Animal Word Search

Three animal puzzles, from easy to hard. Print one and start searching!

3 puzzles
US Letter & A4
100% free

Pick a puzzle!

Difficulty: Easy8 × 8 · 8 wordsWords go across and down.Letter PDF A4 PDFAnswer key
Difficulty: Medium12 × 12 · 12 wordsAcross, down and diagonal.Letter PDF A4 PDFAnswer key
Difficulty: Hard15 × 15 · 17 wordsEvery direction, even backwards.Letter PDF A4 PDFAnswer key

The puzzles and their word lists

The same grids as the PDFs, to check a word or plan a lesson.

Easy puzzle Difficulty: Easy

Animal Word Search, easy level: 8 by 8 letter grid
N	R	N	O	T	A	O	K
L	C	B	E	A	R	E	H
I	A	I	O	O	N	A	N
O	T	D	U	C	K	C	A
N	H	H	P	I	G	O	F
W	I	R	T	D	L	W	R
N	D	O	G	D	A	N	O
T	E	H	E	R	C	T	G

Find these 8 words

BEAR
CAT
COW
DOG
DUCK
FROG
LION
PIG

Show the answers

Medium puzzle Difficulty: Medium

Animal Word Search, medium level: 12 by 12 letter grid
N	G	R	Y	E	S	E	R	D	S	P	N
E	R	G	I	R	A	F	F	E	Q	A	F
E	E	F	O	L	M	T	O	O	U	R	H
H	L	Y	T	I	G	E	R	A	I	R	O
C	E	E	A	P	L	E	O	R	R	O	R
H	T	T	P	T	E	I	H	P	R	T	S
O	D	G	R	H	E	N	N	A	E	N	E
C	O	U	T	A	A	T	G	A	L	S	G
D	T	O	I	O	B	N	R	U	A	P	S
E	T	D	I	O	A	B	T	L	I	W	G
L	M	O	N	K	E	Y	I	N	H	N	T
T	Y	N	O	Z	A	S	N	T	V	R	H

Find these 12 words

ELEPHANT
GIRAFFE
HORSE
KANGAROO
MONKEY
PARROT
PENGUIN
RABBIT
SQUIRREL
TIGER
TURTLE
ZEBRA

Show the answers

Hard puzzle Difficulty: Hard

Animal Word Search, hard level: 15 by 15 letter grid
O	G	N	I	M	A	L	F	I	K	S	E	H	S	H
C	R	O	C	O	D	I	L	E	I	I	I	T	S	A
I	A	Y	D	H	H	A	D	N	A	P	G	K	O	T
D	S	A	T	M	I	O	E	T	P	P	O	H	R	E
Y	R	O	A	E	T	M	L	O	O	A	R	T	E	E
V	L	S	L	E	T	G	P	L	L	P	I	E	C	H
S	I	H	O	R	A	O	O	A	I	S	L	A	O	C
M	Y	N	D	K	T	P	R	H	N	D	L	E	N	C
J	A	G	U	A	R	L	C	O	E	Z	A	A	I	U
T	R	I	M	T	N	A	U	L	S	G	E	M	H	H
K	H	U	R	T	H	T	P	D	O	T	D	E	R	R
G	S	B	S	T	I	Y	I	L	U	L	R	E	W	A
D	T	C	O	C	C	P	N	I	N	A	H	I	H	I
H	O	L	N	F	F	U	E	E	I	P	I	T	C	C
R	A	W	E	O	S	S	W	T	S	T	A	D	B	H

Find these 17 words

ARMADILLO
CHEETAH
CHIMPANZEE
CROCODILE
FLAMINGO
GORILLA
HEDGEHOG
HIPPOPOTAMUS
JAGUAR
KOALA
MEERKAT
OSTRICH
PANDA
PLATYPUS
PORCUPINE
RHINOCEROS
SLOTH

Show the answers

For parents & teachers

About these word searches

These animal word searches come in three levels: the easy one hides 8 short words such as Cat, Cow and Dog in an 8 × 8 grid, reading only across and down, the medium one has 12 words in a 12 × 12 grid and adds diagonals and the hard one packs 17 longer words into a 15 × 15 grid, in all eight directions including backwards.

