Free Word Search Puzzles

Word search, online or on paper

Play a free word search online, or print it out. Some people call it a word find, and in the UK it is often written wordsearch. Choose one of five everyday themes (Garden, Kitchen, Animals, Weather or Travel) and one of four sizes, or try the seasonal puzzles for Halloween, Autumn, Thanksgiving, Christmas and Winter.

The letters are large and easy to read, there is no time limit, and every puzzle can be printed with an answer key. That makes these puzzles a good fit for adults and seniors, for classrooms and for activity time in care homes.

How to play

1. Pick a theme and a size, then press Start.
2. Look for a word from the list hidden in the grid.
3. Tap the first letter and then the last letter of the word, or drag across it.
4. Find every word to finish. Then share your time, play again or print a puzzle.

Tips

• Scan for an unusual letter, such as Q, X, Z or J, then look around it for the rest of the word.
• Look for double letters, like the LL in BELLS or the OO in BOOTS; they stand out in a grid.
• Work along one row at a time and run your eye across it slowly, rather than jumping around.
• Start with the longest words. They are easier to spot and they use up space, which narrows down where the short ones can be.
• On Easy and Medium, words only run across, down and diagonally down to the right, so you never need to read backwards.

Features

• Five everyday themes, plus five seasonal puzzles on their own pages
• Four sizes: Easy 8×8, Medium 10×10, Hard 12×12 and Expert 14×14
• Large, clear letters and no time limit
• Hints that show you where a word starts
• Print on US Letter or A4, with an optional answer key and name line
• Your puzzle and best times are saved on your device

Questions and answers

Can I print the word search?

Yes. Press Print and choose the puzzle on its own or with an answer key. You can add a line for a name and date. Every size fits on one page of US Letter or A4.

Is there an answer key?

Yes. When you print, tick the answer key option and it prints on a second page with every word marked.

Are the puzzles large print?

The letters are large on screen, and the printed puzzle fills a whole page, so the letters are big on paper too. The smaller sizes have the biggest letters.

Do words run backwards?

Only on Expert. Easy and Medium run across, down and diagonally down to the right. Hard adds diagonals going up to the right. Expert uses all eight directions, including backwards.

What sizes are there?

Easy is 8×8 with 6 words, Medium is 10×10 with 10 words, Hard is 12×12 with 14 words and Expert is 14×14 with 18 words. Expert needs the bigger screen of a tablet or computer.

Is there a new puzzle every day?

Yes. The Daily Word Search has a new puzzle every day, the same for everyone, with a theme that changes daily.