Crosswords for adults

General-knowledge crosswords to print and solve.

Three crosswords with concise clues: two general-knowledge puzzles covering geography, science, the arts and language, and one vocabulary puzzle with more demanding words.

What to expect

Straight clues, varied topics

Each clue is a direct definition — no wordplay — followed by the letter count. The general-knowledge puzzles mix capitals, planets, painters, poetry and music. Word power No. 1 asks for less common words such as those for talkative, calm or short-lived.

Solving tips: fill in the answers you know for certain before guessing. Look at the letter count for longer answers — a nine-letter word crossing several others unlocks a lot of the grid. If you are stuck on a word, fill in the crossing letters you have and think of words that fit the pattern.

Printable puzzles

Adult crosswords to print

Each puzzle has its own solution. It stays hidden until you choose Show solution, and Print solution prints it on a separate page.

PaperKind puzzles · Adult crossword · Geography, science & arts

General knowledge No. 1

NameDate

Read each clue and write one letter in each square. The number in brackets shows how many letters the answer has.

Across

  1. 1Book of maps (5)
  2. 4River flowing north through Egypt (4)
  3. 5Capital of Australia (8)
  4. 8Planet closest to the Sun (7)
  5. 9Spanish painter of Guernica (7)

Down

  1. 2Treeless Arctic plain (6)
  2. 3Interval of eight notes (6)
  3. 6Highest mountain above sea level (7)
  4. 7Element with the symbol O (6)
paperkindprintables.com · adult-gk-1

PaperKind puzzles · Adult crossword · Geography, science & artsSolution

General knowledge No. 1 — solution

Completed grid with every answer.

Across

  1. 1Book of maps (5) ATLAS
  2. 4River flowing north through Egypt (4) NILE
  3. 5Capital of Australia (8) CANBERRA
  4. 8Planet closest to the Sun (7) MERCURY
  5. 9Spanish painter of Guernica (7) PICASSO

Down

  1. 2Treeless Arctic plain (6) TUNDRA
  2. 3Interval of eight notes (6) OCTAVE
  3. 6Highest mountain above sea level (7) EVEREST
  4. 7Element with the symbol O (6) OXYGEN
paperkindprintables.com · adult-gk-1

PaperKind puzzles · Adult crossword · Nature, maths & language

General knowledge No. 2

NameDate

Read each clue and write one letter in each square. The number in brackets shows how many letters the answer has.

Across

  1. 1Mountain that may erupt (7)
  2. 5Legislature, or a group of owls (10)
  3. 7Largest hot desert (6)
  4. 9Path around a planet or star (5)

Down

  1. 2Song of national loyalty (6)
  2. 3Distance north or south of the equator (8)
  3. 4Line across a circle through its centre (8)
  4. 6When one body hides another in the sky (7)
  5. 8Claim of being elsewhere at the time (5)
  6. 9Double-reed woodwind instrument (4)
paperkindprintables.com · adult-gk-2

PaperKind puzzles · Adult crossword · Nature, maths & languageSolution

General knowledge No. 2 — solution

Completed grid with every answer.

Across

  1. 1Mountain that may erupt (7) VOLCANO
  2. 5Legislature, or a group of owls (10) PARLIAMENT
  3. 7Largest hot desert (6) SAHARA
  4. 9Path around a planet or star (5) ORBIT

Down

  1. 2Song of national loyalty (6) ANTHEM
  2. 3Distance north or south of the equator (8) LATITUDE
  3. 4Line across a circle through its centre (8) DIAMETER
  4. 6When one body hides another in the sky (7) ECLIPSE
  5. 8Claim of being elsewhere at the time (5) ALIBI
  6. 9Double-reed woodwind instrument (4) OBOE
paperkindprintables.com · adult-gk-2

PaperKind puzzles · Adult crossword · Vocabulary

Word power No. 1

NameDate

Read each clue and write one letter in each square. The number in brackets shows how many letters the answer has.

Across

  1. 2Lowest point (5)
  2. 5Excessively talkative (9)
  3. 6Reluctant to share thoughts (8)
  4. 7Suggesting something bad is coming (7)
  5. 9Lasting a very short time (9)
  6. 10Frank and open (6)

Down

  1. 1Fervently keen (7)
  2. 3Sharpness of judgement (6)
  3. 4Complicated maze (9)
  4. 8Calm and not easily upset (6)
paperkindprintables.com · adult-vocab-1

PaperKind puzzles · Adult crossword · VocabularySolution

Word power No. 1 — solution

Completed grid with every answer.

Across

  1. 2Lowest point (5) NADIR
  2. 5Excessively talkative (9) GARRULOUS
  3. 6Reluctant to share thoughts (8) RETICENT
  4. 7Suggesting something bad is coming (7) OMINOUS
  5. 9Lasting a very short time (9) EPHEMERAL
  6. 10Frank and open (6) CANDID

Down

  1. 1Fervently keen (7) ZEALOUS
  2. 3Sharpness of judgement (6) ACUMEN
  3. 4Complicated maze (9) LABYRINTH
  4. 8Calm and not easily upset (6) PLACID
paperkindprintables.com · adult-vocab-1

Related

More puzzles

For a logic challenge, try hard Sudoku. Solving with children? The kids crosswords use simpler words and bigger squares, and spot the difference works for all ages.

Questions

Frequently asked questions