Play Word Search Online

How to Play

Any Word Search game has two fundamental features: a letter grid with a seemingly random disposition and a list of words. The players must look for the listed words on the grid and highlight them by dragging the mouse over it. Each highlighted word is automatically scratched out of the list.
 
The words may be displayed horizontally, vertically, diagonally, and backwards. To help players on their demand, the words are grouped into categories or topics.

Tips to play Word Search games

1. Start by ignoring the list

The brain cannot assimilate all the words on the list on the first reading. This means that some will leave an impression, while others will have to be revisited to refresh the mind.
 
If the players start off by reading the list, the brain will become conditioned and will only look for those words that left an impression, creating a blind spot for the remaining for the time being.
 
Thus, the players may want to scan the grid before reading the list. As the mind is fresh and untainted, it is very likely that words will begin to pop up to the eyes and the game will be solved quickly.

2. Read the rows and columns

Horizontally and vertically placed words are the easiest to find as they follow the natural reading pattern.
 
Therefore, a good tip to solve any Word Search quickly is to try to read the rows and columns to see if any word pops up instead of focusing on finding a particular word. If the reading is unfruitful, the player can also retry this strategy backwards (right to left and bottom to top).

3. Discard the Qs without Us on the grid

Qs must always be accompanied by Us in the English language, safe from a few exceptions such as Qatar. Therefore, the players can discard and ignore any Q on the grid that is not paired up in any direction with a U.

4. Focus on unusual letters (QJXKZ)

Every language has letters on its alphabet that are clearly less common than others.
 
In the English language, letters like the Q, Z, J, and even the X and K to some degree belong to this category. If none of the words on the list contains these letters, these can be discarded on the grid.

5. Search for common endings

Long words tend to share their endings, for instance “-ing” or “ship”. As a game of Word Search can contain several of these words, players may want to focus on scanning the grid for these common endings in order to find more words in one go.

6. Look for letters that stand out

This is a customizable tip given that, depending on the person, different letters may stand out more than others. Round letters such as the O, Q, and D are good examples.
 
Looking for these letters can increase the efficiency of grid scanning.

7. Search for double letters

Double letters stand out visually on a Word Search grid. If a word with double letters is on the list, the player may want to quickly scratch it off and move closer to winning the game by looking for it first.

8. Read the list out loud

Reading the words out loud improves memorization and helps the brain capacity to retain and recall them.
 
Once the list is memorized, the player can solely focus on the grid without having to break concentration by checking which words to look for.

9. Perform a methodical search

Methodical searches can be time-consuming on Word Search games. A good tip to increase productivity while performing it is to group the words according to their initial letter or letters.

10. Focus on empty spaces

Once the game is almost at its end, empty spaces (spaces without any highlighted words) will start to stand out on the grid.
 
As words are normally spread across the grid, this means that there is a higher chance that the remaining words on the list will be placed around or in those empty spaces.

Benefits of playing Word Search

At first glance, Word Search can look just like any other idle game that people play when looking to relax or kill time. Nevertheless, and in spite of the simplicity of its premise, this game has a surprising number of benefits for the intellect and mental capacity of players.
 
For reference, these are a few of the benefits players can collect:
 
Builds fluency:  helps to learn new words and enrich vocabulary.
 
Spelling practice: improves writing skills and helps to differentiate similar words.
 
Helps to learn new languages: words are grouped by categories, helping players to improve their vocabulary within a context.
 
Teaches persistence: the game requires a high level of patience and concentration in order to achieve victory.
 
Keeps the brain active: to play the game, players must practice and use their visual-spatial skills, memory, and pattern recognition skills.
 
It’s therapeutic: the game requires high focus which helps to distract the mind and prevents it from fixating on a problem or negative issue.