How word searches work
Astronomy vocabulary is unusually rich in rare letters, which makes this one of the easier themes despite the technical words. QUASAR carries a Q, GALAXY and ECLIPSE both carry an X or a C-L pair, and PULSAR and QUASAR share a distinctive -SAR ending.
Start with QUASAR. There is exactly one Q in the grid unless the filler happens to generate another, so finding that letter effectively hands you the word. The same logic applies to the X in GALAXY. Rare-letter words are always the cheapest entries to clear first.
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 space word list
| Word | Letters | Notable letters |
|---|---|---|
| NEBULA | 6 | common letters only |
| GALAXY | 6 | X, Y |
| COMET | 5 | common letters only |
| ORBIT | 5 | common letters only |
| METEOR | 6 | common letters only |
| SATURN | 6 | common letters only |
| ECLIPSE | 7 | common letters only |
| QUASAR | 6 | Q |
| CRATER | 6 | common letters only |
| LUNAR | 5 | common letters only |
| COSMOS | 6 | common letters only |
| PULSAR | 6 | common letters only |
| ASTEROID | 8 | common letters only |
| GRAVITY | 7 | V, Y |
How to find words faster
- Find the longest space words first. ASTEROID 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 Q, V, X, Y. Each one appears only a handful of times in the random filler, so finding the letter usually hands you the word.
- Leave COMET 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
What space words are hidden here?
Fourteen astronomy terms covering planets, stellar objects, spacecraft concepts and physical phenomena, from the familiar COMET and ORBIT through to QUASAR and PULSAR.
Is this puzzle easier than the other themes?
Generally yes, despite the technical vocabulary. Astronomy terms carry an unusual number of rare letters — the Q in QUASAR, the X in GALAXY — and rare letters are the fastest thing to spot in a field of random filler.
What is the difference between a quasar and a pulsar?
A quasar is an extremely luminous galactic core powered by a supermassive black hole. A pulsar is a rapidly rotating neutron star emitting beams of radiation. They share the -SAR ending but nothing else.