Free Games How to play Word Search
Word Search (also written wordsearch, and called a word find in plenty of puzzle books) gives you a square grid filled with letters and a list of words hidden inside it. You find each word and mark it off. The words can run in a straight line in any of several directions:
- across, reading left to right;
- down, reading top to bottom;
- diagonally, in a slanting straight line.
On the larger grid, a few words may also read backwards, for an extra challenge. Dragging can be fiddly on a touch screen or with a trackpad, so to select a word here you click the first letter of the word, then click the last letter. If the straight line between them spells a word from the list, it lights up green, gets a check mark, and is crossed off the list automatically. If you change your mind, click the same letter again, press Escape, or click two letters that do not spell a word, and the selection clears so you can start again.
The counter beside the list shows how many words you have found, for example “3 of 8 found”, and the message below the grid announces every word as you find it. When you have found them all, you get a message saying so. There is no score and no penalty for a wrong click.
Why this Word Search is easy to play
Large, high-contrast letters
The letters are big and bold by default, and you can make them even bigger with the A− and A+ buttons in the Text size panel. Tap the round button in the lower corner of the screen to open it. Prefer crisp black on white? Turn on High contrast. Whatever you choose is saved automatically, so the site looks the way you like it every time you visit. Found words are never shown by colour alone. They also get a bold outline, a check mark and a line through the word on the list.
Click, do not drag
Dragging a selection across a grid is one of the trickiest things to do on a laptop trackpad or a tablet, especially if your hands are less steady than they used to be. Here you tap the first letter and then the last letter, two separate clicks. The first letter you choose stays clearly marked while you look for the end of the word.
Finding the last words
Stuck on the last word or two? Press the large Hint button. It highlights the first letter of a word you have not found yet and tells you which way to read it: “across,” “downwards,” or “diagonally.” If you would rather just see it, press Hint a second time and it reveals the whole word for you and marks it found.
Pick a topic you enjoy
Tap a Theme button to choose a word list: the garden, the kitchen, classic movies, garden birds, the seaside, or making music. Tap a Size button for a smaller eight-by-eight grid and a quick puzzle, or a larger twelve-by-twelve grid for a longer puzzle. Press Start fresh to hide the words again on the same grid, or New puzzle for a brand-new arrangement.
Play with a keyboard or screen reader
You don’t need a mouse. Use the arrow keys to move around the grid, press Enter or the space bar to choose the first and last letter of a word, press Escape to clear a selection, and press H for a hint. Each letter announces its row and column for screen-reader users, and every word you find is read aloud.
Frequently asked questions
- Is this Word Search really free?
- Yes. Every puzzle is completely free to play, with no sign-up and no email required. There are no pop-ups and nothing that sits over the puzzle. To keep the site free I may show a few small, clearly-marked ads off to the side.
- How do I select a word?
- There is no dragging. Click (or tap) the first letter of a word, then click the last letter. If the straight line between them spells a word from the list, it is marked as found and crossed off for you. Click an empty space at any time to start over.
- Is there a timer?
- No. Nothing counts time and there is no score, so search for as long as you like.
- What if I cannot find a word?
- Press the big orange Hint button. It highlights the first letter of a word you have not found yet and tells you which way it reads: across, down, or diagonally. Press Hint again and it will reveal that whole word for you.
- Can I make the letters bigger?
- Yes. Use the A− and A+ buttons at the very top of the page to make all text and letters larger or smaller, and the High contrast button to sharpen everything to black on white. Your choice is remembered for next time.
- Can I play without a mouse?
- Yes. You can play entirely with the keyboard: use the arrow keys to move between letters, press Enter or the space bar to choose the first and last letter of a word, press Escape to clear a selection, and press H for a hint.
- Can I choose the topic?
- Yes. Tap a Theme button to pick a word list (gardening, the kitchen, classic movies, garden birds, the seaside, or making music) and tap a Size button to choose a smaller or larger grid.
Browse more free word games for seniors, or print puzzles to solve with a pencil from our large-print puzzles section.
