Free word search maker with answer key
Type your words to make a printable word search with an answer key, as a PDF made in your browser. Easy to hard, 8 to 25 letter grids, and whole puzzle books. Free, no signup.
Faster with the free Chrome extension: right-click any picture on a website and send it straight to the word search maker. Add to Chrome · what it does
Extension installed. Right-click any picture on a website and choose Makerfern → Open this picture in… to bring it here.
Puzzles that look like real puzzles
Words are hidden longest first and cross each other where they share a letter, the way a printed puzzle book does it, and the spare letters come from your own words so nothing gives the answers away. Every word is checked after placing: the answer key is exactly where each word reads.
For classrooms, parties and puzzle books
- Teachers: spelling lists, vocabulary, a topic review. Easy for young readers, hard for older ones.
- Parties and events: names of the guests, a wedding, a baby shower, a holiday theme.
- KDP and Etsy sellers: build a book of puzzles, answers at the back, at your book's trim size. The KDP cover template makes the cover to match.
Questions
Is it really free, with an answer key?
Yes: type your words, download the PDF, and the answer key is the second page. No account, no watermark, no limit on how many you make.
Can I make a whole word search book?
Yes. Make a puzzle, press "Add to the book", change the title and words, and repeat. The book PDF has every puzzle numbered, then all the answer keys at the back, which is how puzzle books for KDP are usually laid out. Pick a book page size such as 6 × 9 or 8.5 × 8.5 in to match your trim.
What do the difficulty levels change?
Easy hides words only across and down, which suits young children. Medium adds the diagonals. Hard adds every direction, backwards included. The spare letters are taken from the words themselves, so the hidden words don't stand out against random letters.
Why did a word get left out?
It didn't fit, it was listed twice, or it was a single letter. Words are placed longest first, crossing each other where they share letters; if the grid is too small for everything, the tool says which words are missing. A bigger grid or fewer words fixes it.
Can I get the same puzzle again?
Yes. The layout only changes when you press "New layout", so the same words and settings give the same puzzle on this browser, which helps when a class needs a reprint.