To make a word search, choose a theme, write a list of 8 to 12 words, and draw a square grid (10x10 is a good start). Place the longest words first, mix the directions, copy the finished layout as your answer key, then fill every empty square with random letters. The rest comes down to grid size, word count, directions and filler letters.
You need graph paper, a pencil and about 20 minutes for a 10x10 puzzle.
After filling, read along the rows. Random letters can spell an accidental rude word, and kids will find it before anything on your list.
Grid size sets two hard limits. The longest word can't be longer than the grid is wide, whether it runs across, down or diagonally. And the number of squares caps how many words fit. The ranges below match our word search maker
| Grid | Total squares | Longest word | Suggested words | Squares per word | Typical audience |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8x8 | 64 | 8 letters | 6–8 | 8.0–10.7 | Early elementary (K–2) |
| 10x10 | 100 | 10 letters | 8–12 | 8.3–12.5 | Elementary (grades 2–5) |
| 12x12 | 144 | 12 letters | 12–18 | 8.0–12.0 | Middle school |
| 15x15 | 225 | 15 letters | 15–25 | 9.0–15.0 | Middle/high school, general adults |
| 18x18 | 324 | 18 letters | 20–30 | 10.8–16.2 | Adults, themed puzzle books |
| 20x20 | 400 | 20 letters | 25–35 | 11.4–16.0 | Large adult puzzles, events |
Our maker offers 10x10, 12x12, 15x15 and 20x20, with a switch to turn diagonal words on or off. For an 8x8 or 18x18, graph paper is the way to go.
The comfortable range is roughly one word for every 8 to 12 squares, which is where the table's "squares per word" column lands for most sizes.
Direction choice changes the math more than people expect. Take a single 5-letter word in a 10x10 grid. If you only allow across and down, it has 120 possible positions. Add the two downward diagonals and that rises to 192. Allow all eight directions, backwards included, and it's 384. More positions means more places to check, which is why eight-direction puzzles feel harder.
If you're turning a paragraph of notes into a word list, paste it into the word counter first to see how many words you're working with.
A handful of settings do most of the work. Change one or two at a time.
| Setting | Easier | Harder |
|---|---|---|
| Directions | 2 (left to right, top to bottom) | All 8, including backwards and upward diagonals |
| Filler letters | Random A–Z, with rare letters like Q, X and Z standing out | Drawn only from letters in your word list, so fake near-misses appear |
| Word length | Long words (7+ letters) | Short words (3–4 letters) |
| Grid size | Small grid, fewer rows to scan | Large grid, 15x15 or bigger |
| Word list | Printed beside the grid | Hidden, or given only as clues |
| Theme | Mixed words with distinct letters | One tight theme with similar spellings (TROUT, TROUGH) |
| Overlaps | Few, words sit apart | Many, words cross and share letters |
The filler trick is the sneakiest: a solver hunting for PENGUIN keeps hitting dead-end fragments like PEN and GUI.
For kids aged 5 to 7, keep it to an 8x8 or 10x10 grid, 6 to 10 words, across and down only. Use large capitals, and add a small picture beside each listed word for early readers.
For older kids, add diagonals and bump up to a 12x12. Build the list from spelling words and it doubles as a vocabulary drill. If you add an anagram round, the word unscrambler can check your answer key if you mix in an anagram round.
Adults usually want a 15x15 or 20x20 with all eight directions and 20 or more words. For a birthday or retirement party, fill the list with inside jokes, places and people from the guest's life.
If you drew it by hand, photograph the grid before filling; that becomes the answer key. Print class keys on colored paper so they don't end up in the stack.
Using a generator, print the puzzle straight from the browser. Set margins to minimum, scale to fit one page, and use at least 14-point letters for young eyes. If your tool doesn't print a key, solve it once yourself and circle the words on a copy. It catches any word that quietly didn't make it into the grid.
Paste your words, pick a 10x10 to 20x20 grid and choose whether diagonals are allowed.
Word Search Maker →A word search gives you the answers and asks you to find them. A crossword gives you clues and asks you to work out the answers.
Word searches are also far easier to build, since there are no clues to write and the filler covers any gap.
The format is fairly young. Norman E. Gibat published one in the Selenby Digest, a free want-ad paper in Norman, Oklahoma, on March 1, 1968. It hid 34 Oklahoma town names in a 20x20 grid. Spain's Pedro Ocón de Oro is also credited with an early version, so the "first" title is disputed.
Choose a grid that fits your longest word and your word count, place the long words first, and make the answer key before a single random letter goes in. For a classroom sheet, 10x10 with 10 words and no backwards words is hard to beat.
Pick a theme and list your words, then draw a square grid on graph paper. Write the longest words in first, mix across, down and diagonal placements, and copy the grid as an answer key. Only then fill every empty square with random letters.
Match the grid to the word count. An 8x8 grid holds about 6 to 8 words for young kids, a 10x10 holds 8 to 12, a 15x15 holds 15 to 25 and a 20x20 holds 25 to 35. Your longest word also can't be longer than the grid is wide.
Plan on about one word for every 8 to 12 squares. A 10x10 grid has 100 squares, so 8 to 12 words is the comfortable range. Fewer words leaves the puzzle mostly filler, and more forces heavy overlaps.
Allow all eight directions, including backwards and diagonal words, use a bigger grid, pick shorter words and draw your filler letters from the letters in your word list. Words that share the same theme also make it harder, because the solver can't guess by category.
Yes. Two words can cross wherever they share a letter in the same square, like CAT and TOP sharing the T. Overlaps save space and make the grid denser, but check the answer key carefully so no shared letter is wrong for either word.