Halloween Word Search: how to play

Halloween Word Search is a free online word search with five new Halloween puzzles every day. Caw the little crow has hidden friendly Halloween words in a moonlit grid: pumpkins, candy, autumn, the night sky and costumes. The grids start easy and grow harder, and the words hide in more directions as you go.

How to play

• Drag across a word in the grid to circle it. Words from the list under the grid turn into colour bands and are crossed off.
• A word counts whichever way you drag it, start to end or end to start.
• Keyboard: move with the arrows, press Space on the first letter and again on the last. Esc lets go of a half-made line.
• Each grid has a generous clock. Running out costs one of three hearts and refills the clock; with no hearts left the run ends.
• Find words quickly one after another (within 15 seconds) for a combo, up to x10. Clearing a grid gives a bonus for the level and the time left.
• Every level gives up to three stars: clear it, clear it without losing a heart, and clear it under the target time.

The five levels

1. Pumpkin Patch: 8×8 pumpkin words: across and down
2. Candy Lane: 9×9 candy words: they can run backwards
3. Owl Woods: 10×10 autumn words: diagonals too
4. Moon Hill: 11×11 night sky words: any direction
5. Star Castle: 12×12 costume words, with gold stars twinkling over the letters

Clear Star Castle and the five places loop again as 12×12 grids with ten words in every direction and less time per word. You have three hearts for the whole run, and the game is the same for everyone each day, so you can compare scores. Press M to turn the sound off or on.

Tips

• Scan for the first letter of a long word, then check the letters around it.
• Rare letters such as J, Q, X and Z are quick to spot.
• Double letters help: look for the two O's in COOKIE or the two P's in LOLLIPOP.
• On Star Castle the twinkling stars only change a letter's colour for a moment. The words never move.

Questions

Is the Halloween word search free?

Yes. Halloween Word Search is free to play online in your browser, with no download and no sign-up. Five new puzzles are made every day.

Is it an easy or a hard Halloween word search?

Both. Level 1 is an easy 8×8 grid with words only across and down. Each level adds a direction, and Level 5 is a hard 12×12 grid where words run every way.

Can I play on a phone or tablet?

Yes. Drag your finger across the letters. It works on phones, tablets and computers.

Is it only for October?

No. Halloween Word Search is Halloween all year, with a new set of puzzles every day.