🔥 20 free puzzles
Hard Kids' Fun Word Search
20 hard kids' fun 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 kids' fun puzzles
- 110×10 · 10 words
- 215×15 · 14 words
- 320×20 · 22 words
- 410×10 · 10 words
- 515×15 · 15 words
- 620×20 · 24 words
- 710×10 · 11 words
- 815×15 · 18 words
- 920×20 · 21 words
- 1010×10 · 11 words
- 1115×15 · 14 words
- 1220×20 · 20 words
- 1310×10 · 10 words
- 1415×15 · 18 words
- 1520×20 · 21 words
- 1610×10 · 10 words
- 1715×15 · 14 words
- 1820×20 · 25 words
- 1910×10 · 12 words
- 2015×15 · 17 words
Puzzle guide
About hard kids' fun word search puzzles
What they are
Hard kids' fun word searches hide words in all eight directions, backwards included, and let them cross. CARTOON might read right to left and SANDBOX might climb upwards, sharing a letter with a DRAGON flying across. Hard grids rotate through three sizes and allow crossings, so DRAGON and DOLL might share a D. Because the word list is so familiar, children can focus entirely on the search rather than on reading tricky words.
How to play
Check all eight neighbours around a likely starting letter, and remember that backwards words count. Crossings mean a letter can belong to two words.
Tips
SANDBOX has a rare X that is easy to find in any direction. Looking for a word's last letter as well as its first helps catch reversed placements.
Who they suit
Hard kids' fun puzzles suit confident readers of nine and up, older siblings, and grown-ups joining in.
Printing
Print hard kids' fun grids one per page with a sharp pencil handy. The answer key is separate.
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Riddles for kids 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.