How to use the word search solver
- Type or paste the grid, one row per line. Spaces between letters are fine, and grids up to 20×20 work.
- Add the words to find, one per line or separated by commas. Found words are highlighted on the grid; tap one to see exactly where it is.
- No word list? Leave it empty, and the solver looks for everyday words hidden in the grid by itself.
Directions the solver checks
Word search puzzles hide words in eight directions: left to right, right to left, top to bottom, bottom to top, and all four diagonals. The solver checks every direction from every square, so backwards and diagonal words are found too. Words always run in a straight line.
Tips
- If a word isn’t found, check the spelling and that every row of the grid was typed in full.
- For printed puzzles, type each row carefully: one skipped letter shifts the whole row.
- Rare letters such as Q, X, J and Z are the fastest way to spot a word by eye.
Frequently asked questions
How big can the grid be?
Up to 20 rows and 20 letters per row, which covers almost every printed and app puzzle.
What does automatic mode find?
With no word list, the solver finds everyday English words of four or more letters in straight lines. Puzzle themes often include names or phrases, which it won’t know, so adding the word list gives the best results.
Is my puzzle sent anywhere?
No. Solving happens in your browser. The grid is saved in the page address only so you can share or bookmark it.
More tools
For swipe games where words bend between neighbouring letters, use the Word Hunt solver. To unscramble a jumble of letters, use the word unscrambler.