Word Puzzle

115 articles

Getting Started

What is the Word Search studio? Word Search is the first studio of BookyAI Activity Studio, a paid add-on for the BookyAI desktop app. It builds comple… Where do I find it? Open the BookyAI app and click "Activity" in the sidebar. The Activity Studio page shows all the studios. When you own … What else do I need? The BookyAI app with your BookyAI license activated, and the Word Search studio license. The puzzles themselves are mad… Does it work on Windows and Mac? Yes. It is part of the BookyAI desktop app on both Windows and macOS. Is there a guided tour? Yes. Click "Guide" at the bottom of the sidebar while you are in Activity Studio or in the Word Search studio. The tour… Where are my activity books? They are not in my Library. Activity books are listed on the Activity Studio page under "Your activity books", not in the Library. Click a book to …

Price, License and Activation

How much does the Word Search studio cost? $97, paid once. No subscription. Every future update to the Word Search studio is included. Each Activity Studio studio… I bought Word Search with my BookyAI account. How do I activate it? You normally do not have to do anything. Open Activity Studio on the computer where your BookyAI license is active; you… I received a license key by email. Where do I enter it? On the Activity Studio page, click "Enter a key", paste the key (format BND-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX) and click "Activate". I just paid and the studio is still locked. Purchases can take a minute or two to arrive. Click "Check my purchases". Make sure you are connected to the internet a… I see "Couldn't reach the license server. Check your internet and try again." The app could not reach the license server. Check your internet connection (and any firewall or VPN that may block the … I see "That key isn't an Activity Studio license key." You entered a different BookyAI key, for example your main BookyAI key or a Listen or Audio key. Use the key from the e… I see "That license key wasn't found. Double-check it and try again." The key was mistyped or incomplete. Copy it straight from the email, including the BND- at the start. If it still fails… I see "Activity Studio runs on the computers where your BookyAI license is active. Activate BookyAI here first." The studio follows your main BookyAI license. Activate BookyAI on this computer first, then go back to Activity Studio … I see "This Activity Studio license was revoked or refunded. Enter a valid key to continue." The license was refunded or cancelled. If you think this is a mistake, contact support with your purchase email. I see "We couldn't verify your Activity Studio license. Reconnect to the internet and retry." The studio works offline for 30 days after its last successful license check. After that it needs to connect once. Conn… Can I use the studio on two computers? The studio unlocks on every computer where your BookyAI license is active. With a single-device BookyAI license that is… Is there a money-back guarantee? Yes, the Build-a-Book Guarantee. If the studio is not what you expected, write to support within 14 days of your purcha… I made many books and now I want a refund. Why was it refused? The guarantee ends when the 6th book is exported or after 14 days, whichever comes first. After that point the studio h… What happens to my books if I get a refund? The studio license is deactivated. The PDFs and files you already exported stay on your computer. Word search books can… Can I open a word search book without the studio? No. If the studio is locked, clicking a word search book shows "Unlock Word Search to open this book."

Making a New Book

How do I start a new word search book? In Activity Studio, click the Word Search card. A window "A new word search book" opens. Choose the language of the boo… What are the starting points? A personal gift book: made for one person, with their name, family, places and loves, a dedication and messages for the… How many puzzles does a new book have? The ready-made starting points fill the book with the built-in themes, up to 42 puzzles (fewer for children, since only… Which built-in themes are there? 42 themes, each with 25 or more words: Garden Birds, Birds of Prey, On the Farm, Ocean Life, Dog Breeds, Cats and Kitte… Can I use my own words? Yes. In the Puzzles list click "My words" for a new puzzle, give it a title and type the words, one per line (commas al… Where do the author name and publisher come from? From your default author profile (made in Authors). In the book's settings you can choose another profile or type the a…

A Personal Gift Book

How does the gift book work? Choose "A personal gift book" and answer a few questions: their name, what you call them (for example Grandma), the occ… Which occasions are there? Birthday, Anniversary, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Christmas, Retirement, Get well soon and Just because. How many names do I need for a puzzle? Six or more in a list make a puzzle of their own. Shorter lists are put together in one puzzle called "All About" follo… What happens with the things they love that have no built-in theme? If an AI engine is connected, BookyAI writes a puzzle about each of them (up to six), and you see "Writing a puzzle abo… Can I change the dedication? Yes. The dedication is in the book's settings ("Dedication (optional)") and can be edited or removed like any other tex…

A Companion Book from One of My Books

How does "From one of my books" work? Pick one of your BookyAI books. The studio makes puzzles of its characters, places and things (from the book's Codex) a… It says "None of your books has finished chapters yet." The companion book is made from written chapters. Finish at least one chapter of a book in BookyAI first. Do I need an AI engine for it? It works best with one: the AI picks the words of each chapter, and every word is checked against the chapter text. Wit… I see "No chapter gave enough words for a puzzle." The chapters are too short or too plain for a puzzle. Add more chapters, or build the book from themes and your own wor…

The Book Settings (The Book Card)

