Rare Words:
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A 1995 study [1] found that junior high school students were able to recognize between 10,000-12,000 words, whereas college students were able to recognize between 12,000-17,000 words.
While, which 10,000-12,000 words vary based on the individual, we can make assumptions about the recognizability of a word based on how common the word is. The more common a word is, the more likely an individual is to have been exposed to it, and thus the more likely that individual would be to recognize and understand the word. The Rare Scale is a linear scale based on word ranks from 10,000 — 20,000. A word with rank at or below 10,000 would be a 0% (thus considered common) on the rare scale, and a word with rank at or above 20,000 would be a 100% (thus considered rare) on the rare scale.
The Rare Scale is meant to be a guide to identify possible problem words. Keep in mind common words may still be problematic as they may have an unusual definition in certain context. Such definitions may be less recognizable and thus capable of confusing the reader. On the other hand domain specific jargon can be both rare in general, and easily understood by a well versed audience on the given topic. Nevertheless, commonality is a reasonable approximation for how well a word may be understood by the general population.
[1] E.B. Zechmeister, A.M. Chronis, W.L. Cull, C.A. D’Anna and N.A. Healy, Growth of a functionally important lexicon, Journal of Reading Behavior, 1995, 27(2), 201-212
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Perhaps even of many worlds. A really hard and really annoying word find.
Instructions: Do you have what it takes? Do you have the skills? The technique? The patience? If so, here is one fiendish word search puzzle for you. Presenting: The World’s Hardest Word Search Puzzle — with just one word.
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Enter Letters and word bank below to use the word search solver
Please Wait!!. We are solving your word search puzzle…
Stuck on a word search? Have you spent what feels like hours hunting for that one missing word to solve your puzzle? You’re in the right place: welcome to our Word Search Solver! Whether you need help solving a school assignment or just want to finish your puzzle before you lose your sanity, you can use our tool to quickly and easily find the missing words you’re looking for.
How To Use the Word Search Solver
- Create your board: In the ‘Create Board’ box, type all the letters that appear on your board in the order they appear. Don’t forget to hit return between lines to ensure correct formatting. The board preview will automatically update as you type, so you can check to make sure the board is accurate as you go.
- Enter words to find: If you’re looking for particular words in your search, you can enter them into the ‘Find these words’ box. When searching for multiple words, make sure to separate them using commas. Spaces aren’t necessary between words.
- Set searching parameters: Our tool allows you to search only for specific words or to search for any word found in the dictionary. If you don’t have specific words you want to search for, set the parameter to ‘Dictionary only.’ Even if you are looking for specific words, it can be fun to see all the words that appear in your search, whether intentionally included or not!
Tips for Solving Word Searches
This section describes some tips on how to improve at word search puzzles.
Scan each row for key letters.
Although this is not the quickest way to solve a puzzle, it is likely the most thorough when you are stuck. Instead of randomly searching the board, start at the top left corner of the board and, row-by-row, scan for key letters or letter combinations. For instance, if one of the words you are searching for is ‘puzzle’, scan the board for the letter ‘P’ or ‘Z’. This methodical approach can help ensure you don’t miss anything hiding in plain sight!
Look for the longest words first.
If your board includes long words, try searching for those first. They’re often easy to find, because they take up a significant amount of space on the board — and they can help you narrow down available search areas for other, shorter words.
Make sure you know your board’s rules.
Depending on the word search, there might be different rules about how words can appear on the board. For instance, some word searches might allow for words to be placed diagonally and backwards across the board, while others may not. Make sure you know your board’s rules, so you’re not missing out on different ways the word could appear.
Look for key two-letter combinations.
Sometimes, if a word contains a lot of common letters, that word can be harder to find on the board. To narrow down your search, try to find a unique two-letter combination within the word that you can search for. These combinations will be less likely to appear randomly on your board, and can significantly narrow down your search time. For instance, if you’re searching for the word ‘Aubergine,’ you might look for the ‘AU’ letter combination instead of only searching for ‘A’s.
Scan the board backwards, or turn it upside down.
