Word Search

Word Search hides ten words in a grid of letters, and your job is to find them all. Choose a theme such as animals, space or music, pick a grid size from ten by ten up to fourteen by fourteen, and decide how tricky the words may be: only across and down, with diagonals, or in all eight directions including backwards. A timer records your best result for each size. Play Word Search free online in your browser — no download or sign-up needed.

Theme Size:

Words run:

Left 10Time 0:00Best —

Drag across the letters in a straight line, or tap the first letter and then the last. Words can be read in either direction on the chosen level.

Game Information

Category: Word Games
Players: Single player
Difficulty: Three grid sizes and three direction levels
Game type: Word, Puzzle, Themes
Works on: Desktop and mobile browsers
Controls: Mouse: drag across the letters
Touch: drag, or tap the first letter and then the last letter
Features: Eight themes
Three grid sizes
Three levels of direction difficulty
Show answers button
Best time saved per size

How to Play Word Search

Objective

Find all ten words on the list.

Starting a game

Choose a theme, a grid size and a direction level, then start looking.

Rules

Words run in straight lines: along rows, down columns or diagonally, depending on the level.
On the hardest level words can also be written backwards.
Drag from the first letter to the last letter. Found words are highlighted and crossed off the list.
Show answers outlines the remaining words.

Controls

Mouse: drag across the letters
Touch: drag, or tap the first letter and then the last letter

Winning and losing

You finish when all words are found, and the time is compared with your best for that grid size.

Tips and Strategies

Look for rarer letters such as Q, Z or X first.
Scan for the first two letters of a word.
Check the list for words that share letters.
Look in rows first, then columns, then diagonals.
Take a break and come back; unseen words often jump out.

Game Variations

Easy: words run only to the right and downwards.
Medium: diagonal words are added; Hard: words can run in all eight directions, including backwards.
Grid sizes of 10×10, 12×12 and 14×14, and eight themes.