Animals Secret Word Search
- SQUIRREL
- GIRAFFE
- BEAVER
- DONKEY
- OTTER
- MOOSE
- BISON
- LEMUR
- HIPPO
- BEAR
- GOAT
- SEAL
- MOUSE
- TIGER
- FOX
Created for free at puzzleandprint.com
Your word search
Animals Secret Word Search, Answer Key
- SQUIRREL
- GIRAFFE
- BEAVER
- DONKEY
- OTTER
- MOOSE
- BISON
- LEMUR
- HIPPO
- BEAR
- GOAT
- SEAL
- MOUSE
- TIGER
- FOX
Created for free at puzzleandprint.com
Or take one that is already made
Four sheets, each with a different job. Every one is a two-page PDF, the puzzle, then the answer key on its own page.
A secret word search has a second puzzle inside the first. Cross off every word on the list, read the squares nobody used from left to right, and they spell one more word, one that belongs to the same theme but was never on the list.
That changes how the puzzle is solved. An ordinary word search can be abandoned halfway with nothing lost; this one cannot, because the answer only appears when the grid is clear. It is the difference between a puzzle you stop doing and one you finish.
The grids are smaller than a plain word search and much fuller. Leaving only the answer behind means the words have to cover nearly every square, so a nine-by-nine here holds nine to fifteen words where an ordinary one of that size would hold five. Finding them is easier than usual (they are everywhere), and the satisfaction is in what is left.
The four sheets below hide five to nine letters. The generator will hide a word of your own in your own list, or pick one from a theme for you, and it says so plainly when a word will not fit rather than quietly printing a puzzle with no answer in it.
Common questions
What happens if a child does not finish?
They do not get the answer, and that is the trade this puzzle makes. The hidden word only appears once every listed word is crossed off, so it cannot be abandoned halfway the way an ordinary word search can. That is the appeal, and it is also the risk with a child who gives up easily.
How long is the hidden word?
Five to nine letters across the four sheets: IGLOO on the winter grid, TELESCOPE on space, GIRAFFE on animals and PANCAKE on food. Each belongs to the same theme as the grid it hides in, and none of them appears on the word list you are given.
How many words can I use?
Up to twenty-five. Ten to fifteen is comfortable for most grids. If you add more than the grid can hold, the tool tells you which words did not fit rather than silently leaving them out.
Why did one of my words not fit?
Either it is longer than the grid is wide, or the grid filled up before it could be placed. Try the next size up, remove a word, or press New puzzle for a different arrangement, a word that fails one layout often places fine in the next.
Can I make it easier for younger children?
Yes. Set difficulty to Easy so words only run left to right and top to bottom, and use a 10 by 10 grid with five to eight short words. That combination is manageable for most children who can read the words on the list.
Is there an answer key?
Always, and it prints on its own page so you can hand out the puzzle without it. Each answer is marked directly on a copy of the grid.
Do I need an account?
No. There is no sign-up, no email, and no watermark on the printed sheet. Puzzles are built in your browser, so your word list never reaches us.
Can I use these puzzles in my classroom?
Yes, use them with your class, your family, your club, or your care home, and print as many copies as you need. The one thing we ask is that you do not resell the sheets themselves.
Want to know when new printables go up?
New printables when they go up, mostly seasonal, a few times a year.