What can I set for the whole book? In "The book" card: title, subtitle, author profile, author, publisher, dedication, AI engine, trim size, language of t… Which trim sizes are available? 6 x 9, 7 x 10, 8.5 x 11 and A4. Grids are sized for the trim automatically. What does "Large print" do? One puzzle per page and grid letters of 18 pt or more. The studio refuses to export a large print book if any grid's le… What does "For children" do? A stricter word filter: no unsuitable word anywhere in the grid, in any direction, including words formed by accident i… What does the AI engine setting do? It chooses which of your connected AI engines the AI helpers use in this book. If no engine is connected you see "No AI…

The Puzzle Settings (The Puzzles Card)

How does difficulty work? Choose the level of the first puzzle and of the last puzzle (Easy, Medium, Hard, Expert). The book rises gently between… How many words can a puzzle have? Between 6 and 40 words per puzzle ("Words per puzzle"). A puzzle's list can hold more words than that; the puzzle picks… How big is the grid? "Automatic" sizes each grid by the trim, the level and large print. You can also fix a size from 10 x 10 to 25 x 25. What are "Grid lines"? A line around every letter. Off, the letters stand free, which many adult books prefer. What is the measured difficulty? Every puzzle gets a difficulty score measured from the finished grid (how the words run, how many go backwards, how muc…

Shapes and Surprises

Can the grids have shapes? Yes. "Grid shape" offers: the classic square grid; "Each theme its own shape" (a bird for birds, a heart for love, a pu… Which shapes are there? 40 shapes. Classic: heart, star, circle, diamond, hexagon, cross, egg. Nature: raindrop, cloud, moon, sun, flower, leaf… A puzzle's row says "Square: the words did not fit the ... at this size". The words could not all fit in that shape, so the puzzle was made square instead. Use fewer or shorter words, or a bigg… A row says some words are longer than the shape allows and stay out. A shape has narrower parts than a square, so very long words cannot fit. Those words are left out of that puzzle. Short… What is a hidden message? After all words are found, the letters left over, read row by row, spell a saying. Built-in themes come with their own … A row says "No hidden message on this puzzle". The message could not fit exactly with these words at this size, so the puzzle was made without it (the reason follows … What are secret words? 1, 2 or 3 extra words per puzzle that are hidden in the grid but not printed in the list. The page says "Also hidden" s… What are hidden pictures? When the reader colors in the found words, the letters left white draw a picture (the puzzle's shape) inside the square… What is the book mystery? A question for the whole book, for example a riddle. Each puzzle has one letter of the answer marked with a star; colle… I see "The book mystery's answer has X letters but the book has Y puzzles". Each puzzle holds at most one letter of the answer. Use a shorter answer or add puzzles. What does "Theme picture in each header" do? It adds a small line drawing next to each puzzle's title (a bird, a cupcake, a snowflake...), matching the theme or the…

Word List Styles

Which word list styles are there? Plain: the usual list.Missing vowels (harder): each vowel is a blank, so the reader works out the word first.With pictu… How are clues, translations and stories written? By your AI engine. Click "Write for the N puzzles without them" in the Shapes and surprises card, or write them per puz… Which languages can language learning books use? Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Dutch, Polish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Latin and English. A… I see "A story needs at least 6 words in this puzzle." Add more words to the puzzle, then write the story again. I see "The AI did not return usable clues (or translations, or a word list). Try again." The AI's answer could not be used. Click again; a second try usually works. If it keeps failing, check the AI engine in…

The Puzzles List

How do I edit a puzzle? Click it in the Puzzles list. You can change the title printed on the page, the words, the shape, the hidden message an… What does "Suggest words" do? It asks your AI engine for more words for the puzzle's title. Every word is checked by the studio (length, repeats, wor… What does "New puzzle" do? It makes a new grid from the same words. Use it when you do not like a layout or a puzzle measured off its planned leve… What does "New puzzles" at the top do? It makes new grids for the whole book from the same words. Locked puzzles stay exactly as they are. What does "Lock" do? A locked puzzle keeps its exact grid when the book is generated again, and when you change settings that would otherwis… Can I change the order of the puzzles? Yes, with the move up and move down buttons on each puzzle. The difficulty follows the position in the book. Some of my words were not used. Why? The puzzle shows each word it could not use and the reason: shorter than the minimum, longer than the grid, listed twic… Why was a word rejected as "hidden inside" another word? If one word is inside another (for example CAT inside CATERPILLAR), the reader could find the short one in two places, … Why was a normal word rejected as "not allowed"? It is on the list of words no puzzle book should print by accident, or (for children) on the stricter children's list. … How do I add more puzzles from themes? Click "Themes" in the Puzzles list and pick the themes to add.

