Play Word Search
Nine hidden words, twelve by twelve letters, eight directions.
Time
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Best
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Controls
- Press and drag across a word to select it
- Words run in all eight directions
- Release to check the selection
About Word Search
The word search was invented in 1968 by a puzzle maker in Norman, Oklahoma, and spread through school worksheets before it ever reached newspapers. It is a pure visual search task with no deduction in it at all, which is exactly why it is relaxing in a way that a crossword is not.
Every grid here is generated fresh. Nine words from one of five themes are placed in random positions and directions, overlapping wherever their letters happen to agree, and the remaining cells are filled with random letters. Overlaps are what stop the puzzle from looking like a set of parallel lines, and they are the reason a grid feels dense.
Backwards and diagonal placements are what make it genuinely hard. Most people scan left-to-right by default and simply do not see a word written right-to-left, which is why a systematic sweep beats staring at the whole grid hoping something jumps out.
Selection works by dragging from the first letter to the last. Only straight lines are accepted, so a wobbly drag will not match — the grid highlights exactly what you have got as you go.
Tips for a higher score
- Scan for the rarest letter in each word first. There are far fewer Qs, Zs and Xs than vowels to check.
- Work one direction at a time — sweep every row left to right, then every column, then the diagonals.
- Long words are easier than short ones. Find them first and they carve the grid up for you.
- Double letters are a strong anchor. If a word has one, look for the pair rather than the whole word.
- The theme is shown in the header. Knowing that everything is an animal narrows what you are scanning for enormously.
Frequently asked questions
Can words run backwards?
Yes, in all eight directions including all four diagonals, forwards and reversed. That is most of the difficulty.
How do I select on a phone?
Press on the first letter and drag to the last one without lifting your finger, then release.
Do words overlap?
Often, wherever their letters agree. A single letter can belong to two different answers.