How word searches work
The summer list is all sensation — sunshine, a heatwave, sunburn, shade, lemonade — with the things that go with it: sandals, a hammock, a sprinkler. It is a warm, easy grid, and it is one of the better themes for a first attempt because almost none of the words share a starting letter.
SPRINKLER and SUNSHINE are the long anchors, and HAMMOCK carries the rare K along with a double M that stands out in the filler. Start with those three and the rest of the grid tends to fall open quickly.
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 summer word list
| Word | Letters | Notable letters |
|---|---|---|
| SUNSHINE | 8 | common letters only |
| VACATION | 8 | V |
| LEMONADE | 8 | common letters only |
| SANDALS | 7 | common letters only |
| SWIMMING | 8 | W |
| POPSICLE | 8 | common letters only |
| HAMMOCK | 7 | K |
| SUNBURN | 7 | common letters only |
| BEACH | 5 | common letters only |
| HEATWAVE | 8 | V, W |
| PICNIC | 6 | common letters only |
| SPRINKLER | 9 | K |
| JULY | 4 | J, Y |
| SHADE | 5 | common letters only |
How to find words faster
- Find the longest summer words first. SPRINKLER is the longest entry at 9 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, Y. Each one appears only a handful of times in the random filler, so finding the letter usually hands you the word.
- Leave JULY 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 summer words are hidden?
Fourteen, drawn from the weather, the holidays and the things people reach for when it is hot. On the ten by ten board the longest entry may be dropped, and the list shows only what is placed.
Which summer word is hardest?
JULY. It is short and it sits at the end of the alphabet, which means the J is rare but the rest of the word is not — so you tend to spot the J and still have to hunt for the right direction.
Can I play this on a phone?
Yes. Drag across the letters with a finger to select. The ten by ten grid is the comfortable size on a small screen; the larger boards work but need a bit more precision.