Words Scavenger: word search with secret words online free

How to play Words Scavenger

1. Pick a puzzle from one of the 12 categories, or start the Daily puzzle.
2. Find every word on the list: drag from its first letter to its last letter, or tap the first and then the last letter.
3. When the list is complete, hunt for the secret word that is not on the list (50 points).
4. Keep looking for up to 3 bonus words (10 points each) and, on some hard puzzles, a challenge word (100 points).
5. Finish the puzzle to earn up to three stars and a place on the leaderboard.

Every word is hidden as a straight, unbroken line of letters. Press on its first letter and drag to its last letter; the highlight snaps to the nearest straight line, so you do not need a perfectly steady hand. If you prefer tapping, tap the first letter and then the last letter. A found word gets its own coloured marker and is crossed off the list. Selecting a wrong line costs nothing: the marker just fades away. On a computer you can also use the keyboard: move with the arrow keys, press Space on the first letter and again on the last letter, press H for a hint and Esc to choose another puzzle.

The secret word, bonus words and the challenge word

Finishing the list is only the first half of every puzzle. When the last word on the list is found, the game tells you that there is still a secret word hidden in this puzzle. The secret word is not on the list and is not shown anywhere, so you have to spot it in the letters yourself. It always fits the puzzle's theme, which is the best clue you get.

Each grid also hides up to three bonus words, again from the same theme, and four of the hard puzzles hide a long challenge word. Whenever you find one, it lights up with a flash, the points fly into your score and the word appears in the bonus row, so you always know what you have collected. Because nothing is deducted for words you miss, the bonus hunt is relaxed: take as long as you like and finish the puzzle whenever you wish.

Scoring

The speed bonus depends only on how fast you found the words on the list: 50 points for an instant finish down to nothing after 2 minutes on Easy, 4 minutes on Medium and 7 minutes on Hard. The clock stops when the list is complete, so searching for the secret and the bonus words never costs you time. The stars of a puzzle are simple: one star for finding all the words, two stars when you also found the secret word, and three stars for a Perfect puzzle. All the point values are stored in a separate configuration, so they can be tuned without touching the game.

Difficulty levels

Each category starts gently with two Easy puzzles, continues with two Medium ones and ends with a Hard one, so every category is a small journey. All grids are checked by a program: every word is placed exactly where the answer key says, no word on the list appears twice, and the filler letters are chosen so that the puzzles stay fair. Everything is family friendly and suitable for all ages.

12 categories and 60 puzzles

Daily puzzle and leaderboards

The Daily puzzle is the same for every player each day. Every finished puzzle can post its score to the free leaderboards, which have a This month and an All time list and one row per player showing the best score. Easy, Medium, Hard and Daily puzzles all count towards the same list, so the maximum is a Hard puzzle with the secret word, the challenge word, a Perfect puzzle and a fast time. You only choose a nickname if you want to take part, and the server checks every score against the number of words you found, so only genuine results are accepted. You can replay any puzzle to improve your score; your best result per puzzle is what counts on your device.

Printable word searches with an answer key

Tap the printer button to print the current puzzle. The player sheet has a large, clear grid, a checklist of the words to find and a hint that a secret word is hidden, but never the secret word itself. A second option prints the answer key, with the regular words, the secret word, the bonus words and the challenge word highlighted in different shades. That makes Words Scavenger a handy source of free printable word searches for classrooms, parties and long journeys.

Badges

There are 24 badges for finding words, secrets and bonus words, collecting stars, finishing categories, Perfect puzzles, fast searches and daily play. Open the medal button in the game to see your progress.

Words Scavenger tips

1. Start with the rare letters. Q, Z, X, J and K appear only a few times. Find one, then check all the lines that pass through it.
2. Read the title. The puzzle title and the category tell you what the secret word is about, even though the word itself is not on the list.
3. Look at the letters left over. When most of the grid is crossed out, the secret word is often hiding in the cells that no marker covers yet.
4. Search for the longest words first. They cross many rows or columns and make the rest of the grid quieter.
5. Read backwards on purpose. On Hard puzzles, flip the word in your head: scanning for the reversed spelling is often quicker.
6. Skip the hints for three stars. A hint never costs points, but only a hint-free puzzle with the secret word can be Perfect.

Frequently asked questions

More word and puzzle games: Word Search, Word Hive, Word Groups and Hangman.