How to Make a Number Search Puzzle Book for Amazon KDP (Hidden Messages, Kids & Large Print)

A number search prints a square grid of digits and a list of numbers under it. The solver finds each number in the grid — left to right, top to bottom, diagonally or, in harder books, backwards — and circles it. It is a word search with digits, which makes it language-free: the same book works for readers of any language.

Numbers are harder to spot than words because digits carry no meaning; 58213 and 58231 look alike at a glance. That is why number searches are popular with adults who want focus training and with seniors as a calm brain exercise. They also make a good chapter of a mixed activity book.

Three settings decide how hard a number search is: the grid size, the length of the numbers and the directions they run in. Children do best with small grids, three- or four-digit numbers and only two directions (right and down). Adults like a 15×15 grid with diagonals, and experts an 18×18 grid with numbers of up to ten digits in all eight directions. Seniors prefer a 10–14 cell grid in large print with numbers of up to eight digits.

Wisdom Effect has three editions with these limits built in. Each edition starts with its own defaults, which you can change in the configurator.

A hidden message turns a number search into a small reward. When every number is crossed out, some digits stay free. Read row by row, left to right, in pairs, they spell a word or a short phrase: 01 = A, 02 = B … 26 = Z. WOW, for example, is 23 15 23.

The code key (A=01 … Z=26) printed under the grid lets every reader decode the message; leaving it out makes the last step a small extra challenge for experienced solvers. The answer boxes under the grid show how many letters to find.

With a message the grid decides how many numbers there are: the generator fills every cell that the message does not need. The configurator shows the average count for your grid and number lengths. The longest message a grid can hold grows with its size — 8 letters on a 10×10 grid, 11 on 12×12, 18 on 15×15 and 32 on 20×20.

The most common flaw of generated number searches is a number that appears twice: the reader circles one copy, the answer key shows the other, and the puzzle feels broken. With short numbers in a big grid, chance copies are likely — a three-digit number has only 1,000 possible values.

Wisdom Effect checks every number in every direction the puzzle allows and rebuilds the grid until each number can be found in exactly one place, also counting the reversed reading when backwards numbers are allowed. With a hidden message it also makes sure the leftover digits are exactly the message, so the decoded word is always right.

The answer key at the back marks every number with a colored band and shades the free cells of the message, with the decoded message filled in below the grid. Standard books fit 1, 2, 4, 6 or 9 solutions per page; Kids and Senior books fewer, in bigger print.

On /create choose the edition at the top (Standard, Kids or Senior) and click the Number Search card. Number Search books are part of the Pro and Publisher plans, and number search can also be one chapter of a Mixed Book. For puzzles without a message, pick the Classic Number Search card next to it.

Difficulty sets the grid size, number lengths, count and directions in one click: Easy (12×12, 4–6 digits, right and down), Medium (15×15, 5–8 digits, with diagonals), Hard (15×15, 5–9 digits, all eight directions) and Expert (18×18, 6–10 digits, all directions). Kids books offer Tiny, Small, Big and Giant (ages 5 to 9+), Senior books Relaxed, Classic, Challenging and Master.

Grid & Directions fine-tunes the grid size and whether numbers run only straight, also diagonally down, or in all eight directions including backwards. Numbers sets the shortest and longest number; without a hidden message it also sets how many numbers each puzzle has. When digits would print too small on the chosen page, the configurator warns you.

Hidden Message switches the message on or off and picks its source: Built-in (short friendly English phrases) or My messages (one per line, in any language; letters A–Z are used). The panel says how many of your messages fit the grid and which are too long, shows how the first message is encoded, and how many numbers a puzzle gets on average.

Print the code key decides whether A=01 … Z=26 is printed under each grid. Kids and Senior books always print it. The book code makes the same settings produce the same puzzles again; type your own or roll a new one.

Pick the trim size, the number of puzzles (1 number search puzzle of up to 20×20 = 1 credit), puzzles and solutions per page and the book language. The page preview shows the first puzzle and solution page, and the KDP summary counts the pages and checks the 24–590 page range of a KDP paperback.

Launch Number Search Editor opens the book. The Number Search Design panel sets the weight of the grid border and the cell lines and whether the code key is printed. The color of the bands in the answer key is in Color Palette (Number Highlight). The other panels change fonts, colors and the cover, add images and decorations and edit the title, copyright, contents and end pages. When the book is ready, export the interior PDF and the cover PDF for KDP, or PNG and SVG files.