18 puzzles · all free to play and print
Hidden Message Word Search
Free Hidden Message word search puzzles to print or play online.
Play online or print
Thanksgiving Thanks
16 words to find
- TURKEY
- GRAVY
- STUFFING
- PUMPKIN
- CRANBERRY
- HARVEST
- PILGRIM
- FEAST
- CORN
- SQUASH
- ROLLS
- PARADE
- FAMILY
- THANKS
- AUTUMN
- GATHER
Hidden message: find every word, then read the leftover letters from left to right, top to bottom.
Drag from the first to the last letter of a word, or tap the first letter and then the last. The PDF has the puzzle on page 1 and the answer key on page 2.
All 18 Hidden Message puzzles stay free here. Want them as one printable booklet?
All 18 Hidden Message word search puzzles
18 puzzles with about fifteen words each in the grid. Find every word on the list and the letters left over spell a short, friendly message, which the answer key shows. Grids are mixed sizes with words in every direction, backwards too. Themes include Thanksgiving, back to school, the ocean and camping. Every puzzle has an answer key and prints on US Letter or A4. Every one of these 18 puzzles is free: play it online above or print its PDF, with the answer key on page 2. No account, no email.
Hidden message: leftover letters spell a message 18 puzzles
Optional · all in one file
Want all 18 in one booklet?
You do not need it: every Hidden Message puzzle above is free to play and to download one by one. The booklet is only for printing them all at once, a 38-page PDF with a cover, a contents page and the answer keys at the back. Buying it also keeps this site free for everyone.
One-time payment, secure checkout with Stripe. US Letter and A4 PDFs, the download link arrives by email.
How to use these Hidden Message word searches
Use these as a party game where the first person to read out the message wins, as a classroom reward before a break, or as a quiet activity at a care home. Cross out each word as you find it, then copy the unused letters from left to right and top to bottom. Each PDF has the puzzle on page 1 and the answer key on page 2.
Make your own Hidden Message word search
Add your own words, a name or a class list to these hidden message words and pick a level. The preview is free; the printable PDF with its answer key is $1.99.
Good to know about Hidden Message word search
Every Hidden Message puzzle on this page is free to play online and free to print as a PDF with its answer key, one by one. Only the optional booklet, all 18 puzzles bundled into one print-ready file, costs money.
You find and cross out every word on the list. The letters that are not part of any word stay in the grid. Read them in order, left to right and top to bottom, and they spell a short message.
Start in the top left corner and read each row from left to right, skipping the letters you crossed out. The unused letters spell the message. The answer key on page 2 also shows it, in case you get stuck.
Kids from about age 8 can do them, especially with a grown-up to help read the message. The words are plain and the messages are short and positive, so they also work well for family and group activities.
Easy puzzles (10 by 10, words across and down) work from about age 6. Medium puzzles (13 by 13, diagonals added) suit ages 8 to 11. Hard puzzles (16 by 16, every direction, backwards too) are for older kids and adults.
Page 2 of every PDF is the answer key, with each word marked where it hides. When you play online, the Show answers button marks them on the grid.
Every puzzle comes as a US Letter PDF (8.5 by 11 inches) and an A4 PDF (210 by 297 mm). Print at 100% or Actual size.
Every puzzle on this page plays in the browser on a phone, tablet or computer: drag or tap from the first to the last letter of a word. Nothing to install and no account.
Print as many copies as you need for your home, classroom, church group or care home. Please link to this page instead of uploading the files elsewhere.