Word Search
NEWWorks on both desktop and mobile. Tap or click to play.
About This Game
Free Word Search puzzles online. Find hidden words across themed categories - animals, food, tech, and more. Tap and drag to solve. Endless new grids.
How to play Word Search
Objective: Find every word from your chosen category hidden in the 12 by 12 letter grid; clearing all of them stops the timer and wins the round.
Each puzzle is a 12 by 12 grid hiding up to eight words from the category you pick: Animals, Food, Tech, Space, or Sports. The words you are hunting are printed below the grid, so only their location is secret. To claim one, tap its first letter, then tap its last letter. The straight line between those two cells is checked instantly, and a correct hit locks in green.
Words run in eight directions: left to right, right to left, top to bottom, bottom to top, and all four diagonals. Because the check also compares the reversed spelling, you can select a word from either end and it still counts. Your two taps must form a straight line, either horizontal, vertical, or a 45 degree diagonal. If they do not line up that way, the selection is discarded and you start over.
A timer starts the instant a puzzle loads and stops when you find the last word. There are no points; your only score is elapsed time in minutes and seconds. When you finish, that time is compared to your stored best for the category and saved in your browser if it is faster. Each category keeps its own separate best, shown in green beside the clock once you have set one.
There is no lose condition, no life count, and no penalty for a wrong guess: an incorrect line clears and you try again. Tapping the same cell twice cancels a selection in progress. Found words stay highlighted green in the grid and struck through in the list. Press New Puzzle at any time to generate a fresh layout in the current category and reset the clock.
Tips and strategy
Hunt rare letters first
Entries like PYTHON, ZEBRA, WAFFLE, and KERNEL start with letters that stand out against random filler. Sweep the grid for Z, X, Y, W, or K, then check whether a listed word begins there. Uncommon first letters shrink your search area fast.
Read lines backward too
The match accepts reversed spelling, so never skip a promising line just because it looks backward. If you spot a word's letters running right to left or bottom to top, tap either end of that line and it registers as found.
Clear straights, then diagonals
Horizontal and vertical words jump out fastest, so grab those first, then hunt diagonals for the leftovers. Long entries like ASTEROID or STARDUST tend to sit on a diagonal, since that is where a 12 cell grid has room for eight letters.
Replay one category
Your best time is stored per category, not as a single overall record. To beat it, run the same category repeatedly; you learn its word pool, like the Tech or Space list, and start recognizing entries the moment their opening letters appear.
Frequently asked questions
How many words are in each puzzle?
Each grid hides up to eight words from your chosen category, though a few tightly packed layouts settle for six or seven. The counter above the grid always shows the exact number, such as Found 3/8, so you can see how many words remain.
Can hidden words overlap or share letters?
Yes. The generator lets placed words cross and share a cell whenever their letters match, so one letter can belong to two answers. Finding a single word can expose part of another that runs through the same square, giving you a head start.
Is there a time limit or any way to lose?
No. The timer counts upward rather than down, and nothing ends the puzzle early. A wrong selection costs only the second it takes to tap again. You keep searching until every word on the list is found, at which point the win screen appears.
Do my best times carry across devices?
No. Best times are saved only in your current browser's local storage, one record per category. Clearing browser data, switching browsers, or moving to another device starts you with no saved times. Nothing is sent off your machine.