Word search generator with your own words
Type your words, choose the size and directions – the puzzle appears instantly. Drag across letters with mouse or finger to find words, or print it with an answer key.
How it is calculated
How to make a word search
- Enter your words – one per line, up to 60. Upper or lower case does not matter.
- Pick a grid size and the directions words may run in.
- The puzzle is built instantly. "Shuffle" creates a new layout with the same words.
- Solve it on screen or press "Print" – optionally with the answer key on a second page.
Setting the difficulty
A word search gets harder with a bigger grid and more directions. For young children, 8 × 8 to 10 × 10 squares with horizontal and vertical words work well. Diagonals make it trickier, and backwards words (right to left or bottom to top) make it genuinely hard. As a rule of thumb the longest word must not be longer than one side of the grid; words that do not fit are listed below the puzzle.
Letters and languages
"A–Z only" removes accents (é → E) – the usual convention in English puzzles. For German, Spanish or Portuguese word lists you can keep Ä Ö Ü, Ñ or Ç as letters of their own; the filler letters then include them too, so they do not give the words away.
Playing on screen
Mark a word by dragging from its first to its last letter with the mouse or your finger. The selection snaps to straight lines, including diagonals. You can also tap the first and then the last letter. With the keyboard, move through the grid with the arrow keys and press Enter at the start and end. Found words are highlighted and crossed off the list.
Randomness you can repeat
Where each word goes, which way it runs and which filler letters close the gaps is decided by a random generator seeded with the variant number. The same number with the same words always gives the same puzzle – handy for sending it to a class via link. "Shuffle" draws new numbers with the browser's crypto.getRandomValues(). Everything runs locally; your words are not sent to a server.
Example: A 12 × 12 grid has 144 squares. 12 words of 6 letters each fill 72 of them – exactly half; the generator fills the other 72 with random letters. More puzzles: the crossword maker, hangman online and custom bingo cards.
Frequently asked questions
How many words fit in a word search?
As a rough guide, words can fill up to about half of the squares. A 12 × 12 grid (144 squares) comfortably holds 12–15 words of 5–8 letters. If a word does not fit, it is listed below the puzzle.
Can I print the word search?
Yes. "Print" shows only the grid with the word list and a name line – no menu, no ads. Tick "answer key on a separate page" to add the solution on page two. In the print dialog you can also choose "Save as PDF".
How do I make it easier for kids?
Use a small grid (8–10 squares), only horizontal and vertical, short words and no backwards words.
How does marking work on a phone?
Drag your finger from the first to the last letter – the page does not scroll while you do. Or tap the first letter, then the last.
Can I open the same puzzle again?
Yes. Words, settings and the variant number are part of the link ("Share") and are remembered in this browser. The same number with the same words gives exactly the same grid.
Sources and legal basis
- Word search
- W3C Recommendation: W3C Web Cryptography API – getRandomValues()
- W3C Recommendation: W3C Pointer Events
As of:
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