Tips for great word searches
- Pick a theme: spelling lists, holidays, sports teams, a book you are reading or a party theme.
- Mix word lengths: a few long words make the puzzle feel substantial.
- Match the level: young kids do best with Easy and a 10 × 10 grid; adults enjoy Hard on 15 × 15 or bigger.
- 10 to 20 words is the sweet spot for most grid sizes.
Why word searches help learning
Scanning for letter patterns builds spelling recognition, focus and vocabulary. Teachers often pair a word search with a follow-up task, like writing a sentence for each word found.
More printables: the bingo card generator and the word scramble generator.
Last reviewed October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
How do I make a word search puzzle?
Enter a title and your words (one per line), choose a grid size and difficulty, and press Generate. Print the puzzle, then use "Show answers" to print an answer key.
What do the difficulty levels change?
Easy places words only left to right and top to bottom. Medium adds diagonals. Hard allows all eight directions, including backwards and upwards, which is much trickier to solve.
Why were some of my words left out?
A word is skipped if it is longer than the grid or if there is no room left after placing the others. Use a bigger grid or fewer words, and the skipped list tells you which ones did not fit.
Can I use spaces or numbers?
Spaces, numbers and punctuation are removed, so "ice cream" becomes ICECREAM in the grid. The word list under the puzzle still shows it the way you typed it.
Is it free to print for my class?
Yes. Make as many puzzles as you like for classrooms, homeschool, parties, newsletters or activity books.