How to Do a Word Search: A Step-by-Step Guide for Kids and Beginners

A word search is a grid of letters with words hidden in it. The words to find are listed beside or under the grid, and the job is to find each one and mark it. Here is how to do one from the first word to the last, and how to start a young child on them.

What you are looking for

Every hidden word sits in a straight line of letters. It can run left to right or top to bottom, and in harder puzzles on a slant and backward too. The letters of a word are always next to each other with no gaps, and a word never bends around a corner. Words often cross, so one letter in the grid can belong to two words.

Step by step

1. Read the word list first. Know what you are hunting for before you look at the grid.
2. Pick one word and find its first letter. Scan the grid row by row for that letter.
3. Check the letters around it. Each letter has up to eight neighbors. Look among them for the second letter of the word.
4. Follow the line. When the second letter is there, keep going in the same direction, one letter at a time. If the word breaks off, go back and look for the next place the first letter appears.
5. Mark the word. Circle it or draw a line through it, then cross it off the list.
6. Repeat until the list is done. Then check your sheet against the answer key.

Choosing the right level

Every puzzle on Word Search Battle comes in three sizes. Easy hides 5 words in a 10 by 10 grid, all running left to right or top to bottom, which is where a beginner should start. Medium hides 15 words in a 12 by 12 grid in every direction, a few of them backward. Hard hides 23 words in a 15 by 15 grid. Each level has its own answer key on the topic’s printable page, and all printable puzzles are in one place.

Doing a word search with a young child

For a child who is just learning to read, the word list is part of the lesson. Read each word aloud together and say its first letter before hunting for it. Short words are easier to spot, so start with 3 letter words and 4 letter words, then move on to sight words, the common words children learn to recognize at a glance. The Kindergarten collection puts these together with colors, numbers, shapes, family and the days of the week.

Let the child follow the line of letters with a finger or a crayon. A highlighter works well too, and a different color for each word makes the finished sheet easy to check together.

When you get stuck

• Start from a letter that is rare in the grid, such as Q, Z, X or J, if the word has one.
• Double letters, like the ee in tree or the ll in bell, are easy to spot.
• Turn the sheet upside down: a backward word now reads the right way.

There are more ideas in Word Search Tips: 8 Ways to Find Words Faster.

Try one now

Every puzzle can also be played online in the browser. The Word Search of the Day is a good first one: a new topic every day, with the story of the day beside it.