Word Search
Hunt seven hidden English words in a 10x10 grid — eight directions, themed daily boards.
About Word Search
Word Search is the classic English word hunt puzzle, redesigned daily for ESL learners. Each board hides seven English words inside a 10×10 letter grid. The words can run forward, backward, top-to-bottom, bottom-to-top or in any of the four diagonals — eight possible directions in total. Press and hold on the first letter of a word, drag in a straight line to the last letter, and release to claim it.
Found words lock in with a colour and tick off the list at the side of the board. The seven hidden words are not random English: every daily board is themed, drawn from one slice of the 7ESL lexicon such as weather, food, animals, household items, emotions or travel verbs. That theme + CEFR tagging means the puzzle doubles as themed vocabulary practice for A1 to B2 learners.
The post-round reveal shows every hidden word with its definition, part of speech and example sentence, so even if you find them all you walk away with structured vocabulary you can use. Word Search is great for absolute beginners building letter recognition, young learners and classroom warm-ups, anyone who wants a calmer puzzle than Wordle, and intermediate learners building themed vocabulary. Free to play, no sign-up required.
Why play Word Search?
- ✓ Themed boards (weather, food, animals…) build topic-tagged vocabulary.
- ✓ Letter-by-letter scanning trains the visual recognition early learners need.
- ✓ Eight-direction search forces full grid attention — better than passive reading.
- ✓ A calm, low-stress puzzle for daily English practice without a timer.
How to play
- Press and hold on the first letter of a word.
- Drag in a straight line to the last letter — any of eight directions.
- Release to submit. Correct words lock in with colour.
- Find every word on the list to finish the daily board.
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Frequently asked questions
How do I play Word Search?
Look at the list of seven hidden words next to the board. Press and hold on the first letter of any word you spot in the 10×10 grid, then drag in a straight line to its last letter. Release to submit. If the cells form one of the target words it locks in with a colour and gets crossed off the list. Find all seven to finish.
Which directions can the words go?
Any of eight directions — forward (left to right), backward (right to left), top to bottom, bottom to top, and all four diagonals. Words always run in a straight line and never bend. Scanning systematically across rows and then down columns is the fastest strategy when you first open a fresh board.
Are the boards themed?
Yes. Every daily Word Search board uses a single theme — weather, food, animals, household items, emotions, transport, travel verbs and so on. That means the seven words you find belong to the same topic family, which makes the game stronger for thematic vocabulary review than a random word puzzle.
Is Word Search good for ESL beginners?
Yes. It is one of the gentlest games on 7ESL — no timer, no wrong-answer penalty, just calm scanning. That makes it perfect for A1 and A2 learners building English letter recognition, and for young learners in classrooms. The end-of-round reveal shows each word with a definition and example, so you also learn meaning.
Does Word Search work on a phone?
Yes. The 10×10 grid scales to fit comfortably on a phone in portrait. Touch drag is responsive and the eight-direction selector recognises diagonal swipes accurately. Each cell is a 44px touch target so there is no fat-finger problem, and the word list collapses cleanly under the grid on narrow screens.