Word Search Maker
Built by Johnny Alto · free, no sign-up · updated July 26, 2026
Make your own printable word search puzzle in seconds. Type in a title and your list of words, choose the grid size and difficulty, and the tool hides your words in a letter grid and fills the rest, ready to print with an answer key. Great for classrooms, parties, and holidays.
Type your own words, pick a size and difficulty, then Generate. Print at 100% for a clean puzzle. Toggle Show answers to reveal where every word is hidden.
How to make a word search
A word search hides a list of words inside a grid of letters, running in different directions, with the empty cells filled by random letters so the words blend in. To make one, you place each word into the grid in a random spot and direction where it either lands on blank cells or overlaps letters it shares with another word, then fill everything left over. This tool does all of that: type your words, and it hides them and fills the grid for you, then gives you an answer key so you can check or reveal the solution.
Difficulty comes down to which directions words can run. Easy keeps them across and down only, which suits young kids. Medium adds diagonals, and hard adds backwards and upward directions, which makes words much harder to spot. A bigger grid with more filler letters is also harder than a tight one.
Using it for classrooms, parties, and holidays
Word searches are a staple for spelling and vocabulary practice, birthday and holiday activities, and quiet-time worksheets. Use a themed word list, a Halloween set of spooky words or a spelling list for the week, set your size and difficulty, and print. Print at 100 percent for a clean full-page puzzle, and use Show answers to reveal every word before you hand out the key.
Frequently asked questions
How do I make my own word search?
Type a title and your list of words (one per line or comma-separated), choose a grid size and difficulty, and click Generate. The tool hides your words in the grid, fills the rest with random letters, and gives you a printable puzzle with an answer key.
Can I control how hard the puzzle is?
Yes. Easy runs words across and down only, medium adds diagonals, and hard adds backwards and upward directions. A larger grid also makes the puzzle harder.
How do I see the answers?
Click Show answers to highlight where every word is hidden, and Hide answers to go back to the clean puzzle. Print either version.
How do I print it?
Click Print and print at 100 percent scale for a clean full-page puzzle. It is plain black on white, so it photocopies well for a classroom.
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