Word Search
Find every hidden word in the letter grid — across, down, diagonally and backwards.
Options
Words found
Words found
0 / 0
Timer
0:00
How to play
- Pick a theme, then look for its words hidden in the grid.
- Words run horizontally, vertically or diagonally — forwards or backwards.
- Click (or tap) the first letter and drag to the last letter to select a word.
- Find them all to win. The timer counts up while you play.
Popular searches
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About Word Search
Word Search presents a grid of letters concealing a themed list of words — your job is to find them all. Words can run horizontally, vertically or diagonally, and forwards or backwards, so even short lists demand a careful eye. The puzzle format was invented by Norman E. Gibat in 1968 and has filled newspaper pages ever since.
Pick from four themes — Animals, Food, Space and Sports — and drag across the grid to select each word you spot. Found words are checked off the list, a timer counts up while you hunt, and finishing the whole list wins the round. It is a free browser word game that works equally well with a mouse or a fingertip.
How to use Word Search
- Pick a theme — Animals, Food, Space or Sports — to load its hidden word list.
- Scan the grid: words run horizontally, vertically or diagonally, forwards or backwards.
- Click or tap the first letter of a word and drag to its last letter to select it.
- Found words get crossed off the list as the timer counts up.
- Find every word to win, then try another theme or a fresh grid.
Frequently asked questions
Scan for a word’s least common letter — a Q, Z or K narrows the search dramatically. Sweeping the grid row by row for first letters beats jumping around randomly, and remember to check backwards spellings.
Yes — two words can cross and reuse the same letter, just like in a crossword. Selecting one word never blocks another, so overlaps are opportunities rather than problems.
They do. Words are placed in any of eight directions, including diagonals read bottom-to-top and words spelled right-to-left, which is what makes the later finds tricky.
No — the timer counts up rather than down, so there is no pressure to finish. It simply records how long the hunt took, giving you a personal benchmark to beat.
Yes. Touch the first letter and drag your finger to the last one to select a word. The game is free in the browser with no app required.
Popular searches
word search
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play word search online
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