Word search

How to play

1. Read the word list first, so you know what you are looking for.
2. On an easy grid, words read to the right or downward. Medium adds diagonals, and hard grids allow all eight directions.
3. Scan the letters for the first letter of a word, then follow the straight line of letters that spells it.
4. Circle or mark each word in the grid, and cross it off the list.
5. A correct word found in a different place from the answer key still counts, because random filler letters can form extra matches by accident.
6. Check your work against the answer key, which highlights each placement and gives its starting row and column.

Tips

• Start with easy directions for a first puzzle, then move up to medium and hard as the solver becomes more confident.
• Keep the word list short for a small grid. Long lists print on a separate sheet so that the type stays readable.
• Print the answer key on its own sheet so it is not seen by accident, and keep it for checking later.
• Test one page at 100% scale and check that the letters are large enough at the distance they will be read.
• With black ink, highlighted answer squares use bold type and an outline, so the key still shows clearly without colour.

Where it comes from

A word search hides a list of words in a grid of letters, and the format has been a common feature of puzzle books, newspapers and activity sheets. Its exact origin is not well documented. Word searches are used for quiet play and classroom practice, because each find asks the solver to look closely at the letters.

Questions