Drawing A CrossFind Puzzle

TikZ solution :)

Code

\documentclass[border=5pt]{standalone}

\usepackage{tikz}
\usetikzlibrary{matrix,backgrounds}

\begin{document}

\begin{tikzpicture}
  \matrix(m)[
    matrix of nodes,
    every node/.append style={minimum size=5ex},
  ]{
    A & R & R & A & N & G & E & V \\
    C & A & N & C & E & L & M & O \\
    H & B & Y & H & A & V & E & D \\
    A & O & E & E & I & G & P & I \\
    N & O & S & C & L & F & N & T \\
    G & K & T & K & P & E & L & A \\
    E & R & O & O & C & T & K & L \\
    T & M & F & A & E & S & R & K \\
  };
  \begin{scope}[on background layer]
    \draw[rounded corners,red,fill=red!20](m-1-1.north west)rectangle(m-1-7.south east);
  \end{scope}
\end{tikzpicture}
\end{document}

Output

enter image description here

Update

Based on OP's answer, I define the following macro:

\newcommand\highlight[3][blue!50]{
  \fill[#1](m-#2.north west)rectangle(m-#3.south east);
}

that can be used to highlight the solutions. It takes 3 arguments

  1. first optional argument sets the highlighting color (default is 50% blue mixed with 50% white)
  2. second argument gives the location of the begin cell at row i column j, in the form i-j
  3. third argument gives the location of the end cell (note that the end cell should always be either to the right or below the begin cell)

Code

\begin{tikzpicture}
  \matrix(m)[
    matrix of nodes,
    every node/.append style={draw,minimum size=5ex},
  ]{
    A & R & R & A & N & G & E & V \\
    C & A & N & C & E & L & M & O \\
    H & B & Y & H & A & V & E & D \\
    A & O & E & E & I & G & P & I \\
    N & O & S & C & L & F & N & T \\
    G & K & T & K & P & E & L & A \\
    E & R & O & O & C & T & K & L \\
    T & M & F & A & E & S & R & K \\
  };

  \begin{scope}[on background layer]
    \highlight[red!20]{1-1}{1-7}
    \highlight[purple!20]{2-1}{2-6}
    \highlight{6-1}{8-1}
    \highlight[yellow]{5-8}{8-8}
  \end{scope}
\end{tikzpicture}

Output

enter image description here


You can better use \cellcolor instead of \colorbox

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage[table]{xcolor}
\usepackage{graphicx}
\definecolor{mycolor}{rgb}{0,0,10}
\newcommand{\mycell}[1]{\cellcolor{mycolor!30}{#1}}
\begin{document}
\textbf{\underline{VOCABULARY}} collocations
\textbf{1A Find six more verbs in the word square.}
\begin{table}[!h]
    \centering
    \begin{tabular}{|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|}
    \hline
    \mycell{A} & \mycell{R} & \mycell{R} & \mycell{A} & \mycell{N} & \mycell{G} & \mycell{E} & V \\ \hline
    \mycell{C} & \mycell{A} & \mycell{N} & \mycell{C} & \mycell{E} & \mycell{L} & M & O \\ \hline
    H & \mycell{B} & Y & \mycell{H} & \mycell{A} & \mycell{V} & \mycell{E} & D \\ \hline
    A & \mycell{O} & E & \mycell{E} & I & G & P & I \\ \hline
    N & \mycell{O} & S & \mycell{C} & L & F & N & \mycell{T} \\ \hline
    \mycell{G} & \mycell{K} & T & \mycell{K} & P & E & L & \mycell{A} \\ \hline
    \mycell{E} & R & O & O & C & T & K & \mycell{L} \\ \hline
    \mycell{T} & M & F & A & E & S & R & \mycell{K} \\ \hline
    \end{tabular}
\end{table}
\end{document}

enter image description here

Changing \definecolor{mycolor}{rgb}{0,0,10} to \definecolor{mycolor}{rgb}{256,256,256} gives only the puzzle without answer:

enter image description here


Never mind, I've found an easy way though it is not the usual way. Here's the code:

\usepackage{xcolor}
\usepackage{graphicx}

\begin{document}
\textbf{\underline{VOCABULARY}} collocations
\textbf{1A Find six more verbs in the word square.} 
\begin{table}[!h]
    \centering
    \begin{tabular}{|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|}
    \hline
    \colorbox{blue!30}{A} & \colorbox{blue!30}{R} & \colorbox{blue!30}{R} & \colorbox{blue!30}{A} & \colorbox{blue!30}{N} & \colorbox{blue!30}{G} & \colorbox{blue!30}{E} & V \\ \hline
    \colorbox{blue!30}{C} & \colorbox{blue!30}{A} & \colorbox{blue!30}{N} & \colorbox{blue!30}{C} & \colorbox{blue!30}{E} & \colorbox{blue!30}{L} & M & O \\ \hline
    H & \colorbox{blue!30}{B} & Y & \colorbox{blue!30}{H} & \colorbox{blue!30}{A} & \colorbox{blue!30}{V} & \colorbox{blue!30}{E} & D \\ \hline
    A & \colorbox{blue!30}{O} & E & \colorbox{blue!30}{E} & I & G & P & I \\ \hline
    N & \colorbox{blue!30}{O} & S & \colorbox{blue!30}{C} & L & F & N & \colorbox{blue!30}{T} \\ \hline
    \colorbox{blue!30}{G} & \colorbox{blue!30}{K} & T & \colorbox{blue!30}{K} & P & E & L & \colorbox{blue!30}{A} \\ \hline
    \colorbox{blue!30}{E} & R & O & O & C & T & K & \colorbox{blue!30}{L} \\ \hline
    \colorbox{blue!30}{T} & M & F & A & E & S & R & \colorbox{blue!30}{K} \\ \hline
    \end{tabular}
\end{table}
\end{document}

Sorry, but I don't know how it is the exactly translation in english of this puzzle, google translator says to me is: crossfind or crossearch, but in spanish is Sopa De Letras (Words Soup in English). Thanks

CrossFind Puzzle

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