PUZZLE ME THIS

How to use Puzzle Me This

A five-minute guide for teachers

Type a theme, pick a difficulty and a grade, and you have a word search with definitions. Print it with an answer sheet, or share a link and let the class race each other on their own devices.

Making a puzzle

The Puzzle Me This screen showing a Rainforest Animals word search with the word list on the left and status panel on the right.
The whole site is one screen. Controls along the top, word list on the left, puzzle in the middle.
1

Type a theme

Anything: rainforest animals, fractions, Anzac Day, the water cycle. As you type, matching themes from the topic library appear underneath — click one, or keep typing your own.

2

Choose a difficulty

Easy gives 10 words, Medium 20, Hard 30. The grid grows to suit, so a hard puzzle is a bigger square as well as a longer list.

3

Set the grade

Grade 1 through to Grade 12. This changes which words are chosen and how they are hidden — see grade levels below.

4

Press Make puzzle

The grid is built, definitions are attached to each word, and doodles related to the theme are drawn around the edges. Press it again for a different puzzle on the same theme.

Shuffle keeps the same words and rearranges the grid. Refresh words swaps in a different set of words on the same theme — useful when a class needs a second sheet that isn't a repeat.

What's on the screen

Word listEvery word to find, with a short definition beside it. Found words are crossed out in the colour they were found in.
DefinitionsToggle in the top bar. Turn it off for a harder puzzle, or on to make it a vocabulary exercise. The setting carries through to the PDF.
Status panelTells you what just happened, and counts words found, grid size and how many words are stored for the current theme.
Grid sizeLeft on auto the grid is sized to the difficulty. Pick a size from 10×10 to 25×25 to override it — a bigger grid with the same words is harder, a tighter one is easier. If a word is too long for the size you chose, the grid grows just enough to hold it.
Show answersReveals every word in colour. Press again to hide. Handy for marking on the board.

Solving it on screen

Click or tap the first letter of a word, then the last letter — the whole word fills in. Dragging across the letters works too, on a mouse or a touchscreen.

Each word gets its own colour, and finding one crosses it off the list. Words run across, down, diagonally and backwards depending on the grade.

The same puzzle with all answers revealed, each word highlighted in a different colour and crossed off the word list.
Answers revealed. Every word has its own colour, matched to the list on the left.

Find them all and a card appears with your time. From there you can look back over your puzzle, or start a fresh one on the same theme with different words.

Printing and PDFs

Press PDF + answers. Your browser's print window opens with a two-page document:

In the print window choose Save as PDF as the destination to keep a copy, or pick your printer to print straight away. Definitions are included if the Definitions toggle is on when you press the button.

Printing in black and white? The answer sheet still works — words are outlined as well as coloured, so they read clearly on a mono printer.

Using your own words

The Use my words dialog with a text area for one word per line and a field for the puzzle title.
Use my words — one word per line, up to 30, with an optional title.

Press Use my words to paste in a spelling list, key vocabulary, or student names. One word per line, up to 30. Letters only; anything else is trimmed out.

Give it a title — Week 4 spelling, Chapter 6 vocabulary — and that title appears on the puzzle and on the printed sheet. Definitions are looked up automatically where they can be found.

Your words are used for that puzzle only. They aren't saved to the theme library or shared with anyone.

Running an in-class game

Teacher view during an in-class game, showing the shareable room link, Go button, End class button, and the class panel on the right.
Teacher view. The link to hand out, the Go button, and the class list on the right.
1

Make the puzzle first

Get the puzzle you want on screen, then press Start in-class game.

2

Share the link

A short link appears — something like puzzlemethis.online/58345. Write it on the board or press Copy student link and send it out. Students don't need an account or an app.

3

Students choose a name

They open the link, type a name for themselves, and pick light or dark mode. Then they wait — they can't see the puzzle yet. Their names appear in your class list as they arrive.

4

Press Go

Everyone gets the puzzle at the same moment. Students see only the puzzle and the word list — no controls, no answers, no way to change the puzzle.

5

Watch the race

The number beside each name climbs as they find words. Click a name to look at that student's grid and see how they're going.

6

A champion is declared

The first student to find every word is announced on every screen with balloons. Press New round to make another puzzle and send the same class back to the waiting room — nobody has to sign in again.

End class closes the room. Up to 200 students can be in one room at a time.

The timer

Turn on Timer in the top bar and a large clock appears with start and stop buttons. It counts up by default. Set a number of minutes and it counts down instead, which suits a warm-up or a beat-the-clock challenge.

Light and dark mode

The site in dark mode, showing the same puzzle in cream text on a deep indigo background.
Dark mode. The site opens light; this is one press of the Dark button away.

The site opens light — black text on white, which prints and projects well. The Dark button in the top bar swaps the whole site over for anyone who prefers it, and the choice is remembered next time. Students pick their own when they join a class game. Printing is always black on white regardless.

Grade levels explained

The grade you choose does more than filter the vocabulary:

Grades 1–2Across and down only, never backwards or diagonal. Shorter, familiar words and a small grid.
Grade 3Diagonals introduced, running down to the right. Still no backwards words.
Grade 4Backwards words added — every direction can now also run in reverse.
Grades 5–6The second diagonal is added, so words run every which way. Upper-primary vocabulary.
Grades 7–9All directions, a denser grid, and technical terms where the theme has them.
Grades 10–12Longest words, tightest packing, and the most specialised vocabulary for the theme.

If something goes wrong

A theme gives odd or too few words

Press Refresh words to pull a different set. Very narrow themes have less to draw on — broadening it a little ("volcanoes" rather than "Mount Vesuvius eruption dates") usually helps. Or use Use my words and supply exactly what you want.

Students can't see the puzzle

Check you have pressed Go. Until then they sit in the waiting room by design, so nobody gets a head start. Also check they typed the link exactly, including the five digits.

Nothing happens when I press PDF

Your browser may be blocking the print window. Allow pop-ups for this site, or press Ctrl+P (Cmd+P on a Mac) instead.

A word appeared that I'd rather not have in class

Words are screened before they reach a puzzle. If something still slips through, press Refresh words and let us know at the address below so it can be added to the filter.