Are Word Searches Good for Your Brain?

No study has shown that word searches prevent dementia or memory loss. What they do give you is steady practice at a few specific skills, and a calm activity that people of all ages enjoy.

Last reviewed 25 September 2026. Every study mentioned is linked in the sources at the bottom.

What a word search actually exercises

Finding a hidden word asks you to hold its spelling in mind, scan a grid in an orderly way, and ignore the filler letters around it. That is practice at visual scanning, sustained attention, and recognising letter patterns. Harder grids hide words backwards and on diagonals, which forces you to break the habit of reading left to right. Those are descriptions of the task itself. Whether practising them carries over to everyday memory or thinking is not known, because there is almost no research on word searches themselves.

What the research says

The study quoted most often comes from the University of Exeter’s PROTECT project, published in 2019. Researchers asked 19,078 cognitively healthy adults aged 50 to 93 how often they did word puzzles, and the more often people did them, the better they tended to score on tests of attention, reasoning and memory. That is a link, not proof: nobody was assigned to do puzzles, and the lead researcher said they could not say the puzzles reduce the risk of dementia. Outside experts pointed out that people with sharper thinking may simply enjoy puzzles more. The survey asked about word puzzles in general, with crosswords as the usual example, so it says nothing about word searches on their own.

A randomised trial published in NEJM Evidence in 2022 followed 107 adults with mild cognitive impairment for 78 weeks. On the main memory and thinking measure, the group trained on online crossword puzzles improved slightly, while the group trained on computerised brain games got slightly worse. There was no group that did no training at all. Crosswords also ask you to recall words from clues, which is a different task from spotting words you have already been given.

The ACTIVE trial randomly assigned 2,832 older adults to training in memory, reasoning or speed of processing. A 2026 analysis, twenty years on, found that people who had speed training with booster sessions were 25% less likely to have a dementia diagnosis in their medical records. That result is for speed training, where people process visual information on a computer screen and make quick decisions. It is not a word puzzle. The US National Institute on Aging advises people to be wary of claims that particular computer and online games improve memory and thinking.

What has stronger evidence

The 2024 Lancet Commission on dementia, an international expert review, lists 14 risk factors that can be changed: less education, hearing loss, high LDL cholesterol, depression, traumatic brain injury, physical inactivity, diabetes, smoking, high blood pressure, obesity, too much alcohol, social isolation, air pollution and untreated vision loss. It estimates that 45% of future dementia could potentially be prevented if all 14 were eliminated. Puzzles are not on the list.

For people living with dementia

For someone living with dementia, a word search is an activity, not a treatment. The NHS encourages people with dementia to keep doing activities they enjoy, mental ones included, and notes that a shared activity can help the person and their carer enjoy time together. A large print grid on a familiar topic can be one of those activities and a starting point for conversation. Activities often need simplifying as dementia progresses, so if a puzzle causes frustration, choose an easier one or stop, because enjoyment is the point. Our large print word search and dementia-friendly word search are made for this.

Frequently asked questions

Do word searches prevent dementia?

There is no evidence that they do. No puzzle has been shown to prevent dementia, and the US National Institute on Aging says nothing has yet been proven to prevent Alzheimer’s disease.

Are word searches good for memory?

There is almost no research on word searches and memory. A word search mostly practises scanning and attention, and the large study that found better memory scores in regular puzzle users was observational, so it cannot show that the puzzles caused the difference.

Are word searches good for anxiety?

Whether they help with anxiety is not known. We could not find good research on word searches and anxiety. If one helps you unwind, that is a fine reason to do it, but it is not a substitute for treatment.

Are crosswords better than word searches for the brain?

Nobody has compared the two directly. The trial that found a benefit used crosswords, which ask you to recall words from clues. A word search gives you the words and asks you to spot them, which is a different task.

Are word searches good for kids?

They give children repeated, low-pressure contact with spelling and topic vocabulary. Whether that improves reading or spelling is not known, so treat them as extra practice alongside reading, not as a way to teach it.

Sources

Regular crosswords and number puzzles linked to sharper brain in later life. University of Exeter news release via ScienceDaily, 16 May 2019. Reports the PROTECT study: Brooker H, et al., International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry 34:921-931, DOI 10.1002/gps.5033.
Expert reaction to two studies on word and number puzzles improving adult cognitive function. Science Media Centre, 2019.
Computerized Games versus Crosswords Training in Mild Cognitive Impairment. Devanand DP, et al. NEJM Evidence, 2022. Full text on PubMed Central.
Decades later, brain training lowers dementia risk. University of Florida Health, 2026. ACTIVE trial 20-year follow-up.
Preventing Alzheimer’s Disease: What Do We Know?. National Institute on Aging (US), content reviewed 10 October 2023.
2024 Lancet Commission underscores the potential for dementia risk reduction, identifying 14 modifiable risk factors. Alzheimer Europe summary of Livingston G, et al., Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2024 report of the Lancet standing Commission, The Lancet, DOI 10.1016/S0140-6736(24)01296-0.
Activities for dementia. NHS, page last reviewed 19 September 2024.

This page is general information, not medical advice. If you are worried about your memory or someone else’s, talk to a doctor.

How to do a word search → · Word search for adults → · All free word search puzzles →