An easier garden puzzle
Use SEED, LEAF, ROOT, STEM, SOIL, and WATER on a 10 by 10 grid. Turn diagonals and backward words off to keep intentional placements left to right and top to bottom.
A–Z letters; spaces and punctuation in phrases are joined. Duplicate normalized words appear once. Accented Latin letters are simplified.
Your generated puzzle, downloadable PDF, and answer key will appear here.
Uses your entered words and local random placement. No external dictionary or puzzle service is used.
How to use the Word Search Maker
- 01
Enter up to 50 words separated by newlines or commas and give the puzzle a title.
- 02
Choose an 8–30 letter square grid. Turn diagonals and backward placements on or off.
- 03
Generate the puzzle. Review unplaced words, then enlarge the grid or shorten the list if needed.
- 04
Preview the key and download the puzzle-and-key PDF or separate PNGs.
Examples
Phrases and punctuation
SOLAR SYSTEM and SPACE-STATION become SOLARSYSTEM and SPACESTATION. The displayed bank uses those same forms so solvers know which letters to find.
Every included word has a path
Longer words are placed first. The generator checks legal start cells and enabled directions, allowing crossings on matching letters. It tries several randomized arrangements and keeps one with the most placements. Empty cells receive random A–Z letters. Every word in the exported bank is guaranteed to match its recorded path in that puzzle.
Unplaced words remain visible
A word longer than the grid side cannot fit, even diagonally. Dense lists can also run out of compatible spaces. Unplaced words are listed on the page and excluded from the exported bank and key. Increase grid size, allow more directions, shorten the list, or generate another arrangement. The algorithm can miss a complete arrangement even when one exists.
Text normalization
Input uses Latin A–Z letters. Common combining accents are removed, letters become uppercase, and spaces, apostrophes, and hyphens are joined. Duplicate normalized words appear once. Numbers, emoji, and unsupported scripts produce a validation message. Each input word may contain up to 40 letters, although words longer than 30 cannot fit the largest available grid.
Review before sharing
The key highlights intended word cells and gives one-based start and end coordinates. Random filler can accidentally create extra occurrences or unrelated words. This tool does not screen the letter grid against a dictionary. Review classroom and public-facing puzzles yourself. Downloads use the most recently generated puzzle; edit settings and generate again to update it.
What to know
- A–Z grids only; non-Latin scripts and numbers are not supported.
- Repeated greedy placement may leave words unplaced even if a complete solution exists.
- Random filler is not screened for unintended vocabulary.
Common questions
Does every requested word always fit?
No. Each included word has a valid recorded placement, and every unplaced request is visibly listed. Adjust the grid or list to include more words.
Can I disable backward words?
Yes. Turn backward words off. With diagonals also off, intended words only run left to right or top to bottom.
Does the PDF include an answer key?
Yes. It includes the puzzle followed by a key and coordinates. Long word banks or coordinate lists continue on extra pages. Separate puzzle and key PNGs are also available.
Can filler form other words?
Yes. Random letters can form unintended words or extra target-word occurrences. The answer key marks only the intentional placements.