How word searches work
Several of these end in -ING, which creates a genuine complication in a word search: ROWING, BOXING, CYCLING, SKIING, FENCING, CURLING and SURFING all terminate in the same three letters. A cluster of I-N-G in the grid could belong to any of them.
The productive approach is to search from the front rather than the back. Look for the distinctive opening consonants — the J in JAVELIN, the initial pair in CRICKET, the double B in NETBALL's neighbours — and confirm the -ING tail afterwards rather than starting from it.
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 sports word list
| Word | Letters | Notable letters |
|---|---|---|
| BASEBALL | 8 | common letters only |
| CRICKET | 7 | K |
| HOCKEY | 6 | K, Y |
| ARCHERY | 7 | Y |
| ROWING | 6 | W |
| BOXING | 6 | X |
| CYCLING | 7 | Y |
| SKIING | 6 | K |
| FENCING | 7 | common letters only |
| NETBALL | 7 | common letters only |
| JAVELIN | 7 | J, V |
| CURLING | 7 | common letters only |
| SURFING | 7 | common letters only |
| RUGBY | 5 | Y |
How to find words faster
- Find the longest sports words first. BASEBALL 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 J, K, V, 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 RUGBY 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 sports are included?
Fourteen entries covering team games, individual events and one piece of equipment. The mix spans field sports, winter sports, combat sports and water sports rather than concentrating on any one category.
Why do so many words end the same way?
Seven of the fourteen are gerunds ending in -ING: ROWING, BOXING, CYCLING, SKIING, FENCING, CURLING and SURFING. That shared ending is the main source of confusion, so search from the front of each word instead.
Which is the easiest sport to find?
JAVELIN. The J is the only one in the grid unless the random filler happens to generate another, so spotting that single letter effectively hands you the word.