If you find yourself stumped, a good way to change your perspective is to scan the board backwards or upside down. For instance, starting at the bottom right corner and looking for key letters might help you find something you missed when scanning from left to right. Similarly, physically turning the board upside down might help you notice patterns on the board that you previously missed.
Use your finger or a pen to keep your place.
It can be easy to lose yourself in all those letters. When you’re scanning the board, keep your place with your finger or a pointing device in order to ensure you don’t inadvertently skip any lines or letters.
Where to Find Word Searches of All Difficulty Levels
The Word Finder has our own word search puzzles to browse and play. Whether you’re a teacher looking for a way to entertain their students, or a hobbyist who just likes to keep their mind sharp, we have word searches for all different ages, topics, and difficulty levels. For many of our puzzles, you can even customize the difficulty level for different players. For instance, you can generate an ‘easy’ Taylor Swift word search for one child, and a ‘hard’ Taylor Swift word search for another, so they can work on the similar tasks customized to their abilities. If you’re looking for more of a challenge, we also have a unique ‘brutal’ setting for our word searches, which creates puzzles even the most skilled searcher would struggle to solve. We also have a tool that will allow you to make your own custom word search puzzle. These can be great for gifts, parties, or even the classroom. Word search puzzles have been around for a long time, and it’s fun to be able to create your own!
Feedback for Word Search Solver
What do you think about our Word Search Solver? Was this tool useful for you, or are there features you’d like to add? We’d love to hear from you! Reach out using the ‘Contact Us’ page linked below to share your suggestions. Also be sure to check out our new wordle solver for the popular new word game!
The Spruce / Hilary Allison
These printable word searches will be sure to challenge even the most advanced puzzler. You’ll find three different levels of hard word searches below, each growing in difficulty based on the number of words you need to find.
There are the hard word searches with 30-39 hidden words, the very hard word searches with 40-49 words you’ll need to find, and the extremely hard word searches with 50 or more hidden words. I suggest starting with the first section and then moving on to the other puzzles after you feel confident that you can tackle them.
If these puzzles aren’t challenging enough for you, you can also consider making your own hard word search. Trade with a friend and see who can complete theirs the quickest.
Many other free word searches are available for just about every holiday and season as well as daily word searches, online puzzles, and word searches just for kids. Both adults and kids will love the challenge and fun these puzzles bring.
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Printable Hard Word Searches
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These word searches are considered hard because they have 30-39 hidden words to find. Can you find them all?
- Famous Artists: There are 30 names of famous artists hidden in this hard word search puzzle.
- Healthy Foods: You’ll need to find 31 hidden healthy food words in this word search puzzle.
- Famous Cars: This hard word search has 32 famous cars that need to be found.
- Arguments: A tough word search puzzle with 33 hidden words.
- Here Comes the Bride: A 33-word puzzle all about weddings.
- The Beach: There are 34 beach words in this word search puzzle.
- Music Artists: Find the names of 34 music artists.
- Busy Schedule: Can you find all 35 words in this word search printable?
- Movie Night: There are 36 movie titles hidden in this word search.
- Lots of Words: A generally hard word search with 38 non-related words.
- Famous American Football Players: Find 38 famous American football players in this puzzle.
- Dogs: Find 38 breeds of dogs in this hard word puzzle.
- Have Fun: A general word search with 38 words to find.
- Your Body: You’ll need to find 39 words to solve this science word search puzzle all about the body.
- United States of America: There are 39 hidden words in this hard word search over the USA.
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Printable Very Hard Word Searches
Kohei Hara / Getty Images
40-49 words that you’ll need to find.
- World Capitals: This is a very hard word search puzzle with 40 world capitals to find.
- The Great Lakes Basin: Find 40 things you might discover in the Great Lakes basin.
- Baseball Players: Find 42 names of famous baseball players in this word search.
- Health Issues: Find 42 health issues in this very hard word search puzzle printable.
- Les Miserables: Here’s a 42 word hidden word search puzzle that’s all about everyone’s favorite musical.
- The Great Lakes: There are 45 hidden words in this word search puzzle.
