Word Search Rush
Three word search grids, one clock: find every hidden word, fast.
- Round
- 2 minutes
- Works on
- Mobile & desktop
- Category
- Word
Word Search Rush controls: Drag across the hidden words · mouse works too. Press Play, then the game takes the keyboard. Press Tab to leave it.
Free play · 2 minutes · no sign-in
Drag across the hidden words · mouse works too
How to play Word Search Rush
Tap or click the start screen: the first 8×8 grid and its list of six hidden words appear.
Find a word from the list in the grid. Words run across, down or diagonally, and from the second grid on some read backwards.
Press on the word's first letter, drag in a straight line to its last letter and let go. The highlighter snaps to the line.
Found words stay highlighted and are crossed off the list. Find all six to clear the grid and get the next, bigger one.
Clear all three grids before the two-minute clock runs out: the seconds you have left become bonus points and your time on the fastest-clear board.
Controls
| Input | Action |
|---|---|
| Touch: press and drag | Select a straight line of letters from a word's first letter to its last; lift your finger to submit |
| Mouse: click and drag | The same on a computer: hold the button across the word and release |
| Tapclick | Start a run from the start screen |
| Keyboard | Not used: Word Search Rush is played with a finger or a mouse |
Tips
Hunt the rare letters first. A Z, K, W, V or Y stands out in a grid far more than an E or an S, so scan the list for the word with the most unusual letter and look for that letter.
Look for double letters such as LL, EE or SS: a pair of identical letters side by side is easy to spot and usually belongs to a word on the list.
From the second grid on, search for each word's last letter as well as its first, because a backwards word starts where you would expect it to end.
Do not slow down to aim: the highlighter snaps to the straight line and forgives one letter too few or too many, and you can drag from either end of a word.
Watch the bubble above the grid while you drag. It turns green as soon as your line spells a word on the list, so you know it will count before you let go.
The clock keeps running between grids, and the third grid holds the longest words, so keep your eyes moving and leave the hardest word for last only when you have to.
About Word Search Rush
Word Search Rush is a free online word search game with a twist: a clock. Three word search puzzles come one after another, each a square of letters hiding six familiar words, and you have two minutes to clear all three. Drag across a word to circle it with a highlighter, cross it off the list and move straight on to the next one. It plays like the classic word search puzzle you know from newspapers and puzzle books, rebuilt for the browser as a quick, fast-paced word game that works just as well on a phone as on a computer, with no download and no sign-up.
Each run grows harder as it goes. The first grid is an 8×8 warm-up where every word reads forwards, left to right or top to bottom. The second is a 9×9 grid where some words run backwards, and the third is a 10×10 grid packed with diagonal and backwards words, up to eight letters long. The filler letters borrow from the hidden words themselves, so partial decoys tempt your eye, and the clock never stops between grids. That makes Word Search Rush a proper timed word search: calm enough to learn in seconds, tense enough that the last hidden word of a grid always feels like a race.
Scoring is simple and rewards both finding and speed. Every word pays 100 points per letter, every cleared grid adds 1,000, and if you clear all three grids before time runs out, each second left on the clock is worth another 120 points. Because the game has a finish line, it also has a fastest-clear leaderboard next to the top scores, which makes it one of our speedrun games. Warm up in free play, then use a ranked attempt when you feel fast: every ranked run is replayed on our servers, so a record time really is a record.
The controls are made for touch. Press on the first letter of a word and drag in a straight line to the last letter, then let go. The highlighter snaps to the nearest of the eight directions, so a wobbly finger still selects a clean line, and a drag that stops one letter short or runs one letter long still counts. You can drag a word from either end. On a desktop, click and drag with the mouse in exactly the same way. A bubble above the grid spells out your selection and turns green the moment it matches a word on the list.
Every run deals three fresh grids from a list of familiar, family-friendly English words, and every grid of the same size uses the same word lengths and the same mix of directions, so each run is equally fair. If you like a relaxed word find with a competitive edge, you will also enjoy the other word search games, the fun word games collection, our two-minute quick games and the short challenges on the brain games page.
Details
- Category
- Word Games
- Tags
- Genre
- Word
- Orientation
- Portrait (9:16)
- Works on
- Mobile & desktopPhones, tablets and computers
- Controls
- Mouse or touch
- Released
- Updated
- Credits
- Design and development: Gamefinity
- Age rating
- 4+
Word Search Rush FAQ
How long does a game of Word Search Rush last?
Two minutes at most. The run ends the moment you clear the third grid, so the faster you find all eighteen words, the shorter and higher-scoring your run. If the clock runs out first, you keep the points for every word you found.
How is the score calculated?
Each word is worth 100 points per letter, each cleared grid adds 1,000 points, and clearing all three grids adds 120 points for every second left on the clock. Wrong drags cost nothing but time.
Can I play Word Search Rush on my phone?
Yes. It is designed for touch: drag your finger across a word and lift it to submit. The selection snaps to the nearest straight line and forgives being one letter short or long, so it is easy on a small screen. On a computer you play with the mouse.
Do words go backwards and diagonally?
In the first grid every word reads forwards. The second grid adds backwards words, and the third grid is mostly diagonal and backwards words. You can drag any word from either end.
Is every word search puzzle different?
Yes. Each run deals three new grids from a list of familiar English words. Grids of the same size always hide the same word lengths in the same mix of directions, so every run is equally hard.
Is there a leaderboard for the fastest time?
Yes. Because Word Search Rush has a finish line, clearing all three grids, it has a fastest-clear leaderboard as well as a top-score board. Ranked runs are verified by replaying them on our servers.
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