Free word search maker for kids
Type your own words, or pick a ready-made list (animals, food, sight words, this year's spelling words), and print a word search with a page of answers. Three levels, pictures for children who are still learning to read, and your child's name hidden as a bonus word. Free, with no sign-up.
What makes these different
Three real levels
Warm-up hides words across and down in a small grid. Challenge adds slanting words. Expert hides them every way, backwards too, crossing each other.
Pictures for early readers
At Warm-up and Challenge, every word in the 15 picture lists has its picture next to it, so a child can match the picture, then the letters.
Their name, hidden
Add your child's name: it goes on the Name line and is hidden in the grid as a bonus to find.
Letters that play fair
The random letters never spell a word from the list a second time, or a word you would not want on a child’s worksheet.
Answers every time
Page 2 shows where every word is hidden, for a quick check.
Using word searches for spelling
Say it, find it, spell it
Read the word aloud before looking for it, and spell it letter by letter once it’s found. Saying the letters is what makes the spelling stick.
Then write it
After each find, write the word once on the back of the sheet or in a notebook, without looking.
Use this week’s list
Type in the spelling or sight words your child is learning at school this week, and print a new puzzle for each night.
Pick the level by the child
Warm-up suits children who are just starting to read; Challenge most 6 to 8 year olds; Expert older children and puzzle fans.
Also free: the crossword maker (same words, one click), the name tracing maker, and printable sight word and CVC word worksheets.
Ready-made lists
First words
Pictures
Sight words
Questions
- Is it really free?
- Yes. No sign-up, and you can make as many puzzles as you like.
- How many words can I use?
- From 3 to 15 words, each 2 to 13 letters. Spaces and hyphens are fine ("ice cream"): they're left out in the grid.
- Can I make a new puzzle with the same words?
- Yes: press New puzzle for a different grid. The answers page always matches the puzzle you download.
- Can I print it in black and white?
- Yes: black and white prints the pictures as outlines to colour in and uses much less ink.
- Do you keep the words or my child’s name?
- No. They are used to make your PDF, which goes straight to your download.
- Where do the sight word and spelling lists come from?
- The sight words are the Dolch lists (public domain). The spelling lists are the common exception words and statutory word lists for Years 1 to 6 in the National Curriculum in England, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0.