A word search is the most forgiving puzzle there is. Nothing is hidden from you, nothing is timed against you, and there is no way to be wrong in a way that costs you anything. The word is in the grid. You just have not seen it yet.
This one refreshes every day and keeps an archive, so a day you skip is a day you can go back for. Each puzzle is also tied to something that happened on that date, which is a small thing that turns a filler puzzle into a habit.
How to play Daily Word Search
A grid of letters, a list of words beside it, and every word hidden somewhere inside.
- Find a word from the list in the grid.
- Click or tap the first letter and drag to the last one, then release.
- Words run across, down, diagonally, and backwards in every one of those directions.
- A found word is struck off the list and stays highlighted in the grid.
- Clear the list to finish the puzzle.
You get three hints per puzzle. A hint points you at a word you have not found rather than filling it in for you.
The puzzle saves as you go, so you can leave a half finished grid and come back to it. There is a leaderboard if you care about the time, and a full screen mode if the grid feels cramped.
Tips and strategy
- Hunt letters, not words. Pick the least common letter in a word, usually a J, Q, X, Z or K, and scan for that one letter instead of trying to read the whole word.
- Work in one direction at a time. Sweep every row left to right, then every row right to left, then the columns, then the diagonals. Random scanning feels faster and finds less.
- Long words are the easiest, not the hardest. They cross more of the grid and there are fewer places they can hide, so clear them first.
- Double letters give you away. If a word has LL or SS in it, look for the pair rather than the word.
- Read the theme. When the list is about birds, your eye starts recognising bird shapes in the letters, and that is not superstition, it is how pattern recognition works.
- Save the hints for the last two words. Those are the ones that were hidden backwards and diagonally, and they are the ones worth spending on.
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Frequently asked questions
Is the Daily Word Search free?
Yes. It plays in the browser with no download, no account and no payment.
Can words be hidden backwards?
Yes. Words run across, down and diagonally, and in the reverse of all of those, which is where the last two words on the list usually are.
How many hints do I get?
Three per puzzle. A hint points you towards a word you have not found rather than solving it for you.
Can I play a puzzle from an earlier day?
Yes. The daily puzzles are archived, so you can go back and play one you missed.
Do I need to finish in one sitting?
No. The grid saves as you play, so you can close it and come back to the same puzzle.