diff --git a/css/activities.css b/css/activities.css
index 1c09e1fec1..de0521c577 100644
--- a/css/activities.css
+++ b/css/activities.css
@@ -51,21 +51,21 @@
 }
 
 #search[type="text"] {
-  width: 400px;
+  width: 86.5px;
   box-sizing: border-box;
   position: absolute;
   background-color: white;
   background-repeat: no-repeat;
-  padding: 4.5px 10px 4.5px 20px;
+  padding: 9.2px 1.3px 8.8px 0.7px;
   -webkit-transition: width 0.4s ease-in-out;
   transition: width 0.4s ease-in-out;
-  font-size: 24px;
+  font-size: 16px;
   color: black;
   max-width: 100%;
 }
 
 #search:focus {
-  border: 2px solid #87cefa;
+  border: 0px solid #87cefa;
 }
 
 #search.open {
diff --git a/index.html b/index.html
index aea8f6d80a..43b29fbac1 100644
--- a/index.html
+++ b/index.html
@@ -933,7 +933,7 @@
                 name="search"
                 id="search"
                 class="ui-autocomplete"
-                placeholder="Search for Blocks"
+                placeholder="Search"
                 tabindex="-1"
             />
             <ul class="matches" id="searchResults"></ul>
diff --git a/js/activity.js b/js/activity.js
index 37ca13d0f3..909d081563 100644
--- a/js/activity.js
+++ b/js/activity.js
@@ -319,6 +319,7 @@ class Activity {
             console.error(e);
         }
 
+
         /**
          * Initialises major variables and renders default stack.
          * Sets up the initial state and dependencies of the activity.
@@ -393,12 +394,12 @@ class Activity {
 
             this.searchWidget = docById("search");
             this.searchWidget.style.visibility = "hidden";
-            this.searchWidget.placeholder = _("Search for blocks");
+            this.searchWidget.placeholder = _("Search");
 
             this.helpfulSearchWidget = document.createElement("input");
             this.helpfulSearchWidget.setAttribute("id", "helpfulSearch");
             this.helpfulSearchWidget.style.visibility = "hidden";
-            this.helpfulSearchWidget.placeholder = _("Search for blocks");
+            this.helpfulSearchWidget.placeholder = _("Search");
             this.helpfulSearchWidget.classList.add("ui-autocomplete");
             this.progressBar = docById("myProgress");
             this.progressBar.style.visibility = "hidden";
@@ -2400,7 +2401,10 @@ class Activity {
         this.showSearchWidget = () => {
             // Bring widget to top.
             this.searchWidget.style.zIndex = 1001;
-            this.searchWidget.style.border = "2px solid blue";
+            this.searchWidget.style.borderBottom = "1px solid #0cafff";
+            this.searchWidget.style.borderTop = "0px";
+            this.searchWidget.style.borderRight = "0px";
+            this.searchWidget.style.borderLeft = "0px";
             if (this.helpfulSearchDiv) {
                 this._hideHelpfulSearchWidget();
             }
@@ -2415,9 +2419,9 @@ class Activity {
                 this.searchWidget.value = null;
                 this.searchWidget.style.visibility = "visible";
                 this.searchWidget.style.left =
-                    this.palettes.getSearchPos()[0] * this.turtleBlocksScale * 1.5 + "px";
+                    this.palettes.getSearchPos()[0] * this.turtleBlocksScale * 1.428571 + "px";
                 this.searchWidget.style.top =
-                    this.palettes.getSearchPos()[1] * this.turtleBlocksScale * 0.95 + "px";
+                    this.palettes.getSearchPos()[1] * this.turtleBlocksScale * 0.9774193548 + "px";
 
                 this.searchBlockPosition = [100, 100];
                 this.prepSearchWidget();
@@ -2443,6 +2447,18 @@ class Activity {
                 };
                 document.addEventListener("mousedown", closeListener);
 