Verification and Ready to Publish

What does "Verified" mean? Every puzzle is checked by an independent verifier after it is generated: every listed word appears exactly once and ex… What is the "Ready to publish" card? It shows the state of the book, for example "42 puzzles verified · 54 pages". If something blocks the export, it shows … A puzzle says "Not generated". The words could not be placed at this size (the reason is on the row). Remove or shorten a few words, reduce "Words per… Does the book get saved? Yes, automatically, a moment after every change. The top of the studio shows "Saving..." and then "Saved". If it shows …

Solutions and Extra Pages

How do the solutions look? Choose "Outlined words" (a rounded outline around each word, the other letters dimmed) or "Bold letters" (answer letter… How many solutions per page? 4 or 6 per page. 4 is better for large print books. What other pages are there? A title page, a copyright page (with your author profile's legal notice), an optional dedication page, an optional "How… Can I see the pages before exporting? Yes. The preview in the middle of the studio shows each page exactly as it prints, with the same fonts. Use the arrows …

Fonts

Which fonts are available for the puzzles? Eight fonts chosen for letters that cannot be mistaken: Atkinson Hyperlegible, Lexend, Nunito, Poppins and Roboto Mono,… Can I use a different font for the titles? Yes. "Title font" opens a picker with 140 fonts from Google Fonts, each previewed with your own book title. The chosen … The title font could not be downloaded. The app could not reach Google Fonts ("Google Fonts could not be reached. Check the internet connection and try again."… I see "That file is not a font BookyAI can use (TTF, OTF, WOFF or WOFF2)." The file is not a real font file, or it is a format the app cannot embed. Use a TTF, OTF, WOFF or WOFF2 file. Export stops with "The title font ... is not on this computer." The book uses a downloaded or added font that is missing on this computer (for example after moving to a new computer).… Can I sell books made with these fonts? The eight puzzle fonts and the 140 Google Fonts in the catalogue are under licences that allow commercial use (SIL Open…

Languages

Can I make word search books in other languages? Yes, in 11 languages: English, Romanian, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Russian, Ukrainian and Gr… What happens to accents? By default the grid uses plain letters, as most puzzle books print (German Ä becomes AE and ß becomes SS). Turn on "Kee… The built-in themes are in English. What about my Romanian (or French, etc.) book? When the book's language is not English, the Puzzles card shows a note with the button "Write them in (language)". Your… Why are some fonts missing from the list for my language? Only fonts that contain the language's letters are shown, so no letter is ever printed as an empty box. For Russian and… I see "The puzzle font has no (language) letters". The font cannot print this language. Choose one of the fonts the message lists. Is the subtitle translated? The subtitle is yours to write in the book's language. The studio fills the title in that language; the subtitle is lef… Can the book mystery use a riddle in my language? The classic riddles are in English. For other languages write your own question and answer.

Export and Publishing

How do I export? Click "Export" at the top of the studio. The "Export and publish" window offers four options. Every file is saved in th… What are the export options? Interior PDF for KDP paperback: the file you upload to KDP as the manuscript, at the exact trim size with KDP margins f… It says "Connect to the internet to export this book." While a studio is inside its money-back guarantee (the first 14 days after buying it, up to the 6th book), each new boo… It says "The license server could not register this export right now." The app reached the internet but the license server did not answer properly. Wait a moment and click Export again. If i… The Export button is disabled. The "Ready to publish" card shows why: a puzzle not generated yet, a font problem, or a large print grid under 16 pt. F… Where are the exported files? In your books folder, inside "_Activity Studio", in the book's own folder, under "exports" (the printable edition is in… Can I publish a Kindle ebook of my word search book? The studio makes print books, printable PDFs and images. Word search puzzles do not work well on e-readers, so there is… What do I choose on KDP? Paperback, the same trim size as in the studio, black and white interior, white paper, no bleed. Upload the Interior PD… Does KDP ask about AI? KDP asks whether a book contains AI-generated content. The puzzles are made by BookyAI's own generator, not by AI. If y… Can I sell the books I make? Yes. The built-in themes, the shapes, the pictures and the fonts in the studio are licensed for commercial use in the b…

Troubleshooting

The export failed with "The PDF has X pages instead of Y" or "The PDF page size does not match the trim". This should never happen. Please contact support with the book's title and trim size. "Suggest words" or the AI buttons are disabled. No AI engine is connected. Connect one in Settings (AI engines), or type the words yourself. Everything else works with… I see "No answer this time: try again, or write it yourself." The AI did not return a usable answer. Click again, or type the text yourself. I see "The AI could not rewrite the themes this time: try again." Click "Write them in (language)" again. Themes already rewritten are kept. The studio is slow when I change a setting. Settings that change the puzzles (level, size, shapes, messages, language) rebuild every unlocked puzzle; a large book … I deleted a book by mistake. Deleting a book removes its puzzles and exported PDFs from your computer, and the app asks for confirmation first. It c… Can I back up my word search books? Yes. Copy the "_Activity Studio" folder inside your books folder. Each book is one folder with its settings file and it… The preview shows the wrong font for the titles. A downloaded title font is loaded the first time it is used. If the preview still shows another font, choose the title …

What Is Not Available Yet

Can I put two puzzles on one page? Not yet. Every puzzle has its own page. Can I upload my own shape (an SVG or PNG)? Not yet. You can use the 40 built-in shapes, any letter and one or two digits. Can I make a series (Volume 2 without repeating the word lists)? Not as a feature yet. You can build a second book with other themes and your own words. Is there a bundle of all Activity Studio studios? Not at the moment. Each studio is sold on its own and paid once.