Literature Crossword Puzzles: Free Printable and Online

Explore the vast world of literature through engaging crossword puzzles. From classic novels to modern poetry, challenge your knowledge of authors, characters, and literary movements.

Print any literature crossword below, download it as a PDF, or play it online. Free, and no signup is needed to play.

10 puzzles, click Print on any puzzle below

Henry o' Henry

Medium · 11×11 · 11 words
Play online →

Printing for a class?

Print 2 or 4 versions of this puzzle with different grid layouts, so desk neighbors cannot copy answers. Same words and clues, and each version has its own answer key. Class sets are a Plus feature in the Grid Genius app.

Make a class set →
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11

Across

  1. 4. The illness that afflicted Johnsy in a cold November
  2. 5. The specific length of fiction that O Henry mastered
  3. 7. The profession Porter practiced before becoming a full-time writer
  4. 11. A common plot device in the story A Retrieved Reformation

Down

  1. 1. A French term for a writer's professional alias
  2. 2. The act of changing for the better as Jimmy did
  3. 3. The item Jim Dillingham Young sold to buy hair combs
  4. 6. The famous outlaw character created by O Henry
  5. 8. The city in Texas where Porter worked as a bank teller
  6. 9. The humorous tone found in The Ransom of Red Chief
  7. 10. The central symbol of hope in a story about a sick girl in Greenwich Village

a series of unfortunate events

Medium · 15×15 · 20 words
Play online →

Printing for a class?

Print 2 or 4 versions of this puzzle with different grid layouts, so desk neighbors cannot copy answers. Same words and clues, and each version has its own answer key. Class sets are a Plus feature in the Grid Genius app.

Make a class set →
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20

Across

  1. 3. The lost love to whom the books are dedicated
  2. 6. The destructive event that claimed the Baudelaire mansion
  3. 8. The method used to end the life of Uncle Monty
  4. 9. The great divide that split the secret society apart
  5. 10. A word meaning very sad used to describe their lives
  6. 13. The middle child who is an avid researcher and reader
  7. 14. Violet ties her hair back with a ribbon when she has one
  8. 17. The primary emotion associated with the Lucky Smells mill
  9. 18. The ersatz shaft that led to a dark secret
  10. 19. The weapon used in the unfortunate opera house incident
  11. 20. Olaf's supposed profession despite his lack of talent

Down

  1. 1. The setting where the children disguised as freaks
  2. 2. The triplets who also lost their parents to fire
  3. 4. The climate of the island in the final book
  4. 5. The mysterious secret organization identified by an eye
  5. 7. The adjective that defines this entire series
  6. 11. The Medusoid Mycelium is a deadly type of this
  7. 12. The banker in charge of the Baudelaire affairs
  8. 15. The fashion-obsessed villainess who loves what is in
  9. 16. The shack where the children lived at Prufrock Prep

a series of unfortunate events

Medium · 15×15 · 21 words
Play online →

Printing for a class?

Print 2 or 4 versions of this puzzle with different grid layouts, so desk neighbors cannot copy answers. Same words and clues, and each version has its own answer key. Class sets are a Plus feature in the Grid Genius app.

Make a class set →
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21

Across

  1. 1. The industry found at the Lucky Smells mill
  2. 4. The youngest sibling with incredibly sharp teeth
  3. 6. A constant state of danger for the Baudelaire children
  4. 7. The Medusoid Mycelium is a deadly type of this
  5. 9. The status of the protagonists after the initial fire
  6. 13. The word describing the hotel in the twelfth book
  7. 17. The high society event where many secrets were kept
  8. 18. The great division that split the secret organization
  9. 19. The tragic event that starts the entire series
  10. 20. The deadly Lachrymose creatures that attack in the water
  11. 21. The middle child who is a voracious reader and researcher

Down

  1. 2. The feeling evoked by the island and its bitter cordial
  2. 3. The elusive and melancholic narrator Snicket
  3. 5. The status of the children at Prufrock Preparatory School
  4. 8. The mountain range containing the secret headquarters
  5. 10. A method of communication often intercepted or delayed
  6. 11. The mysterious object everyone is trying to retrieve
  7. 12. The cave that is home to a deadly medusoid fungus
  8. 14. The place where Klaus searches for the truth about VFD
  9. 15. What the children gather to prove Olaf villainy
  10. 16. The coughing banker in charge of the orphan estate

Figurative Language

Medium · 15×15 · 14 words
Play online →

Printing for a class?

