Easy, Medium and Hard Word Searches Compared
The levels differ in three ways at once: grid size, number of words and the directions words can run. The typical times below come from real first solves on this site, so they show how much each step adds.
| Level | Grid | Words | Directions | Typical time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Easy | 8 × 8 | 6 to 8 | Across and down, both ways | 43 s |
| Medium | 11 × 11 | About 10 | Plus one diagonal axis | 1 min 40 s |
| Hard | 15 × 15 | Mostly 12 | All 8 directions | 3 min 45 s |
| Shapes | 15 to 19 wide | 12 | All 8 directions | Not measured yet |
How to Choose a Word Search Puzzle
For Kids and Classrooms
Start young readers on easy puzzles and match the topic to the unit you are teaching: the education collection covers math, grammar, history, science and civics. For your own spelling list, the word search maker builds a worksheet in a minute.
For Adults and Seniors
Most adults enjoy medium grids for a short break and hard grids for a real challenge. Every printable can be downloaded in a Large Print design with heavy letters across the full width of the page.
For Holidays and Parties
The holiday collection has sets for Halloween, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Valentine’s Day, Easter and back to school, and the shaped puzzles turn a pumpkin or a tree into the grid itself. Ready-to-print sheets are gathered on the printable puzzles page.
Where the Word Search Puzzle Came From
The first published word search is credited to Norman E. Gibat, an engineer and printer from Norman, Oklahoma. He ran it in the Selenby Digest, a small classified-ad paper handed out free in local grocery stores, on March 1, 1968. The format soon spread to newspapers, classrooms and puzzle books.
The idea has barely changed since: a square of letters, a list of words and a pencil. What a website adds is the rest: grids that check your answers as you go, real solve times to measure yourself against, and 7,981 hidden words across 788 puzzles that you can still print and solve on paper.
Word Search Puzzles FAQ
Are all the word search puzzles free?
Yes. All 788 puzzles are free to play online and to download as a PDF with a separate answer key. No account is needed for either.
How many word search puzzles are on the site?
788 puzzles in 42 topics, grouped into 7 collections. Together they hide 7,981 words.
Which word search should a beginner start with?
An easy puzzle: an 8 × 8 grid with 6 to 8 words and no diagonals. Once those take less than a minute, move to medium, where the first diagonal words appear.
Can I make my own word search?
Yes. The free word search maker lets you type your own word list, pick a grid size and download a printable PDF with its answer key.
Who invented the word search puzzle?
The first published word search is credited to Norman E. Gibat, who printed one in the Selenby Digest, a free classified-ad paper from Norman, Oklahoma, on March 1, 1968.