Word Search

How to play

A grid of letters hides a list of words, placed in any of eight directions — across, down, or diagonally, and forwards or backwards. Drag from a word's first letter to its last to select it; if you've found a real word from the list, it's marked off and stays highlighted on the grid. Find every word on the list to finish the puzzle.

Five themes are available from the dropdown below the board, each with its own list of ten words. Switching themes deals a brand new puzzle.

Tips for a stronger game

Start with the longest words on the list. They're both the easiest to spot, since there are fewer places on the grid a long run of specific letters could possibly fit, and the most useful to find early, since spotting one often reveals the general area you should be scanning for others.

Scan methodically rather than randomly — pick one direction (say, every horizontal row) and read it fully before moving to the next. It's slower per pass, but it means you never waste time re-checking a section of the grid you've already covered.

Watch for a word's first letter appearing more than once on the grid. Most letters show up several times across a fourteen-by-fourteen board, so confirming the second and third letters in the direction you expect before committing to a selection saves a lot of false starts.