Free phonics word searches, in fifteen careful steps
Every word in every puzzle is decodable — built only from the letter–sound patterns a child has already been taught. Play it in a browser, or print worksheets for the whole class.
No account. No adverts. Nothing collected. Works offline once loaded.
A word search that is actually reading practice
In most word searches a child scans for a shape. They can find elephant without reading a single letter of it. That is a pleasant puzzle, but it is not reading.
These are built the other way round. Each stage draws only on words that share one phonic pattern, and all the words in a grid look alike — a Stage 1 grid is full of three-letter words with short vowels, a Stage 11 grid is full of soft c. There is no distinctive silhouette to spot, so the only way through is to decode. Telling race from rice, rack and racy takes sounding out, and that is exactly the point.
Play on any screen
Phone, tablet, laptop or whiteboard. Drag across a word, or tap the first letter and then the last — no dragging needed. Keyboard and screen reader friendly throughout.
Print for the class
A4 or Letter, one or two puzzles to a page, with answer sheets. Generate a fresh set whenever you need one — the words are sampled anew each time, so no two worksheets are the same.
Follow the progression
Fifteen stages in three levels, from CVC words to four-syllable vocabulary and suffixes, matching the trugs card boxes stage for stage.
Fifteen stages, three levels
The sequence is the trugs reading scheme: each stage introduces one pattern, and nothing appears before it has been taught. 2,161 words across the fifteen stages, plus check rounds and two tricky-word sets.
Foundation
CVC words, initial blends, final clusters, two-syllable words and r-controlled vowels. Words run left to right only, so the first puzzles are findable for a brand new reader.
Vowel Power
The split digraph, vowel digraphs, then longer words that combine them. Words start running downwards as well as across.
Advanced
Soft c, soft g, consonant + le, four-syllable words and suffixes. Diagonals join in, so the search is as demanding as the vocabulary.
Why it suits classrooms and tutors
- No timer pressure. The clock starts when the first word is selected, pauses when you need it to, and a slow reader is never penalised.
- Nothing to set up. One link. No accounts, no logins, no class codes, no email addresses.
- Nothing collected. No analytics, no cookies, no tracking. Safe on locked-down school machines.
- Accessible by design. Tested against WCAG 2.2 AA with no automated violations on any screen.
- Works offline. Install it to a tablet home screen and it keeps working with no connection at all.
- Teacher notes built in. Every stage carries an explanation of the pattern, what to listen for, and the classic pitfalls.
- Endlessly repeatable. Words are sampled fresh each time, so replaying a stage means new words with the same sounds, not the same grid again.
- Print as much as you like. No watermarks, no per-sheet limit.
Where this comes from
The word search is free, and it is one small part of a reading scheme that has been in classrooms for years.
The trugs card games
trugs — Teach Reading Using Games — is a structured phonics scheme created by Joanna Jeffery, a dyslexia specialist and teacher of thirty-five years. The same fifteen stages, as printed card games and downloadable printables used by teachers, tutors and specialist assessors.
The Trugs Card Table
The card games on screen: Get It, Match It and Take It, played solo against Trug the robot or head-to-head on one device. Same rules, same packs, same fifteen-stage ladder as the boxes on the shelf.
Common questions
Is it really free?
Yes. There is no charge, no account, no sign-in and no advertising. Nothing is collected about the people who use it.
What is a decodable word search?
An ordinary word search uses whatever words fit the theme. A decodable one only uses words built from letter–sound patterns the child has already been taught.
Every word in a given stage follows that stage's pattern, so the words in a grid resemble one another and there is no distinctive shape to spot. Finding a word becomes an act of reading rather than shape matching.
Can I print the word searches?
Yes. Any stage prints to A4 or Letter, one or two puzzles to a page, with a matching answer sheet. There is no watermark and no limit on how many you print for your class.
Which age group is it for?
The early stages suit children at the start of phonics, roughly five upwards. Because the words get as far as four-syllable vocabulary and suffixes, the later stages also work well for older struggling readers who want practice material that does not look babyish.
Do I need to install anything?
No. It runs in any modern browser. If you want it on a tablet home screen you can install it as an app, and it will then work with no internet connection at all.
Is it suitable for dyslexic learners?
It follows the trugs scheme, which was designed by a dyslexia specialist for structured, systematic phonics teaching. Words are introduced in a fixed order so a learner only ever meets sounds already taught, and there is no timer pressure to read quickly.
It is not a diagnostic tool and it does not replace specialist teaching. It is practice material that fits alongside it.
Does it work on a school network?
It is a single web page with no external requests, no cookies, no logins and no tracking, so it behaves well behind filtering and on locked-down machines. It can also be installed for offline use, which avoids the network entirely.
What is trugs?
trugs stands for Teach Reading Using Games. It is a structured phonics reading scheme of fifteen stages, created by Joanna Jeffery, and published as card games used by teachers, tutors and specialist assessors.
Ready to try it?
Pick a stage and play. It takes about a minute to see whether it suits your learner.