Word Search is one of the most beloved and timeless vocabulary puzzles, enjoyed by people of all ages. Hidden within a grid of letters are words from a chosen theme — your challenge is to find every single one before the timer runs out.
The Objective
Locate all the hidden words in the letter grid and mark them by dragging from the first letter to the last. Find every word to win!
How to Play
Dragging to Select:
- Press and hold (or click and drag) on the first letter of a word.
- While holding, drag your finger or mouse to the last letter of the word.
- Release to confirm the selection.
- If the selected letters match a hidden word, the cells light up in a unique color and the word is struck through in the word list below the grid.
Word Directions: Words can be hidden in any of 8 directions:
- Right — left to right horizontally
- Left — right to left horizontally
- Down — top to bottom vertically
- Up — bottom to top vertically
- Down-Right diagonal — top-left to bottom-right
- Down-Left diagonal — top-right to bottom-left
- Up-Right diagonal — bottom-left to top-right
- Up-Left diagonal — bottom-right to top-left
Selections must be a straight line — no zigzagging allowed!
Themes
Choose a theme from the theme selector in the top controls bar. Each theme contains 16 possible words that are placed into the grid based on the chosen difficulty:
- Animals — CAT, DOG, LION, TIGER, BEAR, WOLF, DEER, EAGLE, SHARK, WHALE, RHINO, ZEBRA, KOALA, PANDA, SNAKE, CRANE
- Fruits — APPLE, MANGO, GRAPE, LEMON, PEACH, PLUM, CHERRY, BANANA, ORANGE, MELON, KIWI, PAPAYA, LYCHEE, GUAVA, DATE, LIME
- Colors — RED, BLUE, GREEN, PINK, GOLD, SILVER, PURPLE, ORANGE, YELLOW, TEAL, NAVY, CYAN, MAROON, INDIGO, VIOLET, ROSE
- Countries — FRANCE, JAPAN, INDIA, BRAZIL, CHINA, EGYPT, KENYA, MEXICO, RUSSIA, CANADA, SPAIN, ITALY, GHANA, PERU, CHILE, CUBA
Words are shuffled and a random selection is placed into the grid each time you start a new game.
Difficulty
Select a difficulty level using the buttons above the stats panel:
| Difficulty | Grid Size | Words to Find |
|---|---|---|
| Easy | 10 × 10 | 8 words |
| Medium | 12 × 12 | 12 words |
| Hard | 15 × 15 | 16 words |
Higher difficulty means a larger grid with more words — and more distracting filler letters to navigate.
Timer
You have 4 minutes to find all the hidden words. The countdown begins the moment you make your first drag interaction.
- The timer turns amber when under 60 seconds remain.
- It turns red and pulses when under 30 seconds remain.
- If time runs out before you find all the words, a “Time’s Up!” overlay appears with your score.
- Find all words in time and the “Solved!” celebration overlay appears.
Found Words
Each found word is highlighted in a unique vivid color on the grid (cycling through rose, sky, emerald, violet, amber, pink, teal, indigo, lime, and orange). The word also appears struck through in the word list below the board, so you can track your progress at a glance.
Stats Bar
The stats bar at the top shows three values at all times:
- Found — how many words you have successfully located
- Remaining — how many words are still hidden
- Time — the countdown timer
Controls
- Theme Selector (top-left of controls) — switch between Animals, Fruits, Colors, and Countries. Changing the theme starts a new game immediately.
- Reset Button (top-right of controls) — restart the current puzzle with a fresh grid using the same difficulty and theme.
- Difficulty Buttons — the Easy / Medium / Hard buttons above the stats panel let you switch grid sizes at any time, which also triggers a fresh game.
Tips
- Start with longer words — they are easier to spot because they cross more of the grid, and finding them first reveals more of the structure.
- Scan diagonals carefully — they are the most commonly overlooked direction.
- Pay attention to the word list. Once only a few remain, use the word length and starting letter to narrow your search area.
- Words can overlap each other, sharing letters — a highlighted cell may be part of more than one word.