Word search maker
Type your words, set the difficulty, print a pupil page and an answer page.
What this tool does
Builds a word search from any word list — a spelling list, a topic's vocabulary, or names from a story. Words are placed in a square grid with random letters filling the rest, and can cross each other. You choose the grid size from 6×6 to 20×20 and the difficulty: easy goes right and down, medium adds the diagonals, hard uses all eight directions. Words can also run backwards, which is what makes a puzzle worth doing rather than scanning for. Every grid comes from a seed, so the page never changes underneath you — press Shuffle when you actually want a different one. The download is two pages: the pupil page with the grid and the word list beneath it, and an answer page with every word's cells shaded. Words that will not fit are reported rather than quietly dropped.
How to use it
- 1Type your words
One word per line. Letters only — hyphens and spaces are skipped. There are a few small theme lists if you just want something to hand out.
- 2Set the size and difficulty
Bigger grids hold more words. Easy is right and down only; medium adds diagonals; hard uses every direction.
- 3Print both pages
The PDF has the pupil page first and the answer page second. Print at Actual size / 100% so the grid stays square.
FAQ
- Why does my grid stay the same when I change settings?
- Because the grid is generated from a seed, so the page cannot change underneath you. Press Shuffle when you want a different arrangement — that changes the seed.
- Can words cross each other?
- Yes, where the letter is the same. That is what keeps a grid compact and makes the puzzle harder.
- What happens if a word does not fit?
- It is left out and named on screen, so you know before printing. Make the grid bigger or shuffle to try again.
- Can words run backwards?
- Yes, if you leave that on. It is what stops a puzzle being solvable by a quick left-to-right scan. Turn it off for the youngest children.
- Can I use names or phrases?
- Single words of letters only. Hyphens, apostrophes and spaces are skipped — split a phrase into its words instead.