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🔎 Word Search

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Word Search game screen
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About the game

Word Search is the classic puzzle where words are hidden in a grid full of letters and your job is to find every one of them. It's the much-loved corner of every newspaper puzzle page, rebuilt for your phone and computer: instead of circling words with a pencil you drag your finger or mouse across them, and each word you find gets a bright highlighter stripe and is crossed off the list. It's relaxing, it sharpens your focus and your vocabulary, and it suits players of every age.

There are 16 themed topics: Animals, Fruits, Vegetables, Cities, Countries, Jobs, Sports, Colours, Kitchen, School, Nature, Vehicles, Instruments, Body, Home and Clothes. On the English site every puzzle uses carefully chosen, everyday English words, while the Turkish site has its own Turkish word lists, so it's a fun way to practise either language. The grid is generated fresh every game, so you never solve the same puzzle twice, and if you can't decide, Random topic picks one for you. Play Word Search online free in your browser with no download and no install.

How to play

  • Choose a topic and a difficulty. The list of words to find appears below the grid (next to it on a computer).
  • Touch the first letter of a word and drag to the last letter. Your selection snaps to a straight line across, down or diagonally, so a slightly wobbly finger is fine.
  • Prefer not to drag? Tap the first letter, then tap the last one.
  • A correct word is marked with a coloured stripe; a wrong selection flashes red and fades away.
  • The puzzle is complete when every word is found. Your time is recorded, and the faster you finish the more points you score.

Difficulty levels

LevelGridWordsDirections
Easy8x86Left to right →, top to bottom ↓
Medium10x109+ diagonal ↘ ↗
Hard12x1212+ backwards ← ↑ ↖ ↙ (all 8 directions)

Screenshots

Word Search animals puzzle with highlighted words Word Search hard 12x12 grid with a glowing hint letter Word Search puzzle complete with time and points earned

Word Search tips

  • Hunt for rare letters: if a word contains Q, X, Z, J or K, scan for those first. They're scarce in the grid, so they give the word away quickly.
  • Spot double letters: pairs like the “EE” in GREECE or the “RR” in CHERRY stand out at a glance.
  • Scan row by row: pick a word's first letter and sweep the grid one row at a time. Each time you find it, check its eight neighbours for the second letter.
  • Start with long words: long words cover more of the grid and are easier to spot. Clearing them makes the short ones much easier to see.
  • Read backwards on Hard: on Hard, words can run right to left or bottom to top. Try treating the last letter as the first.
  • Save your hints: use a hint on the last stubborn word. The glowing letter shows where it starts and you work out the rest.

FAQ

Is Word Search free? Yes, completely free. It runs in your browser on phones, tablets and computers without any download.
How are points calculated? Finishing a puzzle earns base points by difficulty (Easy 5, Medium 10, Hard 18), plus a speed bonus for a fast finish (up to 10, 15 and 20). Each hint you use costs 2 points.
Are my best times saved? Yes. Your best time for each difficulty is saved to your account and shown on the topic screen.
How do I get a hint? Tap Hint and watch a short ad, and the first letter of a word you haven't found lights up. You get 3 hints per puzzle, and the clock stops during the ad.
I'm stuck, what can I do? Use “Give up and show the solution” from the New button to see the remaining words on the grid, but you won't earn points for that puzzle.

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