🔥 20 free puzzles
Hard Space Word Search
20 hard space 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 space puzzles
- 110×10 · 11 words
- 215×15 · 14 words
- 320×20 · 24 words
- 410×10 · 11 words
- 515×15 · 15 words
- 620×20 · 23 words
- 710×10 · 11 words
- 815×15 · 18 words
- 920×20 · 22 words
- 1010×10 · 12 words
- 1115×15 · 14 words
- 1220×20 · 22 words
- 1310×10 · 12 words
- 1415×15 · 14 words
- 1520×20 · 23 words
- 1610×10 · 12 words
- 1715×15 · 18 words
- 1820×20 · 20 words
- 1910×10 · 11 words
- 2015×15 · 15 words
Puzzle guide
About hard space word search puzzles
What they are
Hard space word searches hide words in all eight directions, backwards included, and let them cross. SUPERNOVA might read right to left and ECLIPSE might climb upwards, sharing a letter with GRAVITY on its way.
How to play
Look all around each likely starting letter. Crossings are common in busy parts of the grid, so a letter you have already circled may start another word too.
Tips
CONSTELLATION is the longest entry and the best starting point. Search for last letters too, so reversed words like ORBIT, which would read TIBRO, are not missed.
Who they suit
Hard space puzzles suit teenagers, adults and amateur astronomers looking for a long search. Adults who enjoy astronomy documentaries tend to recognise every word on the list, which makes the challenge purely about finding them rather than knowing them.
Printing
Print hard space grids one per page; a dark-ink pen keeps rings clear where words meet. The answer key is separate.
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Science 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.