The minds behind the machines
Computers and the internet were shaped by a handful of brilliant people, and this word search gathers many of them. You'll be finding the founders of the personal computer — GATES, JOBS and WOZNIAK — the search-engine team PAGE and BRIN, and online giants like BEZOS and ZUCKERBERG.
Each puzzle pulls a fresh selection of surnames from the list, so the roll call changes every time you play — gentle on Easy, and a longer-word challenge once the diagonals and backwards words appear on Hard.
Coders, founders and visionaries
From the early days to today's giants, the words are here. There's the coding pioneer HOPPER, internet builders BERNERS and CERF, software creators TORVALDS and WALES, and company leaders like DELL, COOK, SANDBERG, PICHAI, ELLISON, DORSEY and HASTINGS — plus MUSK and the garage duo HEWLETT and PACKARD.
How a few ideas changed everything
It's amazing how recently the digital world was built — and often in garages and dorm rooms. Bill GATES and Microsoft put a computer on millions of desks, while Steve JOBS and Steve WOZNIAK started Apple in a garage and later gave the world the iPhone. PAGE and BRIN built Google to organise the entire internet, and the company Hewlett-Packard was named after its two founders, HEWLETT and PACKARD, who tossed a coin to decide whose name went first.
Some of the most important pioneers worked long before today's billionaires. Grace HOPPER was a computing pioneer in the 1940s who helped make programming easier for everyone (she even popularised the word 'bug' for a computer fault); and Tim BERNERS-Lee invented the World Wide Web in 1989 and chose to give it away for free, so anyone could use it. Recognising these names is a window into how phones, websites and apps came to be — making this a great fit for a computing or careers topic.
Great for a computing topic
It's a great fit for a computing or careers topic — we use surnames to keep words short, and Easy mode uses a small grid with no diagonals or reverse words (longer names like ZUCKERBERG appear on Medium and Hard). Play online, print a PDF pack, or use Make Your Own to build a grid from your own list of tech pioneers.
Frequently asked questions
Which tech pioneers are in the word search?
Founders and coders of the digital age — Gates, Jobs, Wozniak, Musk, Bezos, Page, Brin, Zuckerberg and more. Each puzzle uses a fresh selection of surnames.
Which tech pioneers can you find?
PC founders GATES, JOBS and WOZNIAK, the search team PAGE and BRIN, online giants BEZOS and ZUCKERBERG, coding pioneer HOPPER and web builders BERNERS and CERF, plus MUSK, DELL, COOK and TORVALDS.
Is it good for a computing topic?
Great fit for a computing or careers topic. We use surnames to keep words short, and Easy mode uses a small grid with no diagonals or reverse words.