Your words, their grid,
a custom hint of your choice.

Prepare an activity using familiar words

A parent or teacher can start with a simple theme: the forest, the sky, or school. Then swap out the words for those from your own activity. A short grid featuring familiar words is a practical starting point; it doesn't measure reading ability. First show your child how to trace a line with their finger, then let them decide if they want to keep going.

The suggested themes are short, manually reviewed curated lists. They are not generated by artificial intelligence. You can fully customize them. The words keep their spelling in the list; their appearance in the grid depends on the accent setting and whether spaces or hyphens are removed. A phrase like "étoile de mer" becomes ETOILEDEMER when accents are turned off.

Give a helpful hint without giving away the full answer

The game worksheet includes the grid and, if you like, the word list. The hint worksheet circles the first letters of each placement: it gives a starting point while leaving the search route up to the child. The answer key marks the words in full. Print these documents separately depending on what you want to share. You can hide the word list, but that changes the nature of the exercise: make sure to tell the child which words they are looking for.

Avoid framing hints as a failure or using a timer as a requirement. This workshop does not grade answers or save any progress. To mix up your language activities, check out our guide on everyday vocabulary building and fun spelling games.

How the set is generated and verified

The seed initializes a deterministic pseudo-random generator. The longest words are placed first along allowed directions, crossing only when letter positions coincide. Random letters fill the remaining cells. Another pass scans for each word across all eight directions and checks coordinates: each selected word must appear exactly once, even if a word reads the same forward and backward.

If random filler letters create a second solution, the engine attempts to fix the open cells and then retries with a new placement layout. Attempts are limited to avoid freezing your device. If the set cannot be fully completed, no partial results are shown: enlarge the grid, shorten the list, or change the seed. If two entries resolve to the same word after normalization, they will be rejected with an explanation. Worksheets in a set feature different arrangements controlled by their signature.

The coordinates CSV file shows each word's displayed form, grid form, start and end row and column (numbered starting from 1), and the verified number of occurrences. It is a checking tool for adults, not an assessment for the child. The JSON project file contains your words, settings, and seed; keep it safe on your chosen device.

Read and print comfortably

Paper size, orientation, and worksheets per page determine available space. The generator engine will refuse combinations that render letters too small. Grid sizes range from 7 to 25 rows or columns. Words can be placed horizontally, vertically, or along diagonal down or up pathways; reversing direction adds the opposite orientations. Neither grid size nor word count represents an official grade-level progression.

Check the preview before handing out sheets. SVG files remain vector graphics; PNG files have pixel dimensions without a guaranteed dots-per-inch resolution. PDF output relies on your browser: select matching paper sizes, adjust scaling, and disable browser headers and footers if needed. For two worksheets per page, check page breaks and readability on your printer. The Name and Date fields only add blank lines to the printed page.

Methodology, limitations, and privacy

Hepaly algorithmic method, version of October 15, 2026: straight-line placement, explicit Latin normalization, independent occurrence checks, grid signatures. No scoring system, external data, or difficulty rankings are used. Word search generation works locally and does not upload your words anywhere. This activity makes no claims regarding reading or memory development and cannot replace tailored support for your child.

This tool and its generated worksheets are completely free to use. The Hepaly catalog, purchases, and subscriptions have their own pricing and terms. You are free to use generated output files without linking back to Hepaly. Handle saved projects carefully if they include lists that could identify someone.

Frequently asked questions