December 2025 Update: Word Search Maker and Player is now a Google Workspace Marketplace Add-on. Install it here
September 2024 Update: Play digitally & Adaptive grid size
Play Digitally!
With the introduction of the “play digitally” feature, Word Search Maker and Player has become significantly more versatile and engaging. Previously, users needed to print the puzzles or project them onto a whiteboard to play, which limited interactivity and accessibility. Now, players can directly interact with the puzzle on their devices by selecting the cells for each word they find and clicking the ‘Found Word’ button.
This enhancement streamlines the gameplay experience, allowing for immediate feedback and making the puzzle accessible for both individual play and collaborative digital environments. The ability to play digitally adds tremendous value to the tool, transforming it into a dynamic and convenient platform for word search enthusiasts.
Can you find the rest of the animals?
Adaptive Grid Size
It’s important to consider the reading abilities and vocabulary development of various users. The complexity of the word search (i.e., directions like diagonal or backward words), and the overall grid size should be based on age and reading level. Word Search Maker in Google Sheets now handles all of that.
Ages 4-6 (Pre-K to 1st Grade):
Children at this age are just starting to learn the alphabet and decode simple words. Their reading skills focus on recognizing short, simple words (e.g., CVC words like “cat” and “dog”). At this level:
- Grid Size: Keep the grid small (e.g., 7×7).
- Word Directions: Only use horizontal and vertical, and avoid diagonals or backward directions.
- Word Length: Keep words short (around 3-4 letters)
Ages 7-9 (Grades 2-4):
Children begin to develop full alphabetic skills and can decode longer and more complex words. They can also manage some multi-syllable words. Around this time, they begin “reading to learn” rather than just “learning to read.” At this level:
- Grid Size: Increase the grid size to 11 x 11
- Word Directions: Start introducing diagonal and backwards
placements until they’re more comfortable. - Word Length: Words can be generally 4-6 letters long
Ages 10-14 (Grades 5-8):
Older children can decode multi-syllable words and handle more abstract vocabulary, which they encounter in subjects like science and history. At this level:
- Grid Size: Allow grids up to 20×20.
- Word Directions: Introduce all directions, including diagonal and backward placements.
- Word Length: Words can be longer, up to 8+ letters, depending on the theme
Implementation of Word Search Tool:
You can adjust the puzzle difficulty dynamically based on the word list’s average length and total number of words:
- For short words and a small list, only allow horizontal and vertical directions.
- As the word count or average word length increases, unlock diagonal and backward word placements.
This scaling now makes Word Search Maker and Player is accessible to a wide age range and reading abilities.
Google Sheets Word Search Maker
Create custom word search puzzles with ease using this convenient tool. With just a few simple steps, you can generate word search puzzles using your own list of words.
This add-on is perfect for teachers, students, or anyone looking to have some fun with words. Follow the instructions below to get started:
Word Search Maker & Player will automatically generate a word search puzzle by randomly placing the words in any possible direction within the grid. It will also color-code the cells containing the words to create an answer key. The original sheet’s name with have “-ANSWER KEY” appended to it, it will be duplicated, and the duplicate will have ” – HIDE ANSWERS” appended to its name. This duplicate sheet will serve as the word search puzzle, which can be projected on a whiteboard, shared digitally, or printed.
If you wish to save the puzzle as a PDF, click the ‘Print to PDF’ button. This will create a PDF version of the puzzle in your Google Drive, and open it in a neighboring tab.
Privacy Policy
I hope you enjoy using the Word Search Maker & Player to engage and challenge your students or to simply have fun solving word search puzzles. If you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to reach out.
Happy puzzling!
~ Avi