Print 2 or 4 versions of this puzzle with different grid layouts, so desk neighbors cannot copy answers. Same words and clues, and each version has its own answer key. Class sets are a Plus feature in the Grid Genius app.

Make a class set →
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14

Across

  1. 1. A statement that seems to contradict itself but may reveal a truth
  2. 6. A brief reference to a person, event, or work of literature outside the text
  3. 10. The emotional or cultural meaning a word carries beyond its dictionary definition
  4. 12. A contrast between what is expected and what actually happens
  5. 13. A phrase that combines two contradictory terms, like jumbo shrimp
  6. 14. Vivid language that creates pictures in the reader's mind through sensory detail

Down

  1. 2. The repetition of vowel sounds within nearby words
  2. 3. A scene that interrupts the present action to show an earlier event
  3. 4. A mild or indirect word used in place of a harsh or blunt one
  4. 5. A comparison that explains one thing by relating it to something more familiar
  5. 7. The use of objects or images to represent larger ideas or themes
  6. 8. The exact, literal dictionary definition of a word
  7. 9. The repetition of consonant sounds within or at the end of nearby words
  8. 11. An author's choice of words and phrasing

Figurative Language

Easy · 15×15 · 15 words
Play online →

Printing for a class?

Print 2 or 4 versions of this puzzle with different grid layouts, so desk neighbors cannot copy answers. Same words and clues, and each version has its own answer key. Class sets are a Plus feature in the Grid Genius app.

Make a class set →
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15

Across

  1. 2. A comparison between two unlike things without using like or as
  2. 4. The overall feeling a piece of writing creates for the reader
  3. 7. A comparison between two unlike things using the word like or as
  4. 8. The author's attitude toward the subject, shown through word choice
  5. 10. The repetition of beginning consonant sounds in a series of words
  6. 13. To point out how two things are alike
  7. 15. An object or image that represents a deeper idea

Down

  1. 1. A short traditional saying that gives advice or expresses a truth
  2. 3. An extreme exaggeration not meant to be taken literally
  3. 5. A word that imitates the sound it describes, like buzz or splash
  4. 6. Using the same word or phrase more than once for emphasis
  5. 9. To give human qualities to an animal, object, or idea
  6. 11. Descriptive language that appeals to the five senses
  7. 12. Words that end with the same sound, like cat and hat
  8. 14. A joke that plays on multiple meanings of a word or similar sounding words

Classic Books

Easy · 11×11 · 13 words
Play online →

Printing for a class?

Print 2 or 4 versions of this puzzle with different grid layouts, so desk neighbors cannot copy answers. Same words and clues, and each version has its own answer key. Class sets are a Plus feature in the Grid Genius app.

Make a class set →
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11

Across

  1. 3. The surname of the four sisters in Little Women
  2. 5. The mysterious millionaire who hosts lavish parties in a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald
  3. 6. The brilliant detective who lives at 221B Baker Street
  4. 9. The name of the great white whale pursued by Captain Ahab
  5. 10. The author known for dark tales like The Tell-Tale Heart
  6. 11. The young girl who lives in the Swiss Alps with her grandfather

Down

  1. 1. The delusional Spanish knight who tilts at windmills
  2. 2. The author of The Three Musketeers
  3. 4. The principled lawyer and father in To Kill a Mockingbird
  4. 5. The traveler who visits Lilliput and Brobdingnag
  5. 7. A small creature with hairy feet who lives in a hole in Middle-earth
  6. 8. The surname of the governess Jane in Charlotte Bronte's novel
  7. 10. The young protagonist of Great Expectations

Literature

Easy · 7×7 · 7 words
Play online →

Printing for a class?

Print 2 or 4 versions of this puzzle with different grid layouts, so desk neighbors cannot copy answers. Same words and clues, and each version has its own answer key. Class sets are a Plus feature in the Grid Genius app.

