Word search

Use it to practise recognising words: new vocabulary, place names, the terms of a topic. Spotting a familiar word among random letters is easier than recalling it, so a word search suits younger students, language learners and warm-ups. To check whether students can produce a word themselves, use a crossword or fill the gaps instead.

1. In a worksheet, use the + between two items and choose Word search.

2. Click the pencil and write the instruction at the top, for example “Find three places in the letter grid.”

3. Type each word under Answer and click Add Word for the next one. The Preview builds the grid as you type, and a counter shows how many words fit into it.

4. Under Settings, choose the Shape (Square or Diamond) and whether to Allow diagonal and Allow backwards words. Students see the list of words to find next to the grid.

5. Click the tick when you are done.

A word can contain only letters and numbers, at least two characters and no spaces, and each word can appear only once.

Students see the grid, the list of words and a counter such as “1 of 3 words found”. They press on the first letter of a word and drag to its last letter. A word they find is marked in the grid and in the list. When they have finished, they click Submit.

Every word found counts. Finding all of them makes the answer correct; finding some makes it partially correct. Open Results to see which words each student Found and which they Missed.

• Allow diagonal and Allow backwards make the puzzle much harder. Leave them off for younger students.

• If a word cannot be placed, the preview says so. Change or remove it: until every word is in the grid, students' answers are not checked automatically.

• Keep the word search in Full view. Open view shows where the words are.