How to play Word Search
The rules
- The board is a square grid of letters. The list of words is under the grid.
- Every word is hidden in a straight line: across, down or diagonally.
- Find every word in the list to win. A wrong line costs nothing.
How to play here
- Drag across the letters of a word, from its first letter to its last, or from its last to its first.
- A found word stays marked in its own colour, and is crossed out in the list.
- Keyboard: the arrows move, Space marks the first letter, Enter marks the last letter and checks the word, Escape cancels.
- Undo takes back the last word you found.
Difficulty levels
| Level | Grid | Words | Directions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Easy | 8×8 | 6 | Across and down |
| Medium | 9×9 | 8 | Adds diagonals |
| Hard | 10×10 | 10 | Adds right to left and bottom to top |
| Expert | 11×11 | 12 | All 8 directions |
Tips
- Look for the rare letters first: a J, Q, X or Z narrows the search fast.
- Scan for the first two letters of a word together, not the first letter alone.
- On the harder levels, read each line backwards too.
FAQ
- Can a word appear twice in the grid?
- No. Every word in the list is in the grid exactly once, so the first match you find is the right one.
- Can I drag from the last letter to the first?
- Yes. A word is found when you drag over its letters in either direction.
- Is there a new puzzle every day?
- Yes. A new Word Search is published every day at each of the four levels: easy, medium, hard and expert. Earlier puzzles are in the archive.
- Do I need an account to play?
- No. You play right in your browser, with no sign-up and no cookies. Your progress is saved in your browser.