Start with a distinctive letter
Look at the word list before scanning the grid. A word with a less common letter, such as ZEBRA, gives you a useful place to start: find a Z, then check the letters around it for E.
Read the whole word before selecting it. Longer words need enough space to reach the edge; a six-letter word cannot start halfway along a row and continue past its boundary.
Check all eight directions
Words can run left, right, up, down or along either diagonal. Once you spot the first letter, check each neighbouring square for the next letter, then keep the same direction.
For example, FOX may appear left to right as F–O–X or right to left as X–O–F. You can start at either end. Drag across all three letters or tap one endpoint, then the other. Only straight, unbroken lines count.
Use hints as a starting point
Hint marks the first letter of one unfound word and names that word in the status message. Select the marked letter and the other end of the word to find it. A hint does not automatically mark a word as found.
Each word can be hinted once. Its start stays marked until you find it, even after reloading. The completion summary records hints used, so you can choose whether to solve a board independently or use a little help.
Keep track and come back later
Found letters are highlighted, and each completed word gets a checkmark and struck-through text in the list. A shared letter may belong to several words. If another straight occurrence spells the same listed word, that occurrence counts too; finding a word again does not add another find.
Your board, found words and hints stay in this browser when saving is available. Find all eight words for a completion summary, then share your result or start another puzzle. New puzzle and theme changes ask for confirmation if you have unfinished finds or hints. Clearing site data removes saved progress. Ready for a fresh list? Play Word Search now.