Word Search
Find the hidden words in a grid of letters — play themed puzzles and a daily one, or make and print your own.
At a glance
- Drag across a word, or tap its first letter and then its last. Found words get their own colour and are crossed off the list.
- 14 themes — animals, countries, food, space, the body, music and more — on grids from 8 × 8 to 15 × 15.
- Easy words go across and down, Medium adds diagonals, Hard hides them in all eight directions, backwards too.
- A daily puzzle, the same for everyone, with a streak to keep up. A timer, hints and your best times are built in.
- Make your own: type a spelling list or any words, then play it, print it with an answer key, or share a link to the same puzzle.
- The word search was first published by Norman E. Gibat in the Selenby Digest on 1 March 1968, in Norman, Oklahoma. Free, no sign-up.
Step by step
How to play word search
- 1
Pick a puzzle
Choose a theme, today’s daily puzzle, or type your own words. Set the grid size and level.
- 2
Look for a word
Pick a word from the list and scan the grid for its first letter, then check the letters around it.
- 3
Mark it
Drag from the first letter to the last in a straight line, or tap both ends. A correct word stays highlighted.
- 4
Find them all
Cross off every word on the list. Stuck? A hint makes the first letter of a word glow.
- 5
Print or share
Print the puzzle with an answer key, or copy a link to send the same puzzle to someone else.
Features
Everything you need, nothing you don’t
Drag or tap
Swipe across a word on a phone, drag with a mouse, or tap the first and last letters. Arrow keys and Space work too.
Daily puzzle
A new 12 × 12 puzzle every day on a changing theme, with a daily streak.
Your own word search
Turn a spelling list, vocabulary or party theme into a puzzle in a second.
Print-ready sheets
A4 pages with a name and date line, a tick-box word list and an answer key on the next page.
Share a puzzle
Copy a link and everyone who opens it gets exactly the same grid.
Fair puzzles
Every word is hidden exactly once, and the random letters are checked so they don’t spell anything rude.
Levels and grid sizes
| Level | Directions | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Easy | Across (left to right) and down | 8 × 8: 8 words |
| Medium | Across, down and both diagonals going right | 10 × 10: 12 words, 12 × 12: 15 words |
| Hard | All eight directions, including backwards | 15 × 15: 20 words |
Word search tips
- Look for unusual letters first — a Q, Z, X, J or K stands out more than an E.
- Search for double letters such as the OO in ZOO or the LL in BALLOON.
- Go row by row for the first letter, then check all eight neighbours for the second.
- On Hard, read backwards too: a word that ends near the edge may start on the other side of it.
- For classes, print Easy 10 × 10 for young readers and Hard 15 × 15 for older students.
About word search
Word search puzzles — also called word find or word seek — hide a list of words in a grid of letters. The first published word search is credited to Norman E. Gibat, who printed one in the Selenby Digest in Norman, Oklahoma, on 1 March 1968; teachers there soon asked for copies for their classes, and the puzzle spread from there.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
How do I select a word?
Can I make my own word search?
Can I print it?
Is there a daily word search?
Are the words ever backwards?
Is it free?
Keep going
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