Make Your Own Word Search

Type a list, pick a grid, download a PDF. No account. Answer key on page 2.

Make your own word search in the browser. Paste spelling words, student names, or a unit list. Generate, download. Nothing is uploaded. The PDF has no ads on the puzzle page.

Starting points if you do not want a blank box

How to build a custom puzzle

  1. Open the generator. Stay on the Create tab.
  2. Type one word per line. Skip spaces inside a word or they are stripped.
  3. Pick 10×10 (8 words max), 12×12 (12), 15×15 (18), or 20×20 (25).
  4. Uncheck diagonal and reverse if the solver is young or new to English.
  5. Create, then Download PDF. Shuffle if you need a second layout of the same list.

Premade lists: browse 15,053 themes. Classroom packets: worksheets.

Frequently asked questions

Is make-your-own free?

Yes. No account. The puzzle page of the PDF has no ads.

Do you store my word list?

No. Generation stays in the browser. Close the tab and the list is gone.

What if a word will not fit?

Shorten the list or go up a grid size. Words longer than the grid cannot be placed.

Open the generator · Worksheets · Teachers

Custom lists are the actual product

Premade themes are a catalog. The generator is for the list only you have: this week's spelling, a field-trip vocab sheet, a birthday party's guest names. That is the job most other sites bury under a signup wall.

Keep the list honest. Eight short words on 10×10 beats twenty words that fail to place. If the generator warns that words did not fit, listen to it. Cut the list.

Teachers who need unique copies for a row of desks: generate once, hit Shuffle, download again. Same words, different grid. See the classroom guide.