How to play Word Search

A sheet of letters, a list of words, and a quiet few minutes. Every word on the list is hidden somewhere in the letters, in a straight line. Find them all and the puzzle is solved. Each puzzle has a theme, from songbirds and garden flowers to classic cars and the diner counter.

Marking a word

• Drag from the first letter of a word to its last. The line straightens itself as you go.
• Or tap twice: tap the first letter, then the last letter. Handy on a phone or a tablet.
• A word you find gets a marker line and is crossed off the list. Letters can be shared, so one letter may belong to two words.
• You can mark a word from either end. Words with two parts, like Blue Jay, have no space in the letters.

Three sizes

• Easy: 10 × 10 letters and 8 words, only across and down. Big letters, a gentle start.
• Medium: 12 × 12 letters and 12 words, across, down and on a slant.
• Hard: 14 × 14 letters and 16 words, in all eight directions, backwards too.

Pick the size in Settings. Every new puzzle brings a new theme, chosen from 52 themes.

When you are stuck

Tap Hint and the first letter of a word on the list gets a circle. Each hint adds 20 seconds to your time, so the clock stays fair for everyone. Tap any word on the list to see how many letters it has.

Tips that find words faster

1. One word at a time. Pick a word, find its first letter, then look at the eight letters around it for the second one.
2. Rare letters first. A Q, Z, X, J or K is easy to spot. So is a double letter, like the PP in PINEAPPLE.
3. Long words first. They cross half the sheet and are hard to miss.
4. Look along the marked lines. Words often cross each other, so a found word points the way to the next.
5. Slide a finger along a row. It keeps your place, just like on paper.

Today's puzzle

Every day there is one Daily Puzzle, Medium size, with a new theme, the same for every player. Find all the words as fast as you can and see how you compare with everyone else who played today. Your first finish of the day is the one that counts.

Rather use a pencil? Print today's puzzle in large letters, with the answers on a second page. Or make your own word search with names, a class list or a birthday.

Questions

Can a word be hidden twice? No. Every word is in the letters exactly once, and no word hides inside another one on the list.

Do backwards words count in Easy? No. Easy has words only across and down, and Medium never hides words backwards.

Does the clock run when I leave? No. It only counts while the puzzle is on your screen.

Do I need an account? No. Your puzzles, streak and settings stay in this browser. A free account keeps them on every device.