How to play
Each word in the list is hidden once in the grid, in a straight line. Press on the first letter and drag to the last one; when the selection matches a word, it stays highlighted and the word is crossed off the list. On a phone or tablet you can also tap the first letter, then tap the last letter.
The easy puzzle only runs words across and down. The medium puzzles add diagonals, and the hard puzzle hides words in all eight directions, including backwards. Words with two parts, such as Candy cane and North Pole, are hidden without the space.
Printing a puzzle
Use Print under a puzzle to print just that puzzle on one page, with large letters and the word list underneath. Print with answers adds a second page with every word circled, so you can hand out the puzzle and keep the key. To save a PDF instead, choose “Save as PDF” as the printer in the print window.
Want a different layout? New grid hides the same words in new places, so you can print several versions of the same puzzle for a class or a party table.
Which puzzle for which age
The easy puzzle suits children who are starting to read, roughly ages 5 to 7: ten short words in a 10 by 10 grid, all reading left to right or top to bottom. The medium puzzles suit ages 8 and up, and the hard puzzle, with 20 words in a 15 by 15 grid and backwards words, is a good challenge for older kids and adults.