Valentines Day word search
Twelve Valentine words are hidden in this grid, and this one does not go easy on you: the words run in all eight directions, diagonals and backwards included.
Curated by 
Esme Rook
·
Updated August 2026
Play it right here
Drag across the letters to select a word. Words hide across, down and diagonally, forwards and backwards. Works with mouse and touch.
What is hidden in this Valentines word search?
Twelve words in a 12x12 grid: cupid, roses, chocolate, heart, candy, arrow, flowers, cards, hugs, kisses, romance and valentine. CHOCOLATE and VALENTINE are the nine letter anchors and the sensible first targets, because a long word has fewer places it can possibly sit. HUGS is the one that hides longest.
How hard is it, and what age is it for?
Harder than it looks. Every one of the eight directions is in play on this board, diagonally and backwards as well as across and down, so it suits roughly age 8 and up and it still gives adults a proper hunt. If you want something gentler for younger children, the easy word search hides eight words across and down only.
Can I print it for a class or a party?
Yes. Both PDFs are free, with no sign up: one sheet for the puzzle and a separate one for the solution, so you can hand out the grid without handing out the answers. Print one per child for a class party, or leave it on the table while dinner finishes. For the day romance turns into a guest list, the wedding word search has seven boards of its own, from the ceremony to the bridal shower.
Seven Valentines Day word searches to print, one for each part of the day
The extra six split the day the way it actually splits: the sweets, the vocabulary, the card table, the couples out of the old stories, the friendship half that Spanish speaking countries put at the centre of 14 February, and the classroom exchange, which is a specific American ritual with its own shoebox and its own rules. No word appears twice across the seven. Two word terms run together on the board: candy heart is CANDYHEART, best friend is BESTFRIEND, valentine box is VALENTINEBOX.
The 12x12 board on this page
The board above, printed as it stands: twelve words in all eight directions, with CHOCOLATE and VALENTINE as the nine letter anchors and HUGS hiding longest.
The sweets: what is in the box
A 13x13 board of the inside of the heart shaped box: truffles, bonbons, praline, ganache, nougat, fudge, the marshmallow and the candy heart with a message printed on it.
The vocabulary: twelve words for it
The board for older solvers, 13x13 and no pictures: adore, affection, devotion, beloved, cherish, tenderness, the crush, the admirer and the eleven letter infatuation that is none of the above.
The cards: the craft table
Everything spread on the table on 13 February, in a 13x13 grid: the doily, the cardstock, the scissors, the glitter glue, the pipe cleaner, the paper chain of hearts and the rhyme that has to fit inside.
The couples: the old stories
The board an adult will pick up, 13x13 and every pair ends badly: Romeo and Juliet, Antony and Cleopatra, Tristan and Isolde, Lancelot and Guinevere, Orpheus and Eurydice, Odysseus and Penelope.
Friendship: the other half of the day
In Mexico and Colombia 14 February is the day of love AND friendship, so this 13x13 board is not a consolation prize: loyalty, trust, laughter, the confidant, the companion and the best friend.
The classroom exchange, shoebox and all
A 13x13 board for the school ritual: the decorated shoebox on the desk, the mailbox slot, the candygram, the stickers, the signature copied twelve times and the one card left anonymous.
