Solving Techniques
How to Find Hidden Words
These notes describe habits that many solvers use. They do not guarantee a faster finish. Letterfield Press puzzles only accept paths that match the recorded answer key, so a random spelling in the filler will not count.
01 — Scan the First Letters
Choose one word from the bank and look only for its opening letter. On a medium grid that letter usually appears more than once. Confirm a candidate only when the following letters sit on a straight compass line.
Tip: on paper, tick first letters lightly so you can return to them without retracing the whole grid.
02 — Check Rows and Columns
Easy puzzles hide words only left to right and top to bottom. Read each row as if it were a line of type, then read each column from the top. Skip diagonals until you have finished those two passes.
Tip: unusual pairs such as QU or double letters are easier to hear than to see.
03 — Look for Diagonals
Medium adds southeast and southwest. Step one row and one column together. The miniature grid below hides OAK on a southeast slope from the top-left cell.
Tip: tilt a printed page so the diagonal feels closer to a row.
04 — Read Backward
Hard puzzles may place a word west, north, or up a diagonal. The letters are still a straight run. In the sample, OCEAN is written right to left along the first row.
Tip: uncommon last letters such as X or Z are useful anchors for reverse words.
05 — Find Longer Words First
A long word occupies many cells in a straight line. Once it is marked, leftover short words have fewer hiding places. Sort the bank by length before you start.
Tip: if a long word will not fit the selected grid, the generator will say so before you start searching.
06 — Recheck Shared Letters
Two listed words may share a cell when the letter is valid for both. Marking SUN does not retire the N if NET still needs it. Highlights stack; they are not erased.
Tip: after each find, glance along that path for the start of another bank word.