Word Search

How to play

Every word in the list is hidden somewhere in the grid. Words run in a straight line in any of eight directions, including backwards and diagonally. Drag from the first letter to the last to select one, or tap the first letter and then the last if you prefer. Correct words lock in and cross off the list, and the puzzle ends when you have found them all. Each puzzle is generated fresh, so the same words never sit in the same places twice.

Tips

• Hunt for the rarest letter in a word rather than its first letter. There are far fewer places a J or a Z can hide.
• Scan whole rows and columns for double letters. They stand out and pin a word down fast.
• Do the diagonals in a separate pass. Most people miss them because reading habits pull the eye straight.
• Long words are the easiest to find, not the hardest. They have fewer possible placements in the grid.
• Once a word is found, ignore the letters it used. Words can overlap, but the crossing letter is usually the only shared one.

How the puzzles are built

Each puzzle is generated when you load it. The game picks a theme, shuffles that theme's word list, and places words one at a time in random directions and positions, allowing two words to overlap where they share a letter. Any word that will not fit is skipped rather than forced, and the empty cells are then filled with random letters. Eight words are placed on an 11 by 11 grid, and words run in any of the eight directions including backwards and diagonally.

Because the filler is random, a short word can occasionally appear by accident somewhere the generator did not put it. The game accepts any selection that spells a listed word, wherever it is, so an accidental copy counts just as well as the intended one.

Finding words faster

• Hunt for the rarest letter in the word, not the first one. There are far fewer places for a Q or a Z to be.
• Scan for double letters. They stand out in a grid of noise and pin a word instantly.
• Check the diagonals in a separate pass. Reading habits pull the eye along rows and most missed words are diagonal.
• Long words are the easy ones. Eight letters have very few possible placements on an 11 wide grid.
• Tap the first letter then the last, or drag between them. Both work, and tapping is more precise on a small screen.

Common questions

Which directions can words run?

All eight: across, down, both diagonals, and each of those backwards.

Is the puzzle the same each time?

No. Each puzzle is generated fresh, so the same theme never places its words in the same spots twice.

What if I find a word somewhere unexpected?

It counts. The game accepts any selection that spells a listed word, even if the letters happened to line up in the random filler.