Word searchesLarge print
Large print word search
A word search with enlarged letters and word bank, held to a 12 × 12 grid and no more than 12 words. It suits readers who find small print tiring, including older adults and children just learning to scan.
- Type your details or print blank
- Answer key on its own page
- Print or PDF, Letter or A4
- Free, no sign-up
On this page
Regular word searches pack the page. This version trades quantity for legibility: fewer cells, fewer words and type that is easier to read from across a table.
What prints
The page opens on the Food theme at Medium with large print on. You get a title, an instruction line, a 12 × 12 grid and a word bank below it with 12 words. Grid letters can be as large as 30 points, against 22 in the regular sheet, and the word bank is set at 15 points instead of 12. The bank is arranged in as many as three columns per row, so words are not squeezed. The answer page is separate, ringing every word and darkening its letters.
Because the grid is capped at 12 columns, any word longer than 12 letters would be left out. With the built-in themes this rarely matters, though a couple of the longest entries in a theme may not appear.
The settings
- Title (optional) takes up to 40 characters.
- Theme has 30 subjects and "My own words". Everyday ones such as Food, Farm, Weather, Music and Animals work well.
- Difficulty opens on Medium, which includes diagonal words. Easy gives 10 × 10 with only across and down; Hard allows all eight directions, still in a 12 × 12 grid.
- Large print is switched on here; this is what enlarges the letters and the bank.
- Lowercase letters is optional. Some readers recognize lowercase shapes more easily.
Getting the most from it
Print on plain white paper with a dark toner or ink setting, and avoid scaling the page down. A ruler or a sheet of card laid under a row helps the eye stay on one line. If hands are stiff, a thick marker or highlighter is easier to hold than a pen. Sit near good light, and take a break whenever it suits.
The National Institute on Aging says research on mentally engaging activities is not definitive, so think of this as an enjoyable activity to share.
Worked example: a visit with Grandpa
Elena visits her grandfather on Sundays, and they like to do a puzzle together. She picks the Music theme, keeps Medium, and turns on large print and lowercase letters. The sheet comes out with 12 words, such as piano, tune and drum, in a grid with generous spacing. They take turns calling out a word from the bank, and he uses a yellow highlighter while she reads the next one. When they finish, they check the second page together and press "New puzzle" for next week.
Other sizes
If you want more words, go to the printable word search. The easy word search uses a smaller grid but regular type, and a maze can serve as a change of pace.