How to make an easy printable word search with big letters

An easy word search is one the solver can finish. That comes down to a few things you can control: which way the words run, how long they are, how many there are, and how big the letters print. Get those right and the puzzle works for a first-time solver or someone whose eyesight is not what it was.

The quick answer

In our free word search maker, leave Difficulty on Easy. That gives you a 10 by 10 grid with 8 words of 3 to 7 letters, and every word runs either across (left to right) or down (top to bottom). Nothing is diagonal and nothing is backwards. The printed sheet says so under the title, so the solver knows where to look.

With the default Large letters, an Easy puzzle on US Letter paper prints its letters at about 34 pt. Choose Extra large and they print at about 37 pt. Tick Show answer key and the solution prints on its own page.

What makes a word search easy

Direction matters most. Words that read the normal way, left to right or top to bottom, are found by scanning along the rows and down the columns. Diagonal and backwards words force the solver to hunt for a first letter and then test every direction from it. Easy leaves those out.

Short words help too. They are quicker to check against the list and quicker to trace in the grid. When you use one of the 20 built-in themes, Easy only picks words between 3 and 7 letters long.

A short list keeps it relaxed. Eight words is enough for a satisfying puzzle without turning the grid into a wall of letters, and it leaves more room on the page for the letters themselves.

Finally, the theme. Words the solver knows and cares about are easier to spot than unfamiliar ones. A retired gardener will find TULIP faster than a word they rarely use.

How big the letters print

The grid shares the page with the title, the instructions and the word list. A smaller grid means fewer squares to fit across the page, so each letter gets bigger. Under the preview, the maker shows roughly how big the letters will print. For an Easy puzzle with 8 words on US Letter paper, it reports:

For comparison, the standard size for large print text is 18 point, according to the American Printing House. Even the 15 by 15 grid prints above that, and the Easy default is nearly twice as big.

The figures are the maker’s own estimates. Adding the name and date line takes a point or two off, A4 paper gives the same or slightly bigger letters, and your printer’s scaling settings can change them a little.

Making it easier still

• Use the smallest grid. Set Grid size to 8 by 8. Easy theme words are never longer than 7 letters, so they all still fit, and the letters print at about 43 pt with the Large setting.
• Cut the list. Choose My own words, or delete a few from the theme list, and keep 5 or 6. Fewer words also means a shorter list at the bottom, which gives the grid a little more room.
• Choose words that look different. Words that start with different letters are easier to tell apart in the grid than a list of words that all begin with S.
• Make it personal. Names of family members, pets or a hometown are easy to remember while searching. Names with spaces, like Mary Ann, are joined up in the grid.
• Read the list aloud. For someone who finds the list hard to read, a helper can say the next word while they look.

Every built-in theme has at least 15 short words that suit Easy, from Gardening and Birds to Family and On the farm, so there is plenty to choose from.

Printing and solving tips

Print one copy first and hold it at normal reading distance before you print a stack. A soft pencil or a highlighter is easier to use than a pen, and crossing words off the list as you go stops the solver from searching for one they already found.

If holding a pencil is hard, you can play word searches online instead. Drag across a word, or tap its first and last letter, to mark it.

When it gets too easy

Move up to Medium. The grid grows to 13 by 13, a theme gives 12 words of up to 10 letters, and words can also run diagonally, still reading left to right. Nothing goes backwards until Hard. Changing the level resets the grid size, so check it if you had set your own. When Medium starts to feel easy, our guide to a hard printable word search shows how to keep the challenge up without shrinking the letters. For more on themes and choosing a level, see printable word searches for adults.

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