Word scrambles to make, print and solve

Word Scramble Puzzles

Pick a topic and word length, then unscramble the jumbled words right here or print the sheet with its answer key.

A word scramble is a puzzle where the letters of each word are mixed up and you work out the original word, and this page makes them for you. It is free and runs in your browser, so there is no account or sign-up, and nothing you type is uploaded. You can solve the puzzle online, with checking and hints, or print it as a worksheet with an answer key.

The page opens with eight topic lists (Animals, Food, Sports, Nature, Jobs, Around the House, School and Transportation) at Medium difficulty with 10 words. You can change the lists, or type your own words. Each new puzzle gets a fresh random scramble. The tool works on phones and tablets, and printing works from any browser. Everything you make here is free to use in class or in products you sell, such as KDP puzzle books or Etsy printables.

Word scramble example

How to play word scramble puzzles online or on paper

  1. Choose your words. Under Topic list, click a chip. To pick from every list on the site (63 lists, about 3,000 words), open More lists. To use your own words, click My words and type them in the Your words box, one per line or separated by commas or semicolons.
  2. Set Difficulty and Letters per word. Difficulty is available for topic lists only. For a 5 or 7 letter puzzle, choose exactly 5 or 7 under Letters per word.
  3. Set Number of words from 5 to 40.
  4. Choose Mixing. Pick Shuffle all letters, or Keep first and last letter for an easier puzzle where only the middle letters move.
  5. Choose a Hint. Pick No hint, First letter, First and last letter, Number of letters, or Picture (for the kids’ picture lists).
  6. Solve online. Type each answer into its box and press Enter or Check. Press Hint to reveal one more starting letter each time, or Show answer if you are stuck. Check all, Reveal all and Show answers work on the whole puzzle, and the progress line shows how many you have solved.
  7. Print or save. Open Print settings, set the title, paper size, columns, font size and copies, and turn on Include an answer key page. Click Print / Save PDF, then choose Save as PDF in the browser’s print dialog.

Turn on Word bank to show all answers in mixed order under the puzzle. Copy link saves every setting and the puzzle number.

What is a word scramble?

A word scramble is a puzzle in which the letters of a word are put into a random order, and the solver rearranges them to find the original word. It is also called a word jumble. Each puzzle usually has several words, often from one theme such as animals or food.

What is an example of scrambled words?

Here are real scrambles made with the shuffle all letters setting:

  • ELEPHANT becomes ALNHPTEE
  • TURKEY becomes EURTYK
  • PLANET becomes NPTALE
  • PUMPKIN becomes KPNMPUI
  • VALENTINE becomes EATNEVNLI

With Keep first and last letter, ELEPHANT becomes ELANPEHT and PLANET becomes PLAENT. Scrambles are random, so each new puzzle gives different letter orders.

Is a word jumble the same as a word scramble?

In everyday use, yes. Both names describe the same kind of puzzle. Jumble is also the name of a newspaper puzzle, a trademark of Tribune Content Agency, which adds circled letters and a cartoon riddle. This site has a separate Jumble solver page for that version.

How do you solve a word scramble?

Start with the parts of the word that are easiest to spot, and test your guesses against the letters you have.

  • Look for common letter pairs such as TH, CH, SH, ING, ER and ED, and for common word endings.
  • Place the vowels (A, E, I, O, U) first, then fill in the consonants around them.
  • Say possible syllables aloud, since spoken sounds often reveal a word.
  • Use the topic. In an animal list, the answer is an animal, which narrows the choices.
  • Try moving one letter to the front or the end to see if a word appears.
  • Use the first-letter hint only after you have tried. It gives away less if you have already narrowed the word.

What scramble rules keep the puzzle fair?

The tool follows a few rules when it scrambles a word. The scrambled letters are always in a different order from the word. The scramble is never another real English word made of the same letters, so HEART is never shown as EARTH. For words of 4 or more letters, at most half of the letters stay in their original place when possible. Words in a phrase, such as candy cane, are scrambled separately and the space stays.

Some words also have alternate answers. If you type a different real word that uses exactly the same letters, such as ANGLE for ANGEL, it counts as correct. This applies to 406 of the 2,135 single-word list entries.

Frequently asked questions

Can I play word scrambles with only 5 or 7 letter words?

Yes. Set Letters per word to exactly 5 or 7. The tool uses only single words of that length from the list you chose. If the list does not have enough of them, it adds words from related lists and shows an info line to say so.

How do I check my answers?

Type your answer and press Enter or Check. The tool replies “Correct!” or “Not quite. Try again.” Use Check all to check every word at once, or Reveal all and Show answers if you want the answers.

Can I print the puzzle with an answer key?

Yes. In Print settings, turn on Include an answer key page. Each copy is followed by an answer page that lists the scrambled letters and the answers. Click Print / Save PDF, then choose Save as PDF in the browser’s print dialog to keep a file. Copies from 1 to 30 each get the same words in a different order, labelled Version 1, Version 2 and so on.

Is it free, or do I need an account?

It is free, and you do not need an account or sign-up. Everything runs in your browser, and nothing you type is uploaded. It also works on phones and tablets.

Can I make a scramble from my own words?

Yes. Click My words and type up to 200 entries, one or more per line, or separated by commas or semicolons. Each entry can be up to 30 characters, and may use letters, spaces, hyphens and apostrophes. Entries that cannot be used are listed with the reason, such as too long or fewer than 2 letters.

Are there easier word scrambles for kids?

Yes. Choose Easy difficulty (3 to 5 letters) on a topic list, set Mixing to Keep first and last letter, and choose a hint. The picture lists for kids have an emoji for every word, and the Picture hint uses them.

Can I sell the word scrambles I make here, for example on Etsy or in a KDP book?

Yes. The word scrambles you make here are royalty-free for personal, classroom and commercial use, including KDP books, Etsy printables, Teachers Pay Teachers and print-on-demand products. No credit is required, and the only thing you may not do is copy the generator or the site itself to run a competing service. See the terms for details.

Is this a crossword jumble puzzle?

Not quite. A crossword jumble puzzle adds a crossword grid to the scrambled words, while these are plain word scrambles with no grid. The jumble word solution for each word is on the answer key page, or behind Show answer when you play online.