Word search rules

The basics

A word search is a grid of letters with words hidden inside. Each word runs in a straight line — horizontal, vertical, or diagonal depending on the difficulty. You find words by selecting them on the grid.

The word list tells you exactly what to look for. No guessing at what might be a word. If it is on the list, it is on the grid. If it is not on the list, it is not a valid find even if it happens to spell something.

How selection works

Mouse: Click the first letter of the word you see, hold the button down, and drag to the last letter. Release to confirm. The selection locks to a straight line, so you cannot accidentally zigzag.

Touch: Tap the first letter and drag your finger across. Same direction-locking behavior. Lift your finger to confirm.

Keyboard: Use arrow keys to move a cursor around the grid. Hold Shift and press an arrow key to extend a selection. Press Enter to confirm.

If the selected cells spell a word from the list, the word stays highlighted in color and gets crossed off. If not, the selection disappears.

Directions by difficulty

"All 8" means right, left, up, down, and all four diagonals. Overlap at Einstein level means two words can share the same cell.

Play modes

• Classic — Timer runs for tracking, but there is no limit. Three hints available. This is the default.
• Timed Trial — A countdown clock. Easy gets 2 minutes, Einstein gets 10. Three hints still available. If time runs out, you can see the solution.
• Challenge — No timer display, no hints. Just you and the grid. Your solve time is still recorded but hidden until you finish.

How hints work

You get three hints per puzzle in Classic and Timed Trial modes. Each press of the Hint button reveals more information about the shortest unfound word:

1. First hint: Tells you which word to look for.
2. Second hint: Adds the direction it runs in.
3. Third hint: Highlights all of its cells on the grid.

Hints target the shortest unfound word first. Short words are often the hardest to spot because they have fewer letters to distinguish from the surrounding noise.

Keyboard shortcuts

• Arrow keys — Move the cursor
• Shift + Arrow — Extend selection from cursor
• Enter — Confirm selection
• H — Use a hint
• U — Undo last found word

Quick tips

• Search by first letter. Pick a word, find every instance of its first letter on the grid, check outward from each one.
• Start with words that have uncommon letters (J, Q, X, Z). They are easier to spot because the fill has fewer of them.
• Short words first. They are fast to verify and each find reduces visual clutter.
• When only a few words remain, check diagonals deliberately. Diagonal words survive the longest because people scan horizontally and vertically by default.
• Use found-word highlighting. The colored overlays help you see which areas of the grid are still unclaimed.

For a deeper breakdown, see the full strategy guide on the Word Search hub page.