Hard Word Search is for players who find the medium grid too quick. The grid grows to 12 × 15 letters and the list to 16 words of 4 to 12 letters. Words run in all 8 directions: across, down and diagonally, but also right to left, bottom to top and backwards along both diagonals. The filler letters are no help either: many of them repeat letters of the hidden words, so false starts are common. As on every level, one bonus word hides in the grid but not in the list, and hints are unlimited, marking only the first letter of a word. Play free on phone or computer, or print the puzzle with an answer key and solve it with a pen.
How to play
Find every word of the list hidden in the grid. Draw a line with your finger or the mouse from the first letter of a word to its last, or tap the first letter and then the last; on a computer the arrow keys and Enter work too. A found word is circled in ink and struck off the list, and the puzzle is stamped Solved when the whole list is crossed out. Press Hint and a pencil marks the first letter of a word you have not found yet; hints are unlimited.
Questions about Hard Word Search
What makes a hard word search hard?
A bigger 12 × 15 grid, 16 words, all 8 directions including backwards, and filler letters that often repeat the letters of the hidden words.
Are there hints on hard puzzles?
Yes. Hints are unlimited on every level and mark only the first letter of a word.
Word Search is the classic newspaper puzzle, laid out like a morning paper: a grid of letters and a list of words on one theme. Find every word hidden in the grid — across, down and diagonally, and in hard puzzles backwards too. Play free on phone or computer, with no download and no registration. A new puzzle comes out every day, you can make your own from your words, and any puzzle prints with an answer key.
A word search rewards a plan: start where the grid gives itself away, and on hard grids read every line both ways.
New to word search? The list on the page names every hidden word. Draw a line from the first letter of a word to its last, or tap both ends, and the word is circled in ink and struck off the list.
Before your next move
Reading only from left to right on a hard grid misses the words that run backwards or upwards.
A line one letter too long or too short does not count: start and end exactly on the word.
Browser edition
Play in your browser. No app download is needed.
Questions about Word Search
Can words cross in a word search?
Yes. Words may cross and share a letter, so one letter can belong to two words.
What is the bonus word?
One more word of the theme hides in the grid but not on the list. You do not need it to win; it is there for sharp eyes.
Does the game keep score?
No. The top bar shows your time, which starts with your first move, and how many words you have found. Your progress is saved in this browser.
Original ManyPlay game. Controls and examples were checked against the browser edition; cover illustrations are labelled separately from gameplay captures. Report a changed rule or control.
