Word Search Maker

About this worksheet maker

A word search asks children to hunt for hidden words across a grid of letters — a calm, focused way to practise spelling and visual scanning. This free word search maker builds one from your own word list: type the words, pick a grid size, and the puzzle lays itself out, with a matching answer key ready to print.

Because the word list is yours, the puzzle fits the class exactly — phonics patterns, topic vocabulary, names, or sight words. You can keep the grid small and the words left-to-right for the youngest children, or make it larger and add diagonals as they grow more confident.

It runs in the browser with nothing to install and no account to create, works in 11 languages, and themed pictures can sit alongside the grid to make it inviting. The finished word search is free to print and use in your classroom.

How to use it in class

• Type the words you want children to find and choose a grid size that suits their age.
• Print the worksheet and ask children to circle each word as they find it.
• Use the word list at the side as a checklist so children know what they are hunting for.
• Check finished puzzles against the printed answer key.

Worksheet ideas

• Turn a phonics pattern into a word search so children read the same sound many times.
• Build a topic word search to introduce or revise subject vocabulary.
• Make a small left-to-right grid for early readers and a larger grid for older children.
• Use a word search as a calm settling task at the start of the day.