How to Make a Word Search With a Hidden Message

A word search with a hidden message looks like an ordinary word search, but its secret is in the letters nobody was asked to find. When every word is circled, the cells left over spell a sentence. This guide explains how to make a word search with a hidden message, why the numbers have to add up exactly, and how the free tool solves that sum for you.

How a hidden message word search works

In a normal word search the empty cells are filled with random letters. Here they are filled with your message, written in reading order. The solver finds the words from the list, then reads the uncircled letters from left to right and from top to bottom. The puzzle is a good fit for a birthday, a wedding table, a class party or a family reunion, because the message can be personal.

The price of that design is that the grid must be filled exactly. There is no room for one random letter, so the words and the message must together cover every cell.

The sum behind the grid

The free maker works with a simple equation:

Two words cross when they use the same letter in the same cell, and each shared letter saves one cell. The tool allows at most two shared letters for each word of your list, and never more than 20 percent of the word letters. It also refuses a grid where the word letters fill more than two thirds of the cells, so there is always enough message to hide among them.

A birthday example, checked

We gave the tool's own birthday list (CAKE, CANDLES, BALLOON, PRESENT, PARTY, FRIENDS, MUSIC, GAMES, SURPRISE, WISHES) and the message "Happy birthday Grandma, we all love you very much" at the medium level.

Check the sum. The ten words have 61 letters and the message has 40 letters, which makes 101. The grid has 100 cells, so exactly one letter is shared by two words. We also read the circled letters with a script, in reading order, and they spell HAPPYBIRTHDAYGRANDMAWEALLLOVEYOUVERYMUCH. The tool also checks that each word appears only once in the grid, so the solver cannot find a second copy by accident.

Writing a message that fits

You will rarely hit the exact number on your first try. If your message is too short for the grid your words call for, the tool does not guess: it tells you how many letters to add. Adding a name or one more word to the message is usually enough. Some practical choices:

• Write the message first, then choose words around its length. Count the letters without spaces, accents or punctuation.
• Keep the message natural. A greeting, a riddle answer or a short wish reads better than a list of letters.
• Do not put a word of your list inside another one (CAKE and CAKES). The tool drops a word that is hidden inside another word of the list, to avoid a second copy.
• Think of the message as the last clue of a game. A riddle whose answer is the message, or the name of a surprise gift, gives solvers a reason to finish the whole grid.
• Long words make the grid wider. A word must fit in the grid, so one 12-letter word forces at least 12 columns.

Making one with the free tool

1. Open the hidden message maker. No account is needed.
2. Type the message, then the words, one per line.
3. Choose the level. Easy hides words across and down only, medium adds two diagonals, hard uses all 8 directions.
4. Click Generate and read the notice under the grid: it lists skipped words and any letters to add.
5. Download the PDF.

If the notice asks for more letters, do not add random ones. Add a name, a date written in letters, or an extra word such as "thanks". The solver then gets a longer, warmer message instead of a string of filler.

What the PDF contains

Page 1 has the grid, the words in five columns, a short instruction and one blank per message letter, grouped by word. Page 2 has the solution with the words marked and the message written out. A small footer says it is for personal use.

Limits to know

The grid size cannot be chosen, because it follows from the sum above. If you need a particular size, change the number of words or the length of the message until the tool picks it. This tool makes one puzzle at a time. If you want many classic word searches in one book, create a free account and use the Word Search assistant, and read how to make a word search puzzle first for the basics. For older readers, word search for seniors explains what makes a grid easy to read.

Questions