How to make a word search
It takes about a minute. Everything happens on this page, and the preview updates as you type.
1. Type a title and your words
Put one word on each line, or paste a list separated by commas. Phrases like “coral reef” are fine; the space is dropped in the grid and kept in the word list. The counter shows how many words you have, and the maker warns you about duplicates or a word hiding inside another word (like CAT inside CATERPILLAR), which would otherwise be findable twice.
2. Pick a difficulty, size and shape
Easy hides words left to right and top to bottom. Medium adds diagonals. Hard uses all eight directions, including backwards. Tap the arrows to make your own mix, such as across and diagonal but never backwards. Grid size is automatic unless you set it, and you can switch the square for a circle, heart, diamond or star.
3. Print, download or share
Print sends a clean one-page puzzle to your printer, with the answer key on a separate page. Download PDF saves the same pages as a file. Share link copies a link anyone can open to solve the puzzle online, and Save keeps it in this browser so you can come back and edit it.
Choosing the right size and difficulty
The biggest mistake with homemade word searches is making them too hard for the people solving them. These starting points work well; the maker's automatic size handles the grid for you, so you mostly need to pick the word count and level.
| Solvers | Words | Grid | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ages 4–6 | 6–10 short words | 8 × 8 to 10 × 10 | Easy, lowercase letters |
| Ages 7–9 | 10–15 | 10 × 10 to 13 × 13 | Easy or Medium |
| Ages 10–12 | 15–20 | 13 × 13 to 15 × 15 | Medium |
| Teens and adults | 20–30 | 15 × 15 to 20 × 20 | Hard (examples) |
| Large print | 8–12 | 10 × 10 to 12 × 12 | Easy or Medium, with Large print on (examples) |
Look-alike filler letters make any level harder. Instead of random A–Z letters, the gaps are filled with letters from your own words, so a solver hunting for “OCTOPUS” keeps tripping over stray O’s, C’s and T’s. Use it for older solvers who finish too fast.
Printing, PDFs and answer keys
Every printout is a single, uncluttered page: your title, optional name and date lines, your instructions, the grid, and the word list with a tick box beside each word. Letters are set in Atkinson Hyperlegible, a typeface designed by the Braille Institute so that easily confused characters, such as I and 1 or O and 0, look clearly different.
- Answer key: printed on its own page with each word highlighted, so you can hand out puzzles and keep the key.
- US Letter or A4: picked automatically from your browser’s region, and easy to change.
- PDF download: a real vector PDF that stays sharp at any size, which is handy for emailing or uploading to Google Classroom.
- Image download: a PNG of the page to drop into Docs, Slides, Canva or a newsletter.
- Printing tips: leave scaling at 100% or “Fit to page”, and turn off headers and footers in the print dialog for the cleanest sheet.
Ways to use your word search
Spelling and vocabulary lists
Paste this week’s spelling list and print a puzzle in under a minute. Finding a word means scanning for its exact letter sequence, which is good practice for spelling. For vocabulary, switch on Clues and type definitions after each word, so students have to recall the word before they can find it.
Stopping copying in class
Set Different versions to print to the number of tables or rows in your room. Everyone gets the same words in a different grid, so pointing at a neighbor’s sheet doesn’t help. Each version has its own answer key at the back of the PDF.
Parties, showers and weddings
A word search with the guest of honor’s name, favorite things and inside jokes is an easy table activity. Try the heart shape for a bridal shower or Valentine’s Day, and the star for a birthday. Print a stack, or send a link so guests can race on their phones.
Early readers and language learners
Choose Easy and lowercase letters so the grid matches the letters children see in books. Accented letters work too, which helps Spanish, French and German classes practice spelling with the accents in place.
Want a ready-made puzzle?
Browse our library of free word search puzzles. Every one comes in Easy, Medium, Hard and Large print versions, with an answer key and notes on every word.
Word search maker FAQ
Is this word search maker really free?
Yes. Making, printing, downloading PDFs and sharing puzzles are all free, with no account and no watermark. There is no premium version holding features back.
Do I need to sign up or install anything?
No. The maker runs in your web browser on phones, tablets, Chromebooks and computers. Your puzzles are built on your device, and your word list isn’t sent to our servers.
How many words can I put in a word search?
Up to 100 words, and grids from 5 × 5 to 30 × 30. For most printed puzzles, 10 to 25 words on a 12 × 12 to 18 × 18 grid is the sweet spot. Long lists need a bigger grid, and letters get smaller as the grid grows.
Why didn’t some of my words fit?
With a custom size, a word can’t be longer than the grid, and very full grids run out of room. Use Make the grid bigger, switch back to automatic size, allow more directions, or choose the square shape. Shapes like stars have less room than squares.
Can I make a word search with clues instead of words?
Yes. Type each word followed by a colon and the clue, like orbit: the path a planet takes around the sun. Then choose Clues under Word list. Solvers read the clue, work out the answer, and find it in the grid. The answer key shows the words.
How do I print different versions for a class?
Open Printing and set “Different versions to print” to the number you need, up to 30. Every page gets the same words in a different grid, followed by an answer key for each version.
Can students solve it on a computer or tablet?
Yes. Press Share link and send the link, or post it in Google Classroom, Teams or any LMS. Anyone with the link can play online, with drag or tap-to-select, a timer and hints, and no login.
Can I save my word search and edit it later?
Press Save to keep a puzzle in this browser, and reopen it from “Your saved puzzles”. The maker also remembers your last draft. To move a puzzle to another device, use a share link or download the PDF.
Does it work with other languages and accented letters?
Yes. Accented letters like é, ñ and ü stay in your words, and they’re mixed into the filler letters so they don’t stand out. Words in other alphabets, such as Greek or Cyrillic, use filler letters from your own word list.
Can I make a large-print word search?
Yes. Under Printing, tick “Large print” for a bigger title, letters and word list, then set a custom size of around 10 × 10 with fewer words. Letters grow as the grid shrinks. Want ready-made ones? See our large print word searches.