A grid of letters with a list of words hidden inside it, running in any of eight directions. Drag from a word's first letter to its last and it locks into the grid. One new puzzle a day, often built around a theme, with a single reveal you can aim at the word giving you the most trouble.
How to play Word Search
Press on the first letter of a word and drag to its last letter; the selection snaps to the nearest straight line, so you don't have to trace every square exactly.
Words run in all eight directions: left to right, right to left, downwards, upwards and along any of the four diagonals.
A line is checked in both directions, so it doesn't matter which end of the word you start from.
A correct drag shades those squares permanently and crosses the word off the list beside the grid.
Tap a word in the list to mark it as the one you are hunting for.
The Reveal button marks one unfound word on the grid, once per puzzle — and if you have a word selected in the list, it reveals that one.
Find every word on the list to finish; a drag that doesn't spell anything costs you nothing.
Finding a word that runs backwards
Suppose a row of the grid reads L N A E C O R and the list is asking for OCEAN. Read left to right and there is nothing there. Start instead at the O in the sixth column and read back towards the left: O, C, E, A, N. Drag from that O to the N in the second column and the word registers, because the grid is checked in both directions along every line.
Word Search strategy
Hunt the rare letters, not the words
Scanning the whole grid for a word is slow; finding its rarest letter is quick. If the list contains QUARTZ, JIGSAW or ZEPHYR, locate the single Q, J or Z on the board and read outwards from it in all eight directions.
Search for two-letter starts
Instead of looking for OCEAN, look for an O with a C next to it in any of the eight directions and only extend when the pair hits. Checking pairs is a much faster sweep, and it catches reversed and diagonal placements that reading rows never will.
Sweep the diagonals once the easy words are gone
Most players read across and down, so those words fall first and the stragglers are nearly always diagonal or reversed. When you stall, stop reading rows and trace diagonals deliberately from every square along the top and left edges.
Let the theme narrow your guesses
Many days ship with a theme shown above the grid. It won't place a word for you, but it tells you what kind of letters to expect — useful when a word is long and only a fragment of it is visible.
Aim the reveal before you press it
Reveal normally picks an unfound word at random, but if you have tapped a word in the list first it reveals that one instead. That is the only way to choose, so always select your worst word before spending the hint.
Frequently asked questions
Do words go backwards and diagonally?
Yes. All eight directions are used: across, back, up, down and all four diagonals.
Can I lose the word search?
No. There is no mistake limit and no timer, and a drag that doesn't spell a listed word simply does nothing.
How many hints do I get?
One reveal per puzzle. Tap a word in the list first and the reveal will mark that word rather than a random one.
Is there a new word search every day?
Yes, one new grid a day, the same one for everyone playing that day.
Do I need an account?
No. The puzzle is free with no sign-up, and your progress is stored in your own browser, so you can leave the grid half-finished and pick it up later the same day.
Can I play an older grid?
The playable puzzle is always today's — you get one attempt at it — but past grids, hints and answers are listed in the Word Search archive.