Easy suits early readers (around ages 5–7) who are learning to spot letter patterns; medium and hard work well for ages 7–9 and up, as a quiet-time activity, a morning work sheet or a vocabulary warm-up before a theme lesson.

Every sheet prints on one page in US Letter or A4, with the word list under the grid and a matching answer key. Each grid is checked with a solver, so every word in the list is in it exactly once.

Start younger kids on easy and let them tick off each word as they find it.
Print the answer key on a separate sheet for self-checking.
Color in the pictures and the found words with crayons or highlighters.

N	R	N	O	T	A	O	K
L	C	B	E	A	R	E	H
I	A	I	O	O	N	A	N
O	T	D	U	C	K	C	A
N	H	H	P	I	G	O	F
W	I	R	T	D	L	W	R
N	D	O	G	D	A	N	O
T	E	H	E	R	C	T	G

N	G	R	Y	E	S	E	R	D	S	P	N
E	R	G	I	R	A	F	F	E	Q	A	F
E	E	F	O	L	M	T	O	O	U	R	H
H	L	Y	T	I	G	E	R	A	I	R	O
C	E	E	A	P	L	E	O	R	R	O	R
H	T	T	P	T	E	I	H	P	R	T	S
O	D	G	R	H	E	N	N	A	E	N	E
C	O	U	T	A	A	T	G	A	L	S	G
D	T	O	I	O	B	N	R	U	A	P	S
E	T	D	I	O	A	B	T	L	I	W	G
L	M	O	N	K	E	Y	I	N	H	N	T
T	Y	N	O	Z	A	S	N	T	V	R	H

O	G	N	I	M	A	L	F	I	K	S	E	H	S	H
C	R	O	C	O	D	I	L	E	I	I	I	T	S	A
I	A	Y	D	H	H	A	D	N	A	P	G	K	O	T
D	S	A	T	M	I	O	E	T	P	P	O	H	R	E
Y	R	O	A	E	T	M	L	O	O	A	R	T	E	E
V	L	S	L	E	T	G	P	L	L	P	I	E	C	H
S	I	H	O	R	A	O	O	A	I	S	L	A	O	C
M	Y	N	D	K	T	P	R	H	N	D	L	E	N	C
J	A	G	U	A	R	L	C	O	E	Z	A	A	I	U
T	R	I	M	T	N	A	U	L	S	G	E	M	H	H
K	H	U	R	T	H	T	P	D	O	T	D	E	R	R
G	S	B	S	T	I	Y	I	L	U	L	R	E	W	A
D	T	C	O	C	C	P	N	I	N	A	H	I	H	I
H	O	L	N	F	F	U	E	E	I	P	I	T	C	C
R	A	W	E	O	S	S	W	T	S	T	A	D	B	H

N	R	N	O	T	A	O	K
L	C	B	E	A	R	E	H
I	A	I	O	O	N	A	N
O	T	D	U	C	K	C	A
N	H	H	P	I	G	O	F
W	I	R	T	D	L	W	R
N	D	O	G	D	A	N	O
T	E	H	E	R	C	T	G

N	G	R	Y	E	S	E	R	D	S	P	N
E	R	G	I	R	A	F	F	E	Q	A	F
E	E	F	O	L	M	T	O	O	U	R	H
H	L	Y	T	I	G	E	R	A	I	R	O
C	E	E	A	P	L	E	O	R	R	O	R
H	T	T	P	T	E	I	H	P	R	T	S
O	D	G	R	H	E	N	N	A	E	N	E
C	O	U	T	A	A	T	G	A	L	S	G
D	T	O	I	O	B	N	R	U	A	P	S
E	T	D	I	O	A	B	T	L	I	W	G
L	M	O	N	K	E	Y	I	N	H	N	T
T	Y	N	O	Z	A	S	N	T	V	R	H

