Word searchesYour own words
Word search maker
Type a list of words, one per line, and the sheet hides them in a square letter grid with a word bank underneath. It is for teachers, parents and party hosts who need a puzzle built around their own vocabulary, names or interests.
- 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
A word search is only as useful as its words. This page opens with twelve fruit names already typed in, so you can see how it works, and then lets you replace them with anything you like: a class reading list, the names at a family reunion, the stops on a field trip.
What prints
Page one holds the puzzle. At the top is a title, then the instruction line "Find the N words hidden..." where N is the number of words that actually fit in the grid. Below that is a square grid of capital letters inside a thin frame. Under the grid, the word bank lists every placed word in alphabetical order, each with a small empty box to tick when you find it. Page two is the answer key: each hidden word is outlined with a rounded shape, its letters are bold, and every other letter is faded.
The filler letters are drawn from an alphabet that leaves out Q, V, X and Z, because those letters stand out against the rest. Keep that in mind if one of your words contains them; the word still hides in the grid, but those letters will be easier to spot.
The settings
- Title (optional) takes 40 characters at most. Blank gives "My Word Search".
- Theme is on "My own words" here; 30 ready-made lists sit in the same menu.
- Your words, one per line holds 600 characters. Spaces and hyphens inside an entry are dropped, so "ice cream" becomes ICECREAM, and text after " - " on a line is ignored.
- Difficulty has three steps. Easy: 10 × 10, across and down. Medium: 14 × 14, plus diagonals. Hard: 17 × 17, with backwards words too.
- Large print switches to bigger letters and caps the grid at 12 × 12.
- Lowercase letters prints everything in small letters.
Rules your list must follow
Words need at least 3 letters and no more than the grid is wide (10, 14 or 17, or 12 in large print). A word that is too long is quietly left out, and the instruction line counts only the words that made it. Duplicates are removed, and a list is read only up to 30 words. If you type a long phrase, switch to a harder level or shorten it.
Worked example: a book-club puzzle
Dana runs a monthly book club and wants a warm-up for the next meeting. She types the novel's title characters and places: Marlowe, harbor, lantern, Edith, ferry, cottage, tide, Nell, lighthouse, storm. She sets the title to "Harbor Night Word Search", picks Medium, and prints. All ten words fit in the 14 × 14 grid, so the sheet says to find 10 words, and the bank lists them from Cottage to Tide. She keeps the answer key for herself and hands out page one.
Using it with students
Matching a puzzle to a list gives each word another look in print, which is the kind of repeated exposure vocabulary guidance from Reading Rockets and the IES practice guides describes. For spelling lists specifically, see the spelling word search. If you want clues rather than a bank, the crossword puzzle maker takes the same style of list.
Sources
- Reading Rockets: reading and writing resources for teachers and parents readingrockets.org
- IES What Works Clearinghouse: practice guides ies.ed.gov