Grid skills
How to Find Words in Puzzle Grids More Reliably
Use a simple scanning method for Wordsearch and Pathfinder puzzles, including diagonals, reversals, and continuous paths.
Scan with a repeatable pattern
For a Wordsearch, take one target word and search for its first letter across the grid. Check horizontal and vertical directions before adding diagonals or reverse paths.
This method prevents a familiar problem: seeing the same attractive letter group repeatedly while leaving an entire row or column unchecked.
Follow paths, not just letters
Pathfinder uses connected routes rather than straight lines. After choosing a likely opening letter, check every neighbouring square and make sure the path does not reuse a cell.
Longer target words are often easier to trace from an unusual starting or ending letter. Work backwards from a distinctive final letter when the opening has too many choices.
Use the puzzle’s feedback
When a valid word or path is accepted, use that information to simplify the remaining search. The board is giving you evidence, so do not keep treating every square as equally likely.
Slow, deliberate tracing is more reliable on touch screens than trying to drag too quickly across a dense grid.