Hard Sports word search

Sixteen longer sports: GYMNASTICS, WRESTLING, BASEBALL, HANDBALL, SOFTBALL, CLIMBING. Four end in -BALL and eight end in -ING, so whole endings repeat all over the grid and the only reliable way in is to hunt for where a word starts.

ESHYWIIAHYEXNGMHELDEFRBQOJIGAIEOTIACQBESXLCSHSTCEGNLSLSSBGGIIUAGNSGYMNASTICSEQRNNUFOOTBALLABESABIAILIKBOWLINGGKNSOFTBALLABDNAHNINCMCBSWIMMINGNNILIAYYOFEYBNKABTQAINEACXBMAXOBQSONXNKODLIDJGYSEAEEKBCURLINGGEINEMIHIOCCNUNGLRKLCOPNCHSYLWIGNIFRUSGGGNGOEBNTRWZIIG
Show the answer key
ESHYWIIAHYEXNGMHELDEFRBQOJIGAIEOTIACQBESXLCSHSTCEGNLSLSSBGGIIUAGNSGYMNASTICSEQRNNUFOOTBALLABESABIAILIKBOWLINGGKNSOFTBALLABDNAHNINCMCBSWIMMINGNNILIAYYOFEYBNKABTQAINEACXBMAXOBQSONXNKODLIDJGYSEAEEKBCURLINGGEINEMIHIOCCNUNGLRKLCOPNCHSYLWIGNIFRUSGGGNGOEBNTRWZIIG

What is on this sheet

Grid
16 × 16
Words
16
Difficulty
Hard
Directions
Backwards as well

The words hidden in this grid

  • BASEBALL
  • BOWLING
  • BOXING
  • CLIMBING
  • CURLING
  • CYCLING
  • FOOTBALL
  • GYMNASTICS
  • HANDBALL
  • HOCKEY
  • KARATE
  • SOFTBALL
  • SURFING
  • SWIMMING
  • TENNIS
  • WRESTLING

About this puzzle

At the hard level words run in six of the eight directions, backwards and diagonally included, and up to three filler letters in four are drawn from the letters the words themselves use — so there is no unusual letter to anchor on. Every grid was read back after being built to make sure no word appears twice by accident, which on a hard grid is a real risk and not a formality.

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