What Is a Word Search?
A word search is any puzzle where you need to find words amid a grid of letters. They usually have lots of words hidden in them, arranged vertically, horizontally, and diagonally. A lot of these puzzles also have a theme that connects all the words. The complexity of the puzzle and the words included varies, depending on the age of the players.
Surprising History of the Word Search
It might seem like word searches have been around forever, but they actually have their roots in the mid-20th century. Most historians give credit to Norman E. Gibat for inventing this type of puzzle in 1968. From there, the word search really took off, and newspapers began printing weekly word searches for subscribers.
Fascinating Word Search Facts
Even though this type of puzzle has only been entertaining people for a few decades, there’s a lot of really cool stuff to know about it. These are some of our fave word search facts:
The biggest word search ever included 129,600 letters and 10,500 words. It was created by Ashish Dutt Sharma in 2015.
Word search speed varies depending on the puzzle and person, but studies show it takes about 30 seconds for people to find a word like “house” in a grid of 416 letters.
Some word search puzzles include secret messages that you can only decode by finding all the words.
Word Search Puzzles Are Good for Your Brain
Word searches aren’t just fun. They can actually help your cognitive and mental health!
Challenge - Having just the right amount of challenge can help improve your cognitive functioning, including processing speed and memory.
Focus - In a busy world with lots of distractions, a word search helps you practice your ability to focus on a task.
Stress reduction - We all need a fun break sometimes, and these puzzles can provide it. This can boost you mood too.
Where to Find Word Search Puzzles
Ready to try your hand at a great word search. We’ve got a few favorite places to find great puzzles.
Word Searches for Adults
Grown-ups love to play games just as much as kids:
The Word Search has an awesome collection of challenging puzzles for adults, including with fun themes like TV shows or music.
Razzle Puzzles lets you select a word search based on the level of difficulty, which means it’s exactly as challenging as you want it to be.
Arkadium Codeword is a variation on the standard word search that lets you play online and at your own pace. It’s tricky, but we have some hints to help you play Codeword.
Word Searches for Kids
There are lots of places for kids to play word searches online too. Some of our favorites include TurtleDiary and Primary Games. If you’re into playing against other kids, you can’t beat The Word Search Battle.
How to Make Your Own Word Search
Want to take things one step further and make your own word search? Luckily, you’ve got a ton of great options for creating a custom puzzle:
Word Search Maker - Pick up to 30 words, and this puzzle maker will do the rest!
Puzzlemaker - Automatically generate a word search up to 40 by 40 letters with as many words as you like.
The Teacher’s Corner - Choose up to 30 words or let the tool randomly pick words for you. Then generate your custom word search.
Super Teacher Worksheets - Create a puzzle for younger learners with the simple tool that lets you make a word search up to 18 by 12 letters.
Tips to Solve Word Searches Like a Pro
Solving a word search is a fun challenge, but it’s even better when you’ve got a few pro tips in your back pocket. These are our go-to hacks for puzzle solving success:
Scan. - Give the grid a quick once-over to see if any words jump out at you right away. Check it row by row too.
Go long (or short). - Start with the longest words to help you eliminate some of the letters. Then try some of the shortest words to get those out of the way too.
Find funky letters. - Uncommon letters or combinations of letters can be easier to spot in the grid. Look for any of these that are in your word list.
Grab a guide. - Use a pen, pencil, bookmark, or anything else to help you look at each line. Do this vertically too.
No matter what strategy you use, remember to have fun. Puzzle time is your time, and it’s a great, relaxing experience.