- Horse Breeds: 46 names of horse breeds are hidden in this difficult word search puzzle.
- Pearl Harbor: Print out this very hard word search puzzle and find all 48 words.
- What’s the Point: Here’s a fun word search printable where you’ll need to find 48 words or phrases that all have points associated with them.
- Hilarious Movies: If you like funny movies, you’re going to love this word search! There are 48 titles of some of the best comedies out there all hidden within this tough word search puzzle.
- Relationships: This printable word search puzzle has 49 words hiding in it.
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Printable Extremely Hard Word Searches
Hero Images / Getty Images
Watch out for these extremely hard word search puzzles with 50 or more hidden words. Pick one with unfamiliar words you to increase the difficulty and make it your own personal hardest word search.
- Strange Words: Can you find all 50 strange words in this word search puzzle?
- European Countries: Find the 50 countries in Europe in this extremely hard word search puzzle.
- Fifty States: You’ll need to find all 50 states to complete this word search puzzle.
- Fifty State Capitals: Another extremely hard word search puzzle where you’ll need to find 50 state capitals.
- Camping: You’ll have to find 50 camping words in this puzzle.
- Popular Girls Names: Find 50 of the most popular names for girls.
- Popular Boys Names: There are 50 names of boys in this word search.
- Harry Potter Word Search: Find 50 Harry Potter-related words to solve this word search.
- Our Family: There are 50 family words to find in this word search printable.
- Self Help: You’ll need to find 50 words to solve this puzzle.
- Gardening: There are 50 hidden words that all have to do with gardening in this hard word search printable. Make it more of a challenge by finding the Lady Bird Johnson quote with the remaining letters.
- Flowers of the 50 States: Can you find the name of each state flower? There are 50 to find!
- Golden Age of Hollywood: Find 50 actors and actresses’ names in this difficult word search puzzle.
- Box Office Hits: Relive your favorite movies with this free hard word search puzzle that asks you to find 50 box office hits.
- Bio-mechanics: There are 50 bio-mechanics words to find in this very difficult word search puzzle.
- ’80’s Cartoons: This is an extra difficult puzzle because the titles of the ’80’s cartoons are so long. Good luck finding all 50 of them!
- Accounting: Find 55 accounting terms in what’s one of the more difficult word search puzzles. If you enjoy this puzzle you may also enjoy free math word puzzles.
- Deserts of the World: There are 60 deserts hidden within this tough word search puzzle. The remaining letters spell out a secret message.
- Around the House: There are an unbelievable 100 words to find in this extra-tough word search puzzle. Can you find all the words that you can find around the house?
- Harry Potter: In this hard word search printable, you’ll need to find a whopping 180 words that all have to do with the Harry Potter universe.
Instructions
Search for hidden words in the letter grid. Find them horizontally, vertically, diagonally, or backward, depending on the difficulty level you select. All the words listed on the right of the game. Tap and drag over the letters to highlight the word and check it off the list.
Too easy? Set the game difficulty in the options menu to change the directions that the words are in. Want to up the challenge? Try timing your word search or hiding your word list. Looking to make the puzzle even harder? Try Maniac Mode!
WORD SEARCH TIPS & TRICKS
Don’t focus on the word list at first. Almost every word search puzzle will contain a handful of obvious words that’ll just pop out at you. There’s no need to even bother looking at your list of words until you’ve circled all the obvious words first and find yourself in need of some help.
Look for multiple words at the same time. Once you’ve found the obvious words, look at the list and try keeping two or three words in your head. You’ll be surprised how often you’ll stumble upon one word when looking for another one.
Leave the hardest words for last. If you’re having a hard time finding a specific word, skip it and look for another one instead. A good strategy is to find as many easy words as possible quickly, and then use the rest of your time looking for the remaining one or two hard ones. Once you identify the easy words on the board, the hard words will become easier to spot.
Look for the last letters of the search words. Many people have an easier time looking for letter clusters than looking for the letters in the order they’re written. If you decide to look for letter clusters while doing your word search puzzle, look for the last three or four letters of the word instead of the first couple. You’re less likely to waste your time chasing false leads that way.
