Softonic

Word Search Solver

Step 1 / 3 Word search solver
Open the single-page solver

Enter the letter grid

Type or paste one row per line. You can put spaces between letters; every row must be the same width. Use 2 to 25 rows and columns.

Next: target words

Already have a word search puzzle? Enter its letter grid and the words you need to find. The solver checks every cell in eight straight directions, then highlights a selected word and gives its starting and ending row and column. It reports words that do not occur in the grid and lets you download a text list of the positions.

Find words in three steps

  1. 1

    Enter the grid

    Type or paste one row per line, with or without spaces between letters. Each row needs the same number of letters. The grid can be 2 to 25 rows by 2 to 25 columns.

  2. 2

    List the targets

    Enter one target per line, up to 40. A phrase such as ICE CREAM is searched as ICECREAM.

  3. 3

    Inspect the solution

    Select a found word to see its highlighted straight path and exact 1-based coordinates. If it occurs more than once, cycle through its matches or download the complete position list.

Reading the results

The solver checks left, right, up, down and the four diagonals. Reverse spellings are included because it searches in both directions. A match must form one straight line: this is a conventional word search, not a word hunt in which a path can turn. The row and column numbers begin at 1 in the top-left corner. The arrow shows the direction from the first letter of the target to its last letter.

For example, in the four rows CATX, XOXX, XXWX, DOGX, the word CAT starts at row 1, column 1 and ends at row 1, column 3 (→). COW begins at row 1, column 1 and ends at row 3, column 3 (↘). DOG runs across row 4. If a target appears several times, the result gives the number of matches and lets you move between them; the downloaded list includes every position.

Entering a puzzle accurately

Copy each printed row in order. The tool accepts single Unicode letters, including accented Latin and many non-Latin scripts, provided each grid cell is one letter after uppercase conversion. Spaces between grid letters are optional. Every row must be the same length, and targets must be on separate lines. Spaces within a target are removed, so multiword phrases can be found as continuous letters. Numbers, punctuation, rebus squares containing several letters and bent or wrapping paths are outside this solver’s supported format. A “not found” result can mean the word is absent or that a letter was entered incorrectly; compare the grid with the printed puzzle before concluding it is missing.

The grid and target list are processed in your browser. In the step-by-step version, they are saved in this browser tab for up to 30 minutes so the next page can read them. Expired puzzle records are removed the next time this calculator opens, and starting over removes the current puzzle. The page link carries only a random job ID, not your puzzle text.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. It checks all eight straight directions, including leftwards, upwards and the four diagonals. It does not follow paths that bend or wrap around an edge.

The result shows how many matches were found. Select the word and use Show next match to inspect each highlighted path. The TXT download lists every position.

This version accepts typed or pasted letter rows, not photos. Enter the rows from the image and check them carefully before solving.

The word may be absent, a grid letter may have been copied incorrectly, or the puzzle may use a bent path or rebus square. Check the rows and the target spelling, then solve again.

No. The grid and words are processed in the browser. The step flow saves them only in this tab for up to 30 minutes; starting over removes that copy, and expired records are cleared when you return to the tool.

Related Tools

Mouse Tester

Test your mouse buttons, wheel scrolling, pointer movement and double-click timing in the browser. See event logs and movement samples without uploads.

Fake Error Message Generator

Create custom fake error dialog images for Windows, macOS and web, with configurable title, body text and error code.

Fancy Serial Number Checker

Check US-style currency serial numbers for fancy patterns like radars, ladders, repeaters, low numbers and star notes.

Crossword Puzzle Generator

Enter your own words and get a printable crossword puzzle with an interlocking grid and word list. Great for classrooms, newsletters and events.

Word Search Generator

Turn any list of up to 40 words into a printable word-search grid. Pick the grid size, set a seed to reproduce it, and download it as a PNG.

Squaredle Solver

Enter a Squaredle letter grid and get valid word paths of 4+ letters along adjacent tiles (diagonals included), sorted longest-first. Built-in English list, plus add your own words.

Tool available in other languages