsaw or crossword, for example (6)
3. Instrument that usually has six strings (6)
4. Artist who carves stone or shapes clay (8)
5. Large group of musicians led by a conductor (9)
10. The tune of a song (6)
11. Long work of fiction (5)
12. Painting or photo of a person (8)

Down

1. Board game that ends with checkmate (5)
2. Writing in verse (6)
3. Place where paintings are shown (7)
6. Group of singers (5)
7. Building where plays are performed (7)
8. Dance form performed on the tips of the toes (6)
9. Extra piece played when the audience asks for more (6)
10. Building that keeps and displays historic objects (6)

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3 hard crossword puzzles to print

Each hard puzzle has 20 words, with longer answers of up to 14 letters and general knowledge clues: capitals and rivers, scientists and elements, writers, composers and ancient history.

4. Hard crossword: World Geography

20 words, 11 across and 9 down.

Across

2. Largest island in the Mediterranean (6)
3. Capital of Australia (8)
4. The largest ocean (7)
5. South American river that carries more water than any other (6)
6. River sacred to Hindus (6)
7. River that passes through Vienna, Budapest and Belgrade (6)
11. Island nation whose capital is Reykjavik (7)
15. Imaginary line at zero degrees latitude (7)
17. Mountain range along the western side of South America (5)
18. Capital of Canada (6)
19. The smallest ocean (6)

Down

1. Land surrounded by water on three sides (9)
2. The largest hot desert on Earth (6)
8. River that flows north through Egypt to the Mediterranean (4)
9. Largest country in South America (6)
10. Capital of Portugal (6)
12. Highest mountain above sea level (7)
13. Capital of Japan (5)
14. East African country whose capital is Nairobi (5)
16. Range that includes Mont Blanc (4)

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5. Hard crossword: Science and Discovery

20 words, 11 across and 9 down.

Across

1. Unit of electric current (6)
5. Common mineral made of silicon and oxygen (6)
8. Band of colors produced when light passes through a prism (8)
9. Device that produces a narrow beam of coherent light (5)
10. Planet closest to the Sun (7)
12. Scientist who described the laws of motion (6)
16. Process by which plants make food from sunlight (14)
17. Temperature scale that starts at absolute zero (6)
18. Second lightest element, used to fill balloons (6)
19. Complete set of DNA of an organism (6)
20. It trains the immune system to fight a disease (7)

Down

2. Fourth state of matter, after solid, liquid and gas (6)
3. The Milky Way is one (6)
4. Marie, who won Nobel Prizes in physics and in chemistry (5)
6. Naturalist who wrote "On the Origin of Species" (6)
7. Particle with no electric charge, found in the nucleus of an atom (7)
11. Substance that speeds up a reaction without being used up (8)
13. Protein that speeds up a chemical reaction in a living cell (6)
14. Variant of an element with a different atomic mass (7)
15. Splitting of an atomic nucleus (7)

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6. Hard crossword: History and Culture

20 words, 7 across and 13 down.

Across

4. Scandinavian seafarer of the early Middle Ages (6)
11. Period of European art and learning that followed the Middle Ages (11)
12. Figure of speech that describes one thing as another (8)
17. Composer who wrote nine symphonies (9)
18. Warrior of feudal Japan (7)
19. Word with the same meaning as another (7)
20. Composer of "The Magic Flute" (6)

Down

1. Long work for orchestra, usually in four movements (8)
2. Author of "Oliver Twist" (7)
3. Royal tomb of ancient Egypt with triangular sides (7)
5. Fighter in a Roman arena (9)
6. Word that reads the same backwards, like "level" (10)
7. Large amphitheater in Rome (9)
8. Author of "Hamlet" and "Macbeth" (11)
9. Picture sign in ancient Egyptian writing (10)
10. Ruler of ancient Egypt (7)
13. Spanish painter of "Guernica" (7)
14. Epic poem by Homer about a long voyage home (7)
15. Drama that is sung, such as "Carmen" (5)
16. Poem of fourteen lines (6)

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What makes a crossword medium or hard

The number of words. 15 words in the medium puzzles and 20 in the hard ones, against 10 to 12 in an easy grid.
The length of the answers. Longer and less common words, such as RENAISSANCE or PHOTOSYNTHESIS, take longer to find.
The clues. A medium clue describes the answer without naming it directly. A hard clue asks for a fact you have to know, such as a capital city or the author of a book.
The theme. A broad theme such as geography or science narrows the answers down much less than an everyday theme like the kitchen.

These are criss-cross crosswords, where the words cross each other in an open grid. If you are looking for a gentler start, try the printable easy crossword puzzles.

Tips to solve a harder crossword

Go through all the clues once and fill in only the answers you are sure of.
Work around the words you have found: each crossing letter makes the next answer easier.
Check the number of letters in brackets before writing an answer.
When you are stuck, leave the puzzle and come back to it later with a fresh eye.
Write in pencil, so you can correct an answer easily.

Make your own crossword

Want a crossword with your own words and clues? The free crossword puzzle maker crosses up to 20 words in a numbered grid and gives you a PDF with the solution.

Want to publish your own puzzle book?

LogikLand builds complete crossword books for Amazon KDP: easy, medium and hard levels in the same book if you wish, grids from 11 x 11 to 21 x 21, words and clues in 5 languages, solutions at the end of the book, and print-ready pages exported as PDF or editable PPTX. The crossword generator is part of the PRO and EXPERT plans.

Crossword book generator See plans and pricing

Medium and hard crossword puzzles: frequently asked questions

Are these medium and hard crossword puzzles free to print?

Yes. The 6 crosswords on this page are free and need no account. Each PDF carries a small LogikLand footer and is for personal use.

Do the PDFs include the answers?

Yes. Each PDF has the puzzle and its clues on page 1 and the solution on page 2. The complete pack has 12 pages: the 6 puzzles first, then the 6 solutions, so you can print the puzzles without seeing the answers.

What is the difference between the medium and the hard crosswords?

The medium puzzles have 15 words on one broad theme, with clues that ask for a little thought. The hard puzzles have 20 words, longer answers of up to 14 letters, and general knowledge clues about geography, science, history and culture.

What kind of crossword is this?

These are criss-cross crosswords: the words cross each other freely in an open grid, with numbered Across and Down clues. They are not the dense square grids found in daily newspapers, where every letter belongs to two words.

Is the number of letters given?

Yes. The number of letters is shown in brackets after each clue, in the medium and in the hard puzzles.

Which paper size should I use?

The PDFs are made for US Letter paper (8.5 x 11 inches). To print on A4 paper, choose the "Fit to page" option in your print window.

Where can I find easier crosswords?

The printable easy crossword puzzles page has 6 simpler grids, with 10 to 12 short words and direct clues on everyday themes.

Can I sell or republish these puzzles?

No, the free puzzles on this page are for personal use. To publish and sell your own puzzle books, on Amazon KDP for example, commercial rights come with the LogikLand PRO and EXPERT plans.

Last updated: October 6, 2026