Make a class set →
1
2
3
4
5
6
7

Across

  1. 1. A piece of writing that often uses rhythm and rhyme
  2. 6. A main division of a book
  3. 7. A single line of poetry

Down

  1. 2. A short piece of writing on a particular subject
  2. 3. The person who wrote a book
  3. 4. A sequence of continuous action in a play or movie
  4. 5. Written or spoken language in its ordinary form without poetic rhythm

Summer Beach Reads

Medium · 11×11 · 12 words
Play online →

Printing for a class?

Print 2 or 4 versions of this puzzle with different grid layouts, so desk neighbors cannot copy answers. Same words and clues, and each version has its own answer key. Class sets are a Plus feature in the Grid Genius app.

Make a class set →
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11

Across

  1. 3. Light and easy in tone, like a good vacation novel
  2. 4. Consume a whole trilogy in one weekend
  3. 5. Canvas bag carrying your seaside library
  4. 7. Heavier book format that is less ideal for travel
  5. 9. Flexible format perfect for sandy hands
  6. 11. Made-up tales perfect for escaping reality

Down

  1. 1. A celebrity life story popular for poolside reading
  2. 2. Electronic device that holds a thousand vacation stories
  3. 6. Genre featuring meet-cutes and happily-ever-afters
  4. 8. Book part that should not be cracked too much
  5. 9. The storyline unfolding by the shore
  6. 10. What you turn eagerly to see what happens next

Literature

Easy · 11×11 · 11 words
Play online →

Printing for a class?

Print 2 or 4 versions of this puzzle with different grid layouts, so desk neighbors cannot copy answers. Same words and clues, and each version has its own answer key. Class sets are a Plus feature in the Grid Genius app.

Make a class set →
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

Across

  1. 1. A short piece of writing on a particular subject
  2. 4. The sequence of events in a story
  3. 5. A play for theater television or radio
  4. 7. The leading character or hero of a story
  5. 8. A specific category of literature like mystery or fantasy
  6. 9. The main subject or idea in a piece of writing

Down

  1. 2. The time and place where a story happens
  2. 3. Conversation between characters in a book
  3. 4. A distinct section of a piece of writing starting on a new line
  4. 6. A novel or short story about a puzzling crime
  5. 7. Literary work in which special intensity is given to the expression of feelings

Literature

Easy · 7×7 · 8 words
Play online →

Printing for a class?

Print 2 or 4 versions of this puzzle with different grid layouts, so desk neighbors cannot copy answers. Same words and clues, and each version has its own answer key. Class sets are a Plus feature in the Grid Genius app.

Make a class set →
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

Across

  1. 2. A traditional story often involving ancient gods
  2. 4. An instrument used with ink to write or draw
  3. 6. A main numbered division of a book
  4. 8. The protective outer layer of a bound document

Down

  1. 1. A lengthy poem about a hero and their adventures
  2. 3. A fictitious or true narrative
  3. 5. The bound edge of a book where pages are attached
  4. 7. To look at and comprehend written words

Make your own Literature crossword

Turn your own word list into a crossword with the free Grid Genius maker. Print it with an answer key or share a playable link with your class. No account needed.

Make your own Literature crossword

Related Printable Crossword Topics

Literature Crossword FAQ

Is this Literature crossword puzzle free?

Yes. Every Literature crossword on this page is free. You can print it, download it as a PDF, or play it online without paying anything or creating an account.

Can I print the Literature crossword?

Yes. Click Print on any puzzle for a print-ready page with the grid, the clues, and a name and date line, or use Download to save it as a PDF, PNG, or JPEG for photocopying. The PDF download includes a filled answer key on the last page for grading.

Can students play these crosswords online?

Yes. Every puzzle has a Play online link that opens in the browser on any device. No app install and no signup is needed to play, which makes it easy to share with a class.

Can I make my own Literature crossword?

Yes. The free Grid Genius crossword maker builds a puzzle from your own words and clues, with a printable grid and answer key. The Grid Genius app can also generate a complete crossword from any topic you type.