O	G	N	I	M	A	L	F	I	K	S	E	H	S	H
C	R	O	C	O	D	I	L	E	I	I	I	T	S	A
I	A	Y	D	H	H	A	D	N	A	P	G	K	O	T
D	S	A	T	M	I	O	E	T	P	P	O	H	R	E
Y	R	O	A	E	T	M	L	O	O	A	R	T	E	E
V	L	S	L	E	T	G	P	L	L	P	I	E	C	H
S	I	H	O	R	A	O	O	A	I	S	L	A	O	C
M	Y	N	D	K	T	P	R	H	N	D	L	E	N	C
J	A	G	U	A	R	L	C	O	E	Z	A	A	I	U
T	R	I	M	T	N	A	U	L	S	G	E	M	H	H
K	H	U	R	T	H	T	P	D	O	T	D	E	R	R
G	S	B	S	T	I	Y	I	L	U	L	R	E	W	A
D	T	C	O	C	C	P	N	I	N	A	H	I	H	I
H	O	L	N	F	F	U	E	E	I	P	I	T	C	C
R	A	W	E	O	S	S	W	T	S	T	A	D	B	H

Animal Word Search

Pick a puzzle!

The puzzles and their word lists

Easy puzzle Difficulty: Easy

Find these 8 words

Medium puzzle Difficulty: Medium

Find these 12 words

Hard puzzle Difficulty: Hard

Find these 17 words

About these word searches

More word search themes

N	R	N	O	T	A	O	K
L	C	B	E	A	R	E	H
I	A	I	O	O	N	A	N
O	T	D	U	C	K	C	A
N	H	H	P	I	G	O	F
W	I	R	T	D	L	W	R
N	D	O	G	D	A	N	O
T	E	H	E	R	C	T	G

N	G	R	Y	E	S	E	R	D	S	P	N
E	R	G	I	R	A	F	F	E	Q	A	F
E	E	F	O	L	M	T	O	O	U	R	H
H	L	Y	T	I	G	E	R	A	I	R	O
C	E	E	A	P	L	E	O	R	R	O	R
H	T	T	P	T	E	I	H	P	R	T	S
O	D	G	R	H	E	N	N	A	E	N	E
C	O	U	T	A	A	T	G	A	L	S	G
D	T	O	I	O	B	N	R	U	A	P	S
E	T	D	I	O	A	B	T	L	I	W	G
L	M	O	N	K	E	Y	I	N	H	N	T
T	Y	N	O	Z	A	S	N	T	V	R	H

O	G	N	I	M	A	L	F	I	K	S	E	H	S	H
C	R	O	C	O	D	I	L	E	I	I	I	T	S	A
I	A	Y	D	H	H	A	D	N	A	P	G	K	O	T
D	S	A	T	M	I	O	E	T	P	P	O	H	R	E
Y	R	O	A	E	T	M	L	O	O	A	R	T	E	E
V	L	S	L	E	T	G	P	L	L	P	I	E	C	H
S	I	H	O	R	A	O	O	A	I	S	L	A	O	C
M	Y	N	D	K	T	P	R	H	N	D	L	E	N	C
J	A	G	U	A	R	L	C	O	E	Z	A	A	I	U
T	R	I	M	T	N	A	U	L	S	G	E	M	H	H
K	H	U	R	T	H	T	P	D	O	T	D	E	R	R
G	S	B	S	T	I	Y	I	L	U	L	R	E	W	A
D	T	C	O	C	C	P	N	I	N	A	H	I	H	I
H	O	L	N	F	F	U	E	E	I	P	I	T	C	C
R	A	W	E	O	S	S	W	T	S	T	A	D	B	H