A grid full of treats
This word search is a sweet shop on a page, packed with favourites. You'll track down the classics — LOLLIPOP, FUDGE and TOFFEE — the chewy crowd like the GUMDROP, GUMMY and TAFFY, the old-fashioned striped HUMBUG and fizzy SHERBET, and a smooth square of CHOCOLATE for good measure.
Each puzzle pulls a fresh selection from the list, so the jar is refilled every time you play — gentle on Easy, and a Hard-mode sugar rush once the diagonals and backwards words appear.
How sweets are made
Nearly every treat in the grid starts with one ingredient: SUGAR. Boil it with water and you get hard sweets like the LOLLIPOP and JAWBREAKER; add butter and cook it longer and it turns into golden CARAMEL, TOFFEE and FUDGE; whip in air and gelatine and you get the bouncy GUMMY and JELLYBEAN.
Confectioners have been perfecting these tricks for centuries. The fancier end of the counter — the BONBON, TRUFFLE, PRALINE and NOUGAT — grew out of European chocolate-making, while LICORICE actually comes from the root of a plant. (One fun language note: what Americans call 'candy', the British call 'sweets'.)
A treat for every age
Sweets are pure joy, which makes them a brilliant puzzle theme — kids love spotting their favourites, and it's a sneaky bit of spelling practice with no sugar crash afterwards. It's a fun pairing for a party bag, a treat-themed lesson, or just a rainy afternoon.
Play, print or make your own
Play online, or print a PDF pack for a party or class treat. For all things cocoa, try our Chocolate puzzle. Or use our Make Your Own tool to build a grid from your own favourite sweets and print matching copies for the whole pick-and-mix crowd.