How to Play Word Search: Rules & Worked Tips

Start with the rules

Choose a word from the bank. Tap its first letter and then its last letter, or drag along the letters. Words run in a straight horizontal, vertical or diagonal line. In the standard daily puzzle they can run backward too. A bent path will not count.

Try a useful approach

Try looking for the least common letter in a long word first. For TIGER, a G near an I is a useful starting point. Check all eight directions before moving to the next possible start. Once a word is found, its highlight stays on the board.

Understand your result

Daily points depend on the total letters in the target words you find. Each target counts once. Finding the same word in another location does not add more points. You can play another practice puzzle for free, or make one with your own word bank.