How to make a word search
Start with vocabulary from your next lesson or a topic your class already knows. A puzzle takes 3 to 40 words, with each word containing 2 to 25 letters after spaces, hyphens, apostrophes, and digits are removed.
- Enter a heading in Puzzle title and paste your words into Words (one per line), one per line.
- Choose Grid size, or leave it on Auto so the tool chooses a grid for your list.
- Choose Directions and decide whether to allow shared letters with Words may cross.
- Select Make puzzle and check the puzzle for any notes about words that could not fit.
- For a different arrangement of the same words, select New layout.
- Enable Add answer key page and select Print for handouts, or select Solve on screen to solve on screen.
Choose directions and grid size
Easy: across and down uses 2 directions: across and down. Medium: across, down, diagonal adds the down-right diagonal for 3 directions. Hard: all 8, backwards too uses all 8 directions, including backwards.
Grids range from 8×8 to 25×25, but there is no fixed word count for each size: word length matters too. Auto starts with the largest of the longest word length, the square root of 1.9 times the total letter count rounded up, and 8. If needed, it then grows the grid up to 25×25.
With Words may cross enabled, words can share a letter where they cross, but cannot run along another word. If a shorter word is part of a longer one, such as rain in rainbow, the tool shows a note because the shorter word can also be found inside it.
Print a puzzle and answer key
Choose Letter or A4 with Paper, then select Print to open your browser’s print window. The puzzle sheet includes name and date lines. With Add answer key page enabled, the answer key prints on its own page with each word outlined.
For a large-print handout, check the letter size in print preview before making class copies. Start with a shorter list and check whether a smaller grid fits, rather than choosing the largest grid by default.
The word list on the sheet keeps words as you typed them, even though spaces, hyphens, apostrophes, and digits are removed for placement in the grid. Preview both the grid and list before printing, especially if your topic includes multiword terms.
Word search ideas for class
Give the puzzle a clear place in your lesson rather than treating completion as the whole task. You can ask students to explain or use selected words afterward.
- Warm-up: give the class a topic word search during the opening minutes, then discuss the terms they recognize.
- Vocabulary center: have partners find words during center time, then take turns using them in sentences.
- Early-finisher work: keep a printed puzzle ready for students who finish independent work before the next class activity.
- Whole-class review: select Solve on screen on the projector and invite students to identify words during a review break.
Common questions
Does the word search maker include an answer key?
Yes. Enable Add answer key page before printing to add a separate answer key page with each word outlined. You can also select Show answers to see the answers on screen.
Can words go backwards?
Yes, when you choose Hard: all 8, backwards too. That setting uses all 8 directions; the other levels use across and down, with the medium level also adding the down-right diagonal.
What happens if a word does not fit?
The tool tries 20 layouts per grid size. With Auto, it then increases the grid size up to 25×25. Any word that still cannot fit is listed rather than dropped silently.
Can students solve the word search on a tablet?
Yes. After you select Solve on screen, students can drag a finger from the first letter to the last in a straight line. Found words are crossed out, and the time is shown.
Can I save a free printable word search PDF?
Yes. Select Print, then choose the PDF-saving option in your browser’s print window. Enable Add answer key page first if you want the answer key included on its own page.