How word searches work
The pirate list is the whole story in fourteen words: a captain, a galleon, a cutlass, a cannon, plunder, a doubloon, buried treasure on an island, a parrot on the shoulder. It is one of the most requested themes for younger solvers and a lively grid for anyone.
TREASURE and DOUBLOON are the long anchors, and DOUBLOON's double O is easy to spot. SKULL and PLANK are the five-letter entries, and SKULL's double L reads as filler. There is one K on the board, in PLANK, and finding it finds the word.
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 pirate word list
| Word | Letters | Notable letters |
|---|---|---|
| TREASURE | 8 | common letters only |
| CUTLASS | 7 | common letters only |
| PARROT | 6 | common letters only |
| COMPASS | 7 | common letters only |
| GALLEON | 7 | common letters only |
| PLUNDER | 7 | common letters only |
| ANCHOR | 6 | common letters only |
| DOUBLOON | 8 | common letters only |
| CAPTAIN | 7 | common letters only |
| SKULL | 5 | K |
| PLANK | 5 | K |
| CANNON | 6 | common letters only |
| BURIED | 6 | common letters only |
| ISLAND | 6 | common letters only |
How to find words faster
- Find the longest pirate words first. TREASURE 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. Each one appears only a handful of times in the random filler, so finding the letter usually hands you the word.
- Leave SKULL until last. At 5 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 pirate words are hidden?
Fourteen, covering the ship, the crew and the treasure. On the ten by ten grid the longest may be dropped, and the word list shows only the ones placed.
Which pirate word is hardest?
SKULL. Five letters, a repeated L, and the K is the only distinctive thing about it. PLANK is close behind.
Is this suitable for children?
Yes. The vocabulary is adventure-story vocabulary rather than anything violent, the theme is popular with younger solvers, and the ten by ten grid is the right size to start on. It is built for a general audience.