On a phone, press the first letter and slide to the last — the highlight snaps to a straight line, so you don't have to be precise.
Word Search is the relaxing letter-grid puzzle where hidden words wait to be found among a jumble of letters. Play a ready-made themed puzzle — animals, space, ocean, food and more — or switch to Make your own and turn any word list into a puzzle you can play, share with a link, or print with an answer key. Free in your browser, no downloads, no signup.
The built-in word search maker turns any list of words into a finished puzzle in one click — spelling lists, party themes, classroom vocabulary, baby-shower games, you name it:
Every puzzle — themed or homemade — prints as a clean black-and-white worksheet: the title, the letter grid, and the word list on page one, and an answer key with every hidden word shaded on page two. Press Print under the board (or use your browser's print command) and the page chrome, buttons, and background stay off the paper. Perfect for classrooms, road trips, and rainy afternoons.
Made a puzzle worth passing around? Press Copy link. The link stores your words, title, and settings, so anyone who opens it gets exactly the same grid to solve — nothing to install and no account needed on either end.
Prefer a ready-made round? Every themed puzzle is built from a curated pack, so you can play to your interests and learn a little vocabulary along the way:
Small (8×8) hides a handful of short words across and down only — great for kids and quick rounds. Medium (11×11) is the balanced default and adds diagonals. Large (14×14) packs in more words and adds backwards runs for a real challenge. Your fastest time for each theme-and-size combination is saved automatically.
How do I play Word Search? Find every word on the list inside the letter grid. Press a word's first letter and drag to its last letter — across, down, or diagonally — then release to cross it off. Clear the list to win.
Can I make my own word search? Yes — switch to Make your own, type 2–24 words, pick a difficulty and grid size, and the maker builds a playable puzzle instantly. No account needed.
Can I print the word search? Yes — every puzzle prints as a clean black-and-white sheet with the grid and word list, plus an answer key on a second page. Use the Print button.
How do I share a puzzle I made? Press Copy link. The link stores your words and settings, so anyone who opens it gets exactly the same puzzle to solve.
Is Word Search free? Yes — playing and making puzzles are both free. No signup, no downloads, no installs.
Can words go backwards or diagonally? Yes, depending on the setting. In themed puzzles, Small grids hide words across and down only, Medium adds diagonals, and Large adds backwards words. In the maker, the Easy, Medium, and Hard difficulties work the same way.
Are my best times saved? Yes — your fastest solve for each theme and grid size is stored locally in your browser.