Say the word out loud. People find that saying the word they’re looking for out loud helps stimulate the part of their brain that’s thinking about the puzzle and looking for words. But be careful that you’re not in a place where you can embarrass yourself!
WHAT YOU LEARN FROM PLAYING WORD SEARCH
Much like in our word scramble game, players will rely on their spelling and vocabulary skills, as well as their ability to find words among scrambled letters.
OTHER WORD GAMES
If you enjoy Word searches, try these other free word puzzles:
Hangman Hang on to your balloons! Guess the letters to solve the word puzzle and stay alive.
Daily Crossword Put down the newspaper and solve a new hand-crafted crossword every day. Find words down and across in this classic word-guessing game.
Unolingo Use each letter in the alphabet exactly once to solve this special crossword puzzle. There are no hints, so you’ll have to really use your vocabulary!
Search for hidden words in the letter grid. Find them horizontally, vertically, diagonally, or backward, depending on the difficulty level you select. All the words listed on the right of the game. Click and drag over the letters to highlight the word and check it off the list.
Too easy? Set the game difficulty in the options menu to change the directions that the words are in. Want to up the challenge? Try timing your word search or hiding your word list. Looking to make the puzzle even harder? Try Maniac Mode!
WORD SEARCH TIPS & TRICKS
Don’t focus on the word list at first. Almost every word search puzzle will contain a handful of obvious words that’ll just pop out at you. There’s no need to even bother looking at your list of words until you’ve circled all the obvious words first and find yourself in need of some help.
Look for multiple words at the same time. Once you’ve found the obvious words, look at the list and try keeping two or three words in your head. You’ll be surprised how often you’ll stumble upon one word when looking for another one.
Leave the hardest words for last. If you’re having a hard time finding a specific word, skip it and look for another one instead. A good strategy is to find as many easy words as possible quickly, and then use the rest of your time looking for the remaining one or two hard ones. Once you identify the easy words on the board, the hard words will become easier to spot.
Look for the last letters of the search words. Many people have an easier time looking for letter clusters than looking for the letters in the order they’re written. If you decide to look for letter clusters while doing your word search puzzle, look for the last three or four letters of the word instead of the first couple. You’re less likely to waste your time chasing false leads that way.
Say the word out loud. People find that saying the word they’re looking for out loud helps stimulate the part of their brain that’s thinking about the puzzle and looking for words. But be careful that you’re not in a place where you can embarrass yourself!
WHAT YOU LEARN FROM PLAYING WORD SEARCH
Much like in our word scramble game, players will rely on their spelling and vocabulary skills, as well as their ability to find words among scrambled letters.
OTHER WORD GAMES
If you enjoy Word searches, try these other free word puzzles:
Hangman Hang on to your balloons! Guess the letters to solve the word puzzle and stay alive.
Daily Crossword Put down the newspaper and solve a new hand-crafted crossword every day. Find words down and across in this classic word-guessing game.
Unolingo Use each letter in the alphabet exactly once to solve this special crossword puzzle. There are no hints, so you’ll have to really use your vocabulary!
How to play Word Search on your phone
Did you know you can also play Word Search on your phone? It’s a great way to play without worrying about losing your save data.
For iOS devices, simply tap the «Share» icon 
in Safari and select «Add to Home Screen». For Android devices, tap the “Menu” icon 
and select «Install App».
4.6 
111,285
Votes
Word Search Instructions
Search for hidden words in the letter grid. Find them horizontally, vertically, diagonally, or backward, depending on the difficulty level you select. All the words listed on the right of the game. Tap and drag over the letters to highlight the word and check it off the list.
Too easy? Set the game difficulty in the options menu to change the directions that the words are in. Want to up the challenge? Try timing your word search or hiding your word list. Looking to make the puzzle even harder? Try Maniac Mode!
WORD SEARCH TIPS & TRICKS
Don’t focus on the word list at first. Almost every word search puzzle will contain a handful of obvious words that’ll just pop out at you. There’s no need to even bother looking at your list of words until you’ve circled all the obvious words first and find yourself in need of some help.
