Skip to content
PrintablePal

Word searchesYour spelling list

Spelling word search

Type a spelling list, one word per line, and the sheet hides each word in a letter grid with a word bank below. It is for teachers and parents who want a different way to practice the week's words.

By Paul Gunder. Free to print for home, classroom and office use; see how our printables are made.

Updated

  • Type your details or print blank
  • Answer key on its own page
  • Print or PDF, Letter or A4
  • Free, no sign-up

Fill in your form

Your detailsOptional. Empty fields print as lines to write on.
Layout
Paper
Paper size

What you type stays in this browser. It is never sent to us, and it is not part of a shared link.

My Word Search2 pages, answer key from page 2 · US Letter

Live preview
NameDateScoreMy Word SearchFind the 12 words hidden across, down and diagonally. Circle each one and tick it off the list.DOBFRIENDMGTLCPUTKEGDDIPLSPFRCSHPBENSHIOMGMAMDRTRBFMBDWBRNLPIOEUCERPNEYSHCKFUMAKALELWWXTPAFGYRRBIIOEBRPYFEHCYDGEGRURSEPARATEHVHRCSEUFKDEIABECLHPKLCFLRNBOPAUNOITEUPJBTRELYBECAUSENOUGHWHILUPNYNIMTFNANSWERBECAUSEBELIEVEDIFFERENTENOUGHEXCITEDFEBRUARYFRIENDLIBRARYNEIGHBORSEPARATETHROUGHPrintablePal.com · free printable puzzlesMy Word Search
Worksheet, page 1
My Word Search: answer keyDOBFRIENDMGTLCPUTKEGDDIPLSPFRCSHPBENSHIOMGMAMDRTRBFMBDWBRNLPIOEUCERPNEYSHCKFUMAKALELWWXTPAFGYRRBIIOEBRPYFEHCYDGEGRURSEPARATEHVHRCSEUFKDEIABECLHPKLCFLRNBOPAUNOITEUPJBTRELYBECAUSENOUGHWHILUPNYNIMTFNANSWERBECAUSEBELIEVEDIFFERENTENOUGHEXCITEDFEBRUARYFRIENDLIBRARYNEIGHBORSEPARATETHROUGHPrintablePal.com · free printable puzzlesAnswer key
Answer key, page 1

On this page

Copying a list five times is one way to practice spelling, but it is not the only one. A word search puts each word in front of a child again and asks them to check every letter in order, because a near-miss like "becuase" will not match the hidden word.

What prints

The page opens with a sample list of twelve commonly misspelled words: friend, because, believe, library, February, separate, neighbor, excited, different, through, enough and answer. The sheet prints a title ("My Word Search" unless you type your own), an instruction line giving the word count, a 14 × 14 grid, then the words to find in A to Z order, each with a small tick box. The answer key is page two.

Mixed-case entries are fine. Whatever you type is changed to capitals for the grid, and the bank follows the grid, unless you turn on lowercase letters, which many teachers prefer for spelling since it shows words the way children read them.

The settings

  • Title (optional) can say something like "Week 12 Spelling".
  • Theme is on "My own words".
  • Your words, one per line accepts 600 characters. Hyphens and spaces inside a word are removed, and text after " - " on a line is ignored, so you can leave yourself notes.
  • Difficulty: Easy 10 × 10 across and down, Medium 14 × 14 with diagonals, Hard 17 × 17 with backwards words.
  • Large print gives a 12 × 12 grid and bigger letters.
  • Lowercase letters prints small letters.

Fitting your list

Each word must have at least 3 letters and be no longer than the grid is wide. Easy handles 10 letters, Medium 14, Hard 17 and large print 12. Words over the limit are dropped, and the instruction count shows how many were placed. Compare the bank with your list before you print. Up to 30 words are read.

Worked example: a third-grade Friday

Mr. Okafor has a list of ten words for Friday's test: planet, castle, bridge, garden, circle, winter, button, pocket, simple and travel. He types each on its own line, sets the title to "Spelling Words, Week 7", turns on lowercase and chooses Easy. All ten are under ten letters, so the instruction line reads "Find the 10 words hidden across and down". Students use the sheet on Thursday as a warm-up and say each word aloud as they circle it. The answer key stays in his folder.

For a different format with the same list, the word search maker covers any vocabulary, and the crossword puzzle maker lets you add a clue to each word. Reading Rockets and the IES guides both discuss word study in the early grades.

Sources

  1. Reading Rockets: reading and writing resources for teachers and parents readingrockets.org
  2. IES What Works Clearinghouse: practice guides ies.ed.gov