Play a Word Search

How to scan a word search grid efficiently and find hidden words without losing your place.

A word search hides a list of words inside a grid of letters. Words may run horizontally, vertically, or diagonally and, depending on the puzzle, may also be written backwards or overlap one another.

How to play word searches

Read the word list first and look for distinctive letters or pairs rather than scanning for every word from its first letter. For example, a double letter or an uncommon letter such as Q, J, X, or Z gives you fewer places to inspect.

When you find a promising starting point, trace in all allowed directions: horizontal, vertical, diagonal, forwards, and backwards. Work systematically across the grid so that you do not repeatedly search the same area. Cross off each completed word, and use the remaining list to decide which unusual letter patterns to hunt next.

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