Word search generator
Turn a list of words into a word search puzzle, with an optional solution key.
Word search generator
Paste a list of words, one per line, and this tool arranges them into a letter grid — a classic word search puzzle — then fills every remaining square with random letters. It is built for teachers making a worksheet, parents putting together a birthday activity, or anyone who needs a quick puzzle from a themed word list: countries, animals, vocabulary terms, a class's spelling list.
The options control how the puzzle is built. Grid size sets the square dimensions, from a tight 5×5 to a full 30×30 for long lists. The direction checkboxes decide which ways words can run — horizontal, vertical, diagonal — and "Allow backwards" also lets them run right-to-left or bottom-to-top, which is what makes a puzzle genuinely hard to skim. Letter case switches the grid between uppercase and lowercase, and the filler alphabet controls the random padding letters: plain A–Z, or an extended set with accented letters. Turn "Show solution" off for a clean puzzle to hand out, or on for an answer key with each word's start and end coordinates.
Words too long for the grid, or that run out of room after many placement attempts, are listed as not placed rather than dropped silently or treated as an error — shrink the list or grow the grid to fit them. Duplicate words count once regardless of capitalization. The live tally reports how many words placed, the grid size and the character count as you edit.
Everything runs in your browser: the word list, the puzzle and the solution are generated on your device and never uploaded anywhere. Copy the result, download it as a .txt file, or send the output back to the input to tweak the word list and regenerate.