+
+                // Add hover behavior for the search widget
+                this.searchWidget.addEventListener("mouseover", () => {
+                    this.searchWidget.style.backgroundColor = "#ddd"; // Change color on hover
+                        
+                });
+
+                this.searchWidget.addEventListener("mouseout", () => {
+                    this.searchWidget.style.backgroundColor = "white"; // Revert color when not hovered
+                    
+                });
+
                 // Give the browser time to update before selecting
                 // focus.
                 setTimeout(() => {
diff --git a/js/utils/utils.js b/js/utils/utils.js
index 0c11303ccc..6367b1d885 100644
--- a/js/utils/utils.js
+++ b/js/utils/utils.js
@@ -58,7 +58,8 @@ const changeImage = (imgElement, from, to) => {
 };
 
 /**
- * A simple localization function for translating strings.
+ * Enhanced _() method to handle case variations for translations
+ * and preserve the case of the input text.
  * @function
  * @param {string} text - The input text to be translated.
  * @returns {string} The translated text.
@@ -69,47 +70,73 @@ function _(text) {
         return "";
     }
 
-    let replaced = text;
-    const replace = [
-        ",",
-        "(",
-        ")",
-        "?",
-        "¿",
-        "<",
-        ">",
-        ".",
-        "\n",
-        '"',
-        ":",
-        "%s",
-        "%d",
-        "/",
-        "'",
-        ";",
-        "×",
-        "!",
-        "¡"
-    ];
-    for (let p = 0; p < replace.length; p++) {
-        replaced = replaced.replace(replace[p], "");
-    }
-
-    replaced = replaced.replace(/ /g, "-");
-
-    if (localStorage.kanaPreference === "kana") {
-        const lang = document.webL10n.getLanguage();
-        if (lang === "ja") {
-            replaced = "kana-" + replaced;
+    try {
+        let replaced = text;
+        // Replace certain characters from the input text
+        const replace = [
+            ",",
+            "(",
+            ")",
+            "?",
+            "¿",
+            "<",
+            ">",
+            ".",
+            "\n",
+            '"',
+            ":",
+            "%s",
+            "%d",
+            "/",
+            "'",
+            ";",
+            "×",
+            "!",
+            "¡"
+        ];
+        for (let p = 0; p < replace.length; p++) {
+            replaced = replaced.replace(replace[p], "");
         }
-    }
 
-    try {
-        let translation = document.webL10n.get(replaced);
-        if (translation === "") {
-            translation = text;
+        replaced = replaced.replace(/ /g, "-");
+
+        if (localStorage.kanaPreference === "kana") {
+            const lang = document.webL10n.getLanguage();
+            if (lang === "ja") {
+                replaced = "kana-" + replaced;
+            }
+        }
+        // first, we actually tried to find out if there was an existing translation with SAME case
+        let translated = document.webL10n.get(text);
+
+        // If no translation is found, try the lowercase translation
+        if (!translated || translated === text) {
+            translated = document.webL10n.get(text.toLowerCase());
         }
-        return translation;
+
+        //if still no translation is found, try the initial caps translation too
+        if (!translated || translated === text) {
+            const initialCaps = text.charAt(0).toUpperCase() + text.slice(1).toLowerCase();
+            translated = document.webL10n.get(initialCaps);
+        }
+
+        //function returns the ORIGINAL case without any translation if no translation exists
+        translated = translated || text;
+
+        // this if ensures Correct LETTER CASING, for example, "Search" -> "Buscar" and "SEARCH" -> "BUSCAR" and "search" -> "buscar"
+        if (text === text.toUpperCase()) {
+            //if the input is all uppercase, then we will return the translation in uppercase
+            return translated.toUpperCase();
+        } else if (text === text.toLowerCase()) {
+            //if the input is all lowercase,then return the translation in lowercase
+            return translated.toLowerCase();
+        } else if (text.charAt(0).toUpperCase() + text.slice(1).toLowerCase() === text) {
+            //if the input is in title case, then return the translation in title case
+            return translated.charAt(0).toUpperCase() + translated.slice(1).toLowerCase();
+        }
+
+        // return the translation as is if any of the case does not match
+        return translated;
     } catch (e) {
         // console.debug("i18n error: " + text);
         return text;
@@ -130,7 +157,7 @@ let format = (str, data) => {
             if (x === undefined) {
                 // eslint-disable-next-line no-console
                 console.debug("Undefined value in template string", str, name, x, v);
-            }
+            }  
 
             x = x[v];
         });