Word Search
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Words to find
Hard is where word search stops being a quick scan and becomes a proper puzzle. Words run every way they can, about half of them backwards, and long words often cross each other. A new grid is made every time you press New game.
What to expect on Hard
- Grid: 15 rows and 15 columns, 225 letters.
- Words: 16, between 4 and 12 letters long.
- Directions: all eight. Right, left, down, up and the four diagonals.
- Crossings: common. In our test grids, an average Hard puzzle has 13 squares shared by two words.
How to read a word backwards
Backwards words are the main reason Hard feels hard, because we are used to reading one way. Try looking for the last two letters of a word instead of the first two. In the small grid below, LION and CAT both run right to left.
For more ways to speed up, see our word search tips.
Too hard, or not hard enough?
If Hard is a struggle, Medium on the main page keeps the diagonals but drops backwards words. If it is too easy, Expert has a bigger grid, 22 words and filler letters picked to make false starts.
Questions about Hard
What makes a word search hard?
Three things: a bigger grid, more words, and words that run in all eight directions. On this level about half the words read backwards, and words often share letters where they cross.
Are diagonal words backwards too?
They can be. A diagonal word can run down to the right, down to the left, up to the right or up to the left, so read every slant both ways.
Do hints make a hard word search easier?
A hint makes the first letter of a word you have not found flash, which tells you where to start but not which way the word runs. Using a hint costs 20 points and means that game will not set a best time.