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AhaSlides Crossword in preview: the presenter screen shows the grid, the numbered hints and a timer, while a participant's phone shows the hint for 2 Across and the letters typed so far
Crossword is a scored quiz slide that turns your answers into a crossword grid. You type the words, AhaSlides builds the grid, and players fill it in on their phones. It works well for vocabulary practice, a recap at the end of a training session or a quick team game.

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Crossword at a glance

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Create a Crossword slide

AhaSlides slide type picker with a search for Crossword and the Crossword quiz slide type highlighted
1

Add the slide

In the editor, click New slide, then search for Crossword or find it in the Quiz group. A leaderboard slide is added after it, so players see the scores once the question closes.
2

Write the question

Type a title into Your question in the right panel, for example “Planets of the solar system”.
3

Add your words

Under Words, type 2 to 6 answers, for example “Mars”, “Venus” and “Earth”. Each word needs 2 to 15 letters and must be different from the others. The grid on the slide updates as you type.
4

Add a hint for each word

Turn on Hint for each word to show a hint beside each word in the grid, for example “The red planet” for “Mars”. A hint can’t include its answer. With hints off, players see only the number and length of each word.
5

Choose the scoring

Set Letters filled in at start to give players some letters for free, and decide whether Partial scoring is on. Each one is explained in Crossword settings.
AhaSlides Crossword editor with Hint for each word turned on and five planets as the words, each with its own hint

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Present a Crossword slide

Click Preview to try it as a player first, then Present. Participants join with the access code on screen, and you click Start to open the question. On each phone, players see the grid and tap a word to start typing. A card above the grid shows that word’s number, length and hint, with arrows to move to the next word. Letters go into the empty boxes only, and the cursor moves on to the next word when one is full. When the grid is done, players tap Submit. On your screen, the grid and the list of hints stay up while the timer runs. When the question closes, the answers are revealed with the share of players who got each word right, and the scores go to the leaderboard.

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Crossword settings

The leaderboard and the other scoring controls work as on every quiz slide: see quiz settings.

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Ideas for using Crossword

  • Vocabulary: use new words as the answers and their meanings as the hints.
  • Training recap: end a session with key terms from the course, such as product names or safety steps.
  • Science class: planets, animals or parts of a plant, with a short fact as each hint.
  • Language class: give the hint in one language and the answer in the language being learnt.
  • Warm-up: start a meeting or lesson with three easy words to get everyone on their phones.

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Frequently asked questions

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Can I choose where each word goes in the grid?

No. AhaSlides places the words for you. If your words don’t fit in a 15 by 15 grid, use shorter words or fewer of them.

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Do capital letters, accents or spaces matter?

No. Answers are marked without capitals or accents, and spaces and hyphens in a word are left out of the grid.

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Can I change the words after people have answered?

Not while the slide has responses. Click Reset results under the slide first, then edit the words.

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Does Crossword work in a self-paced presentation?

Yes. In a self-paced presentation, each player fills in the grid at their own pace, submits, and then sees the answers.

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Should I use Crossword, Missing Letters or Short Answer?

Crossword tests several linked words in one grid. To test the spelling of one word, use Missing Letters. To have players type a full answer with no letters given, use Short Answer. Have a question? Contact our support team: if you’re logged in, use the chat bubble in the bottom-right of your dashboard; otherwise contact us here or email hi@ahaslides.com. Want to connect with other users? Join the AhaSlides community to share tips, request features, and see how others engage their audiences.