How it works
This word search for ESL classes opens on a finished puzzle: 12 everyday words, such as pencil and water, hidden across and down in a 10 by 10 grid. Grid and word list are both in lowercase. Nine unit lists hold 188 words in all.
Read the full guide
Pick the unit you are teaching
Under the puzzle, Start from a list offers nine units: Classroom Objects, School Supplies, Family, Food and Drink, Clothes, The Body, Days and Months, Places in Town and Jobs. Each holds 18 to 26 words, so New puzzle draws a fresh 12 on every press. Short Words adds 40 words of 3 to 5 letters, such as egg and hat.
Print it with translation lines
On paper a ruled line sits beside each word, so pupils find bread, then write it in their first language. Where English is the foreign language, the same sheet works as an English language word search.
- Every word has 10 letters or fewer, to fit the grid. To add Firefighter, type it at the end of the word list: the grid grows to 12 by 12 to fit it.
- English writes Monday and June with capitals, so untick Lower-case letters before printing Days and Months.
- For a stronger class, tick Show clues, not words. Next: a Find Someone Who sheet for speaking.
Questions and answers
Why is this ESL word search in lowercase?
Lowercase is the shape pupils are learning to read. Here the grid and the list match, so a pupil looks for pencil, not PENCIL. To get capitals, untick Lower-case letters under More options.
Do the translation lines show on screen?
No. The ruled lines are part of the printed sheet only, in two columns under the grid. On screen, pupils drag from a word's first letter to its last, or tap the two ends, and the list crosses the word off.
How were the words checked?
All 188 are entered in the Oxford Learner's Dictionaries, written for people learning English (read 19 September 2026). American spellings, such as eraser, pajamas and theater, follow the American Heritage Dictionary.