Choose a word search difficulty

Choose by grid size and word directions rather than an age label.

The three levels

Ready-made puzzles use these settings.

Level	Grid and words	Directions
Easy	12×12; 10 words	Right and down
Medium	15×15; 15 words	Right, down and diagonally down
Hard	18×18; 20 words	All eight directions, including backwards

Changing difficulty changes the word list as well as the grid. New puzzle keeps that level's current words and changes their placement.

Start with fewer words

In Make your own, enter 3–10 words for Easy. Each word needs 3–8 letters after spaces and hyphens are removed. Medium allows up to 15 words of 3–12 letters; Hard allows up to 20 words of 3–18 letters.

Choose words the player recognizes. Avoid pairs such as CAT and CATCH: one contains the other, so the maker rejects the pair rather than creating an ambiguous answer.

Make the print easier to read

Large text enlarges the printed grid without changing the puzzle. Download PDF puts the answer sheet on page 2; print page 1 alone for the player.

Try a farm animals puzzle · Printing help