Example of a word search puzzle

Word Search puzzles are popular with both the young and the old. Word puzzles are a good way to spend a few spare minutes over coffee, or when travelling on public transportation. People enjoy the challenge of finding those hidden words among a haystack of random letters, and value the benefit that while it is enjoyable doing a word puzzle it also exercises and sharpens the mind.

Most newspapers and magazines contain a word search puzzle. Puzzles fill space, as well as offering entertainment for the reader.  Publishers have realized that people will buy more newspapers and do so consistently if there is something in the paper that they have to regularly look forward to.  This ‘discovery’ led to the creation of many favored fillers, such cartoons, horoscopes, advice columns and the word find puzzle.

From news publications word searches found their way into their very own books or puzzle books.  Some people loved the word searches and other word games so much that there became a demand for puzzle books.  These books are usually published on newsprint and are bound in paperback because they are intended to be cheap enough to toss out or recycle as you complete all of the puzzles.  These books make nice gifts for older puzzle maniacs, and a kid’s word puzzle book makes a good source of amusement for children on long journeys, as well as a useful stocking stuffer.

The popularity of word puzzles and the development of technology brought word search puzzles to the  personal computer with many software companies creating word search and other puzzle making software. Later with the advent of the internet word search puzzles spread onto the world wide web. Today there are a range of sites that offer free word search puzzles, themed word finds and even a couple sites that allow avid puzzlers to create their own word search puzzles.