Words hidden in a grid of letters
A square grid is packed with letters, and tucked inside it are all the words listed beneath. Each hidden word runs in a straight line, across, downward or on a diagonal. To claim one, press on its first letter and drag along the line to its last, then let go; a real word from the list stays lit and is struck off. The hunt ends once every word on the list has been found.
A method for spotting every word
Pick one word off the list and scan the grid for its first letter, then look out from every place you find it along straight lines only. Long words tend to jump out first because they stand apart from the surrounding jumble, so clear those early. On trickier grids the diagonals are where words love to hide, so sweep those too, and with no clock running there is no reason to rush the search.
The quiet focus of a word hunt
Hunting words in a grid is quietly good practice at scanning text, the steady, orderly sweep of the eyes that reading itself relies on, and it fixes the spelling of each target word in mind as a child holds its letters and searches them out in order. It is an unhurried, satisfying kind of focus, which is what makes a word search such a calm activity that still leaves a child a little sharper at reading.
Frequently asked questions
How do you play Word Search?
Find the hidden words from the list inside the grid of letters. Words can go across, down, or diagonally. Drag your finger or mouse from the first letter to the last letter of a word to select it. When you find a word it gets crossed off the list.
Which way can the hidden words run?
In straight lines, but in several directions: across, downward, and diagonally on the harder grids. Words never bend around a corner, so once you find a first letter you only need to check the straight lines leading away from it. The diagonals are the direction players overlook most.
What is a good way to find a tricky word?
Search for its least common letter rather than its first. A Q, X or Z stands out from the grid far more than an E, so spotting that rare letter usually leads you straight to the word. Failing that, sweep the grid one row at a time so nothing slips past.