🔥 20 free puzzles
Hard Countries Word Search
20 hard countries word searches for keen solvers who enjoy a proper hunt.
Hard word searches use all 8 directions, including backwards and up, and words are allowed to cross and share letters.
Or make a brand new one
All hard countries puzzles
- 110×10 · 11 words
- 215×15 · 17 words
- 320×20 · 20 words
- 410×10 · 12 words
- 515×15 · 14 words
- 620×20 · 20 words
- 710×10 · 10 words
- 815×15 · 16 words
- 920×20 · 21 words
- 1010×10 · 10 words
- 1115×15 · 14 words
- 1220×20 · 23 words
- 1310×10 · 10 words
- 1415×15 · 17 words
- 1520×20 · 25 words
- 1610×10 · 10 words
- 1715×15 · 16 words
- 1820×20 · 24 words
- 1910×10 · 10 words
- 2015×15 · 16 words
Puzzle guide
About hard countries word search puzzles
What they are
Hard countries word searches hide nations in all eight directions, backwards included, and let them cross. PORTUGAL might read right to left and ICELAND might run up a column, sharing a letter with a country running across.
How to play
Inspect every neighbour around a likely letter for the second letter of the country. Where two countries intersect, their shared letter belongs to both, just like a border.
Tips
Search for last letters as well as first to catch reversed countries. Many end in A, such as INDIA, CHINA and KENYA, so an A beside a likely letter is worth a closer look.
Who they suit
Hard countries puzzles suit teenagers, adults and geography buffs who like a long search. Quiz-night hosts sometimes use a hard countries grid as a tie-breaker round, because the large word list keeps even seasoned solvers busy.
Printing
Print hard countries grids one per page so overlapping names stay legible. The answer key is separate.
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Riddles to go with your word search
A word search trains your eye for patterns; a riddle trains your mind to see the trick. Here are a few riddles with answers, then more brain games from the club.