Hunt down every hidden word in a grid of letters — across, down, diagonal and backwards. They're relaxing but sharp, a favourite for kids, classrooms and anyone who likes a quiet warm-up. Every puzzle below is free to print, with the answer key folded on the back so you can check your work without spoiling it.
Easy · Medium · Hard — themes from animals and foods to world capitals and famous inventors
A family favourite and a great place to start. A shorter word list and a friendlier grid — ideal for younger solvers or an easy warm-up.
Print this puzzle » See all easy word searches »A bigger grid with a longer list and words tucked in at trickier angles. Enough of a hunt to keep you scanning without ever feeling unfair.
Print this puzzle » See all medium word searches »A dense grid packed with long words running every direction, including backwards. A proper test of patience and a sharp eye for stray letters.
Print this puzzle » See all hard word searches »A word search hides a list of words inside a grid of letters. Each word runs in a straight line — across, down, or diagonally — and on the harder puzzles it can also run backwards. Your job is to find every word on the list and circle it. There's no trick to fall for and nothing to calculate; it's a pure hunt, which is exactly what makes word searches such a relaxing way to sharpen focus.
The fastest way in is to hunt one word at a time rather than scanning the whole grid at random. Pick a word, lock onto its first letter, and sweep the grid for just that letter — then check the eight directions around each match to see if the rest of the word follows.
First, chase rare letters. A word with a Q, Z, X or J is far quicker to spot by its unusual letter than by its first one — there simply aren't many on the grid. Second, scan by column as well as by row; most solvers read left-to-right by instinct and walk straight past the vertical and diagonal words. A deliberate top-to-bottom pass down each column catches them.
Want the full method, including how the hard grids hide words backwards and overlap them? Read our complete guide to solving word searches.
If one word just won't surface, you don't have to give up. Our free puzzle tools include a word search finder that locates any word inside a grid of letters — handy for checking your work or tracking down that last stubborn entry.