Word Search Solver
Stuck on a word search? Paste your grid and word list below. Free, instant, no signup. Finds every word in all 8 directions including backwards and diagonal.
How the Solver Works
The solver runs an exhaustive search: for each word on your list, it checks every cell in the grid as a possible starting point, then tries all eight directions to see if the word fits. This is the same algorithm professional word-puzzle software uses — fast, deterministic, and guaranteed to find every word that's actually in the grid. Everything happens in your browser, so the grid and word list never leave your device.
When to Use a Word Search Solver
- Stuck on the last word. You've found 19 of 20, the last one is hiding, and you've been staring at the grid for 10 minutes. Paste it in, get the answer, sleep peacefully.
- Helping a frustrated child. Frustration kills engagement. Use the solver to give a hint without revealing the whole answer — "the word starts at row 4" is enough to unstick most kids.
- Verifying a custom puzzle. If you're building puzzles with our word search generator or any other tool, paste the result here to confirm every word is actually placed.
- Creating answer keys. Teachers running classroom puzzles use the solver output (row, column, direction) to write up clear answer keys.
- Solving puzzles in another language. The solver works on any letters, including accented characters. Spanish, French, German, Portuguese — all work.
What This Solver Doesn't Do (Yet)
The current version is a text-based solver: you paste the grid as text. We're working on an image-upload version that lets you snap a photo of a printed puzzle and have the grid extracted automatically using computer vision. That feature is coming in an upcoming release. In the meantime, copying a grid by hand takes about 30 seconds — still much faster than solving most puzzles manually.
Want to Solve a Puzzle the Old-Fashioned Way?
If you'd rather build the skill yourself, our how to solve word search puzzles guide covers seven proven techniques used by competitive solvers. Pair it with our daily word search for routine practice — most people halve their solving time within 30 days of daily play.
Word Search Solver FAQ
How do I use the word search solver?▾
Three steps: (1) paste your puzzle grid into the left textarea — one row per line, letters either space-separated or contiguous. (2) Paste the word list into the right textarea — one word per line, or comma-separated. (3) Click "Solve puzzle." Within a second, every word will be highlighted on a rendered version of the grid, and a list below shows the start row, start column, and direction of each word.
Does this solver work with backwards and diagonal words?▾
Yes — the solver checks all eight possible directions for every word: left-to-right, right-to-left, top-to-bottom, bottom-to-top, and the four diagonals. It will find words no matter how they are placed in the grid.
Is the solver completely free?▾
Yes, completely free. No signup, no email, no download required. The entire tool runs in your browser — your grid and word list never leave your device. There is no usage limit; solve as many puzzles as you want.
Can I solve a word search by uploading a photo?▾
Image-upload solving (where you snap a photo and the tool extracts the grid automatically) is coming in a future update. For now, you'll need to type or paste the grid as text. If you have a printable PDF of the puzzle, copying the grid takes about 30 seconds — much faster than solving the puzzle by hand.
What if my grid has spaces between letters?▾
The solver handles both formats automatically. If your row is space-separated like "A B C D E" it will treat each token as a letter. If your row is contiguous like "ABCDE" it will split it into individual letters. Punctuation and non-letter characters are ignored, so copying directly from a printed puzzle works.
Why is a word marked 'not found' when I can see it in the grid?▾
Three possible reasons: (1) a typo in the word list (the most common cause — double-check spelling letter by letter); (2) a typo when copying the grid (a single wrong letter will block the search); (3) the word actually only appears in a place you haven't looked yet. The solver checks every possible position and direction, so if it says a word is not found, the issue is almost always in the input data, not the puzzle.
Is using a solver "cheating"?▾
It depends on what you're using it for. For a fun solo puzzle, sure, working it out yourself is the satisfying part. But this tool is great for: confirming an answer when you're stuck on the last word, helping a child who's frustrated, checking puzzles you've created, and verifying answer keys for a classroom. Many teachers use solvers to validate student-made puzzles before printing them for class.