Look for multiple words at the same time. Once you’ve found the obvious words, look at the list and try keeping two or three words in your head. You’ll be surprised how often you’ll stumble upon one word when looking for another one.
Leave the hardest words for last. If you’re having a hard time finding a specific word, skip it and look for another one instead. A good strategy is to find as many easy words as possible quickly, and then use the rest of your time looking for the remaining one or two hard ones. Once you identify the easy words on the board, the hard words will become easier to spot.
Look for the last letters of the search words. Many people have an easier time looking for letter clusters than looking for the letters in the order they’re written. If you decide to look for letter clusters while doing your word search puzzle, look for the last three or four letters of the word instead of the first couple. You’re less likely to waste your time chasing false leads that way.
Say the word out loud. People find that saying the word they’re looking for out loud helps stimulate the part of their brain that’s thinking about the puzzle and looking for words. But be careful that you’re not in a place where you can embarrass yourself!
WHAT YOU LEARN FROM PLAYING WORD SEARCH
Much like in our word scramble game, players will rely on their spelling and vocabulary skills, as well as their ability to find words among scrambled letters.
OTHER WORD GAMES
If you enjoy Word searches, try these other free word puzzles:
Hangman Hang on to your balloons! Guess the letters to solve the word puzzle and stay alive.
Daily Crossword Put down the newspaper and solve a new hand-crafted crossword every day. Find words down and across in this classic word-guessing game.
Unolingo Use each letter in the alphabet exactly once to solve this special crossword puzzle. There are no hints, so you’ll have to really use your vocabulary!
How to play Word Search on your phone
To play Word Search easily any time, you can add it directly to your phone as an app. It’s a great way to play without worrying about losing your game save data.
For iOS devices, simply tap the «Share» icon in Safari and select «Add to Home Screen». For Android devices, tap the “Menu” icon and select «Install App».
Search for hidden words in the letter grid. Find them horizontally, vertically, diagonally, or backward, depending on the difficulty level you select. All the words listed on the right of the game. Click and drag over the letters to highlight the word and check it off the list.
Too easy? Set the game difficulty in the options menu to change the directions that the words are in. Want to up the challenge? Try timing your word search or hiding your word list. Looking to make the puzzle even harder? Try Maniac Mode!
WORD SEARCH TIPS & TRICKS
Don’t focus on the word list at first. Almost every word search puzzle will contain a handful of obvious words that’ll just pop out at you. There’s no need to even bother looking at your list of words until you’ve circled all the obvious words first and find yourself in need of some help.
Look for multiple words at the same time. Once you’ve found the obvious words, look at the list and try keeping two or three words in your head. You’ll be surprised how often you’ll stumble upon one word when looking for another one.
Leave the hardest words for last. If you’re having a hard time finding a specific word, skip it and look for another one instead. A good strategy is to find as many easy words as possible quickly, and then use the rest of your time looking for the remaining one or two hard ones. Once you identify the easy words on the board, the hard words will become easier to spot.
Look for the last letters of the search words. Many people have an easier time looking for letter clusters than looking for the letters in the order they’re written. If you decide to look for letter clusters while doing your word search puzzle, look for the last three or four letters of the word instead of the first couple. You’re less likely to waste your time chasing false leads that way.
Say the word out loud. People find that saying the word they’re looking for out loud helps stimulate the part of their brain that’s thinking about the puzzle and looking for words. But be careful that you’re not in a place where you can embarrass yourself!
WHAT YOU LEARN FROM PLAYING WORD SEARCH
Much like in our word scramble game, players will rely on their spelling and vocabulary skills, as well as their ability to find words among scrambled letters.
OTHER WORD GAMES
If you enjoy Word searches, try these other free word puzzles:
Hangman Hang on to your balloons! Guess the letters to solve the word puzzle and stay alive.
Daily Crossword Put down the newspaper and solve a new hand-crafted crossword every day. Find words down and across in this classic word-guessing game.
Unolingo Use each letter in the alphabet exactly once to solve this special crossword puzzle. There are no hints, so you’ll have to really use your vocabulary!
4.6
111,285
Votes