How word searches work
The cat list mixes breeds — Persian, Siamese, Bengal, Ragdoll, a Sphynx — with the things cats do and have: whiskers, purring, pouncing, catnip. It gives the grid more variety than a pure breed list would, and it makes the puzzle friendlier for anyone who knows cats better than cat shows.
SPHYNX is the strange one: six letters, a Y, an X, and no vowel other than the Y. It is the fastest find on the board. WHISKERS is the long anchor with a K and a W. MEOW is short and will be last.
The grid regenerates every time you load the page, so the same theme never gives you the same arrangement twice. Words run in all eight directions including backwards and diagonally, and your fastest completion time for each grid size is saved in your browser.
The cat word list
| Word | Letters | Notable letters |
|---|---|---|
| WHISKERS | 8 | K, W |
| KITTEN | 6 | K |
| PERSIAN | 7 | common letters only |
| SIAMESE | 7 | common letters only |
| TABBY | 5 | Y |
| PURRING | 7 | common letters only |
| FELINE | 6 | common letters only |
| BENGAL | 6 | common letters only |
| SPHYNX | 6 | X, Y |
| CATNIP | 6 | common letters only |
| RAGDOLL | 7 | common letters only |
| MEOW | 4 | W |
| POUNCE | 6 | common letters only |
| CALICO | 6 | common letters only |
How to find words faster
- Find the longest cat words first. WHISKERS is the longest entry at 8 letters, and long words have far fewer possible placements than short ones. Clearing them early removes a disproportionate share of the grid.
- Target the uncommon letters in this list. The rare letters present here are K, W, X, Y. Each one appears only a handful of times in the random filler, so finding the letter usually hands you the word.
- Leave MEOW until last. At 4 letters it is the shortest entry, which means it has the most possible positions on the grid and hides best. Short words are always the least efficient thing to hunt first.
- Read every candidate in both directions. Roughly half the placements in any grid are reversed. If an area looks empty, try reading it backwards before moving on.
Frequently asked questions
How many cat words are hidden?
Fourteen, spanning seven breeds and seven things about cats generally. On the ten by ten grid the longest word may not fit, in which case the list shows only what was placed.
Which cat word is hardest to find?
MEOW. Four letters, and although the W is rare, the word is short enough to have a great many possible positions. TABBY is close behind because of its double B.
Are the breed names spelt the standard way?
Yes. Sphynx is the correct breed spelling, with a Y, even though it looks like a typo. It is one of the reasons the word is so easy to spot in the grid.