Word Search hides a list of words inside a grid of random letters. Your job is to find each one by clicking the first letter and dragging to the last. Words can run left-to-right, top-to-bottom, diagonally, or backwards on the harder grids. The puzzle is finished when every word in the list is highlighted. Free in your browser, no sign-up. Works offline once the page has loaded.
Goal: find every word in the list inside the letter grid.
The mechanic is the same at every level — only the grid and direction rules change.
| Grid | Words | Directions | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8×8 | 6 words | Horizontal and vertical only | Kids, first-timers |
| 10×10 | 8 words | Plus diagonal and backward | The standard puzzle |
| 12×12 | 10 words | All eight directions | Players who want a long sit-down puzzle |
The 8×8 grid is good practice for younger players because every word reads in the natural reading direction. The 12×12 grid is the closest to a printed newspaper puzzle.
The modern word search puzzle is usually traced to Norman E. Gibat, who published one in the Selenby Digest in Norman, Oklahoma in 1968. Teachers in the area picked it up as a classroom worksheet, and the format spread quickly through American newspapers in the 1970s. Word search has been a staple of activity books and in-flight magazines ever since. The mechanic — find a list of words inside a letter grid — is simple enough that the puzzle has stayed virtually unchanged for fifty-odd years.
This Word Search runs in your browser — free, no download, no sign-up. Install as an app on your phone or computer; once installed it works offline. Each puzzle uses a fresh letter grid so you can play as many rounds as you like.
It depends on the grid. The 8×8 grid keeps every word horizontal or vertical, reading in the normal direction. The 10×10 grid adds diagonals and backward placement. The 12×12 grid uses all eight directions. The puzzle tells you which directions are in play before you start.
Click the first letter, drag to the last letter, and release. On a phone or tablet, touch the first letter and slide your finger to the last one. The selection has to be in a straight line — horizontal, vertical or diagonal — for the word to count.
Yes. The grids are built so that letters often serve more than one answer. If a letter is part of a word you've already found, it can still be part of another word you haven't found yet — the highlight stays on it.
Look for the rare letters first. Q, Z, X and J appear in only a handful of English words, so if one is in your list, find the rare letter in the grid and check the eight directions from there. Long words are also easier to find than short ones — they have fewer possible placements.
Word search is usually traced to Norman E. Gibat, who published one in the Selenby Digest in Norman, Oklahoma in 1968. Teachers picked it up as a classroom worksheet and the format spread quickly through American newspapers in the 1970s. The puzzle has stayed almost unchanged since.