Free word search maker and printables

Halloween Word Search

Spooky words hidden in a grid – easy for kids or hard for adults, to print or play online.

This Halloween word search tool builds word search puzzles with a Halloween theme, ready to play on screen or print on Letter or A4 paper. It runs in your web browser, is free, and needs no sign-up or download.

The default topic, Halloween, has 49 words and uses a 15×15 grid at Medium difficulty. For younger children, choose Halloween (easy), which has 32 short words. You can set the grid size from 8×8 up to 30×30, choose from 4 to 60 words, and pick one of four difficulty levels.

Nothing you create is uploaded to a server. Use it for a Halloween word search printable for a classroom, a party, or a quiet evening at home.

Follow these steps to create a puzzle, then play it or print it.

  1. Choose a topic. Pick Halloween for the full list of 49 words, or Halloween (easy) for 32 short words.
  2. Set the Grid size. Options run from 8×8 to 30×30, and the default is 15×15.
  3. Set the Number of words. The tool starts at a good number for your grid, and you can go from 4 to 60.
  4. Pick a Difficulty: Easy, Medium, Hard or Expert. Read the hint line under the level you choose.
  5. To add your own words, choose ‘My own words’ and type them in.
  6. To play on screen, click or tap the first letter of a word, then its last letter. With a mouse you can also drag. On the keyboard, use the arrow keys to move and Enter or Space to mark.
  7. If you get stuck, click Hint to flash the first letter of an unfound word, or Show answers to outline every word.
  8. Open the Print panel, set Copies (1 to 20), Paper size (Letter or A4) and Answer keys (Four per page or One per page). Then click ‘Print puzzles + answer keys’.
  9. Click ‘Copy link’ to save an address that opens the exact same puzzle again.

Your game is saved in this browser, so reloading the page continues where you left off. Click ‘Next puzzle’ for a new grid with the same settings. To save a printed set as a PDF, choose ‘Save as PDF’ in the print window.

The tool picks the words at random from the topic you choose, as many as fit your grid (18 on the default 15×15 grid), so every new puzzle mixes them differently. These are the full lists:

Halloween (49 words): Pumpkin, Jack-o’-lantern, Ghost, Witch, Skeleton, Vampire, Werewolf, Zombie, Costume, Candy, Candy corn, Trick or treat, Broomstick, Cauldron, Black cat, Bat, Spider, Cobweb, Haunted house, Graveyard, Tombstone, Scarecrow, Mummy, Monster, Goblin, Spooky, Creepy, Mask, Potion, Spell, Full moon, Lantern, Owl, Eerie, Phantom, Haunted, Mischief, Midnight, Harvest, Apple cider, Hayride, Fright, Wizard, Broom, Crypt, Ghoul, Pumpkin patch, Treat bag, Cemetery.

Halloween (easy) (32 words): Pumpkin, Ghost, Witch, Bat, Cat, Candy, Costume, Mask, Spider, Web, Moon, Owl, Broom, Treats, Tricks, Spooky, Mummy, Hat, Boo, Night, Monster, Zombie, Goblin, Spell, Potion, Apple, Corn, Scare, Cape, Fangs, Skull, Lantern.

Each hidden word appears exactly once in the grid. To use other words, choose ‘My own words’ and type or paste your own list, for example a few of the words above plus your class’s names.

Is there an easy Halloween word search for kids?

Yes. Choose Halloween (easy), which has 32 short words for young children, and set Difficulty to Easy. On Easy, words run only left to right (→) and top to bottom (↓), and they never cross. Every word is a straight line, which makes scanning simpler.

On Easy the tool starts with fewer words (never more than the grid size plus 2), so a small grid keeps the puzzle short.

Yes. Choose Hard or Expert and a bigger grid, such as 20×20, with more words. On Hard, words can run in all eight directions, including backwards, and they may cross. On Expert, the generator tries crossings first and takes the filler letters from the hidden words’ own letters, so the whole grid looks alike and nothing stands out. Expert also starts with 20% more words.

How do you solve a Halloween word search quickly?

Start with words that have an unusual letter (Q, X, Z, J, K) or a double letter (OO, LL, SS), and look for that letter first. Take the first letter of a word and check all 8 neighbouring squares for its second letter. Find the longest words first, and cross each one off as you go. On Hard and Expert, also read backwards and up.

The tool’s default puzzle is a worked example. BAT starts in row 2, column 7 and runs left to right. VAMPIRE starts in row 6, column 6 and runs left to right. PHANTOM starts in row 6, column 14 and runs top to bottom. Open the same puzzle to practise.

Frequently asked questions

Can I hide a message like HAPPY HALLOWEEN?

Yes. Open More options and type it into Hidden message (up to 40 characters). Its letters fill the first empty squares, so after every word is found, the first leftover letters, read left to right and top to bottom, spell it; the answer key shades them.

Does it work on a phone?

Yes. Tap the first letter of a word and then its last letter. The grid shrinks to fit the screen, and a smaller grid gives bigger letters.

Can I print a class set?

Yes. Set Copies up to 20, and every copy has a different arrangement, with a different word set when the topic has more words than fit. Copy 1 is the puzzle on screen, and each puzzle prints on its own page with Name and Date lines.

Does it come with an answer key?

Yes. Answer keys print after the puzzles with every word outlined, four per page or one per page. Use ‘Print puzzles + answer keys’, or ‘Print answer keys only’ for the keys alone.

Is the Halloween word search free?

Yes. It runs in your web browser with no sign-up or download, and nothing you make is uploaded.

Can I play without printing?

Yes. Click or tap the first and last letters of each word. Hint and Show answers help when you are stuck, and your progress stays saved in this browser.