Free Word Search Maker
Make a word search for free: type your words, choose a size, and get a puzzle you can print or solve on screen.
How to make a word search
Type or paste your words into the box, one per line or separated by commas. Pick a grid size and a difficulty. Click Generate puzzle. If you need a different layout, click New layout, same words. When you are happy, print it or save it as a PDF.
Free means free
There is no account, no watermark and no limit on how many puzzles you make. The puzzle is built in your browser and your word list is not uploaded.
Tips for a good puzzle
Use 8 to 15 words. Keep most words between 4 and 10 letters. Mix short and long words. Use Easy for young children and Hard for adults. If a word does not fit, you will see a warning, so try a bigger grid or shorter words.
More: Word Search Generator · All word search topics
How the puzzle maker treats your words
Type or paste your words one per line, or separate them with commas. The maker turns every word into capital letters, removes accents (the letter Ñ is kept), drops spaces, hyphens and digits, and ignores duplicates. A word needs at least two letters and cannot be longer than the grid is wide. If a word cannot be placed, the page tells you which words were skipped so you can choose a bigger grid or shorten them.
Step by step
- Add your words, or choose one of the 24 topic buttons to fill the box with a ready-made list.
- Choose a grid size from 10 × 10 to 20 × 20. The longest word must fit in a row of the grid.
- Choose Easy, Medium or Hard. Easy hides words across and down, Medium adds diagonals and Hard also adds backwards words.
- Give the puzzle a title and, if you like, a subtitle, then press Generate puzzle.
- Solve it on screen, print it with Print / Save as PDF, or copy a share link.
Choosing the number of words
As a rule of thumb, ten to fifteen words suit a 14 × 14 grid, and twenty or more suit a 18 × 18 or 20 × 20 grid. Too many words in a small grid and some will not fit, in which case the page lists the skipped words. Mix longer and shorter words, because very similar words make a puzzle harder to read.
What makes a good puzzle
- Keep to one theme so the puzzle feels coherent.
- Avoid words that are very close in spelling unless you want an extra challenge.
- Test the puzzle yourself once with Show answers on, so you know where each word is.
- Use the title to say what the puzzle is about, because it prints at the top of the page.
- Do I need an account?
- No.
- Can I use the puzzles in my classroom or business?
- Yes, the puzzles are made from your own words. You are responsible for the words you use.
- Is there a limit to the number of words?
- There is no fixed limit, but every word must fit in the grid. Pick a larger grid if the page reports skipped words.
- Does the puzzle work on a phone?
- Yes. You can solve it on screen on a phone or tablet, or print it from a computer.