Word scrambles to make, print and solve

Anagram Puzzles

Turn each word into a different word using all of its letters. Solve online or print the puzzle with an answer key.

Anagram puzzles give you a word and ask you to rearrange its letters into a different real word. This free tool builds them for you online or as printable worksheets, at easy, medium, hard and mixed levels. It runs in your browser, so there is no account or sign-up, and the words you type are not uploaded. Teachers use anagram puzzles as warm-ups and early-finisher work, and they suit spelling and vocabulary practice, puzzle pages for adults, and party or office quizzes. Each clue is a word such as HEART, and your job is to find a word that uses exactly the same letters, such as EARTH. The tool also works on phones and tablets. Everything you make here is free to use in class or in products you sell, such as KDP puzzle books or Etsy printables.
Anagram puzzles example

How to make and solve anagram puzzles

  1. Choose a source. Pick Ready-made puzzles for the built-in word groups, or My words to use your own list.
  2. Pick a level. Easy uses 3 and 4 letter words, Medium uses 5 and 6 letters, and Hard uses 7 or more letters. Mixed gives about 30% easy, 40% medium and 30% hard, sorted from short to long.
  3. Set Number of words from 5 to 40. The page starts at Easy with 10 words.
  4. Choose a hint: No hint, First letter of the answer, or Last letter of the answer. A first-letter hint appears as a pattern, so DOG shows g__.
  5. Solve online. Each clue word appears as letter tiles with a box for your new word. Press Enter or Check, or press Show to reveal an answer.
  6. Use the whole-puzzle buttons when you need them: Check all, Show answers or Hide answers, Give up and reveal all, and New puzzle.

For anagram puzzles printable as worksheets, use the print settings: the Worksheet title, a Name and date line, the Paper size (US Letter or A4), Columns (1 or 2), Print size (Normal or Large), and whether to Add an answer key page. Then select Print / Save PDF and choose Save as PDF in the browser dialog, or select Print answer key only to print just the key.

Copy link saves your settings and puzzle number, so the same puzzle opens again. Words entered under My words are kept in the part of the link after the # sign.

What is an anagram puzzle, and how is it different from a word scramble?

An anagram puzzle gives you a real word and asks you to find a different real word made from exactly the same letters, with each letter used once. A word scramble, by contrast, gives you a jumble of letters that is not a word, so the solver has to unscramble it.

An anagram is a word or phrase made by rearranging all the letters of another word or phrase. LISTEN becomes SILENT, and HEART becomes EARTH. In an anagram puzzle, the clue is itself a real word, so the solver must find a different word, not the one shown. If you type HEART back as your answer, the tool replies that it is the same word.

Any word in the same letter group counts as correct. For SPEAR, both SPARE and PEARS are valid, and the tool lists the other valid answers after you solve it. Ready-made puzzles never include two clue words made of the same letters, so each clue has its own group. Examples from the tool include WORSE to SWORE at Medium and REVERSE to RESERVE at Hard.

How do you solve anagrams? Tips that work

To solve anagrams, work with the letters rather than the spelling of the clue, and try a few arrangements before you give up. Start with the common patterns below, because they often reveal the answer quickly.

  • Say the word in a new order of sounds rather than reading it letter by letter. Sounds often suggest a different word shape.
  • Move the last letter, or a final -s, to the front. STOP gives POTS, SPOT, TOPS and POST.
  • Try common pairs such as TH, CH, SH, ER and ST as single blocks, then place the remaining letters around them.
  • Swap vowel positions. FATE becomes FEAT by moving the A and E around.
  • For 7 or more letters, look for endings such as -ING, -ED and -ER. TEACHING becomes CHEATING: take off -ING, and the leftover letters TEACH use the same letters as CHEAT, which then takes -ING.

Keep a short list of candidate words as you go. Crossing off the arrangements that do not work is often faster than trying every order at once.

Frequently asked questions

Are there anagram puzzles with answers?

Yes. Online, every word has a Show button, and the whole puzzle has Show answers and Give up and reveal all. For printing, turn on Add an answer key page, or use Print answer key only, which lists up to 3 answers for each word.

Are there easy anagram puzzles for kids?

Yes. Choose the Easy level, which uses 3 and 4 letter words such as DOG to GOD and FELT to LEFT. For younger solvers, set Print size to Large before printing.

Are there anagram puzzles for adults?

Yes. Medium and Hard levels use longer words, such as WORSE to SWORE at Medium and MARGINAL to ALARMING at Hard. Choose Mixed if you want a range of lengths in the same puzzle.

Can I make anagram puzzles from my own words?

Yes. Select My words and type up to 100 words, one per line or separated by commas, with each word between 3 and 20 letters. The tool finds other words with the same letters, keeps up to 6 answers per word, and lists any skipped word with the reason, such as no anagram or a duplicate.

No. An anagram word search is a grid where the hidden words are given as anagrams, and an anagram magic square is a separate magazine format. This tool makes straight word-to-word anagram puzzles. For a list of scrambled words to unscramble, use the word scramble generator.

Can I sell the anagram puzzles I make here, for example in a KDP puzzle book?

Yes. The anagram puzzles 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.