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Printable word searches for adults
Eight bigger, trickier grids on grown-up themes, from travel and restaurants to science and the market. Words hide in all eight directions, backwards too, and the letters stay a comfortable size.
- 8 puzzles: 4 Hard 12×12, 4 Expert 15×15
- A4 and US Letter
- Answers in their own file
- Ids WS-H1 to WS-X4
What’s in the pack
Hard: 12×12 grid, 15 cm across, 12.5 mm squares and 18 pt letters. Expert: 15×15 grid, 15.9 cm across, 10.6 mm squares and 15 pt letters. Every word is hidden exactly once, which we check along every row, column and diagonal in both directions before a sheet is printed, and the filler letters never spell a rude word.
| Id | Theme | Grid | Words | Directions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WS-H1 | Travel | 12×12 | 12 | all eight directions, backwards too |
| WS-H2 | Restaurant | 12×12 | 12 | all eight directions, backwards too |
| WS-H3 | Art | 12×12 | 12 | all eight directions, backwards too |
| WS-H4 | Hobbies | 12×12 | 12 | all eight directions, backwards too |
| WS-X1 | Cooking | 15×15 | 16 | all eight directions, backwards too |
| WS-X2 | Science | 15×15 | 16 | all eight directions, backwards too |
| WS-X3 | Market | 15×15 | 16 | all eight directions, backwards too |
| WS-X4 | Safari | 15×15 | 16 | all eight directions, backwards too |
How to play and print
How to play
Find each word from the list in the grid and draw a ring around it, then tick it off. Letters can be shared where two words cross.
Why they are harder
Bigger grids and more words, hidden in all eight directions, including backwards and up the diagonals. The challenge comes from the grid, not from small type: the letters stay a comfortable reading size on both papers.
Hard or Expert?
Hard sheets have 12 words in a 12×12 grid. Expert sheets have 16 words in a 15×15 grid, with more letters for each word to hide among. Try a Hard one first.
Printing
Choose the PDF for your paper and print at 100% (“Actual size”), portrait. The sheets are black on white and print well in greyscale. The answer key is a separate file, so the puzzles can go out without it.
Using the sheets
Free to print for personal, classroom and library use. Please don’t sell or republish the sheets. No sign-up, no email: the links above are the files. Each sheet carries its id, so a class can check answers by id. The words come from our word lists, credited on the credits page.