Word Search Maker for Teachers
Turn a vocabulary or spelling list into a printable word search with an answer key.
Using word searches in lessons
Use them as a starter, a quiet-time activity, a revision task or a cover lesson. Type the vocabulary list for the unit, add a title and the class name, and print.
Answer key and sharing
Turn on Show answers before printing to add a highlighted key. You can also copy a share link and post it in a class page so students solve on screen.
Differentiation
Use Easy for support and Hard for challenge with the same word list. Change the grid size to make the puzzle shorter or longer.
Seasonal printables: Christmas word search pack and Thanksgiving word search pack, each with eight puzzles from easy to hard and answer keys.
More: Word Search Generator · All word search topics
How the maker handles a class word list
Paste the vocabulary or spelling list with one word per line, or separate the words with commas. Words appear in capitals, accents are removed (Ñ is kept) and spaces, hyphens and digits are dropped, so ice-cream appears as ICECREAM. Duplicates count once. A word needs at least two letters and must be no longer than the grid is wide; any word that cannot be placed is listed so you can adjust the list or the grid size.
Turn a vocabulary list into a puzzle
Paste this week's spelling or vocabulary words into the word box, pick a grid size that suits the longest word, and press Generate puzzle. Give the puzzle a title and an optional subtitle such as the class name; both appear at the top of the printed page. If you use the same list again, “New layout, same words” gives you a different arrangement, which is useful for making two versions so that neighbours cannot copy.
Sharing and answer keys
“Copy share link” creates a link to the puzzle you built, which you can paste into a learning platform or email. Tick Show answers to see the solution on screen and untick it before printing student copies. The Print / Save as PDF button gives you a paper or PDF version.
Classroom ideas
- Starter or exit activity. A five-minute puzzle at the start or end of a lesson, using words from the topic.
- Early finishers. Keep a few ready-made topic puzzles for pupils who finish early.
- Foreign language practice. Letters with accents are simplified in the grid (the letter Ñ is kept), so you can use Spanish or French word lists. There is also a Spanish version of the generator.
- Subject vocabulary. Science terms, geography places, key words from a novel or historical figures all work well as lists.
- Pupil-made puzzles. Ask pupils to write a short word list on a topic and build a puzzle for a partner.
What a word search does and does not do
A word search helps pupils look closely at spellings and letter patterns, but finding a word is recognition rather than recall. For assessment pair it with a task where pupils write the word, define it or use it in a sentence.
- Do students need accounts?
- No.
- Is student data collected?
- No. The puzzle is made in the browser and nothing is stored.
- Can I make two versions of the same puzzle?
- Yes. After generating, press New layout, same words to get a different arrangement of the same word list.
- How do I stop pupils seeing the answers?
- Leave Show answers unticked, and untick it before you print copies for pupils.
- Do I need an account?
- No. There is no sign-up and the puzzle is built in your browser.