Puzzle page
Thanksgiving Word Search: Free Printable Puzzles With Answer Key
Make a free printable Thanksgiving word search: five themes, easy to hard grids, a puzzle code that rebuilds the same puzzle, your own words, and a separate answer key page.
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Your entries are used only in this browser. Nothing you type into this tool is uploaded or saved by us. Download what you need before closing the page. For paper output, open Print and choose your printer or “Save as PDF.” Try a single test sheet at actual size before preparing a batch.
Make a Thanksgiving word search
Choose a theme and a difficulty and press Make puzzle. The page picks words from the theme, hides each one once in the grid, and fills the rest with random letters. Print the puzzle for the kids table, and print the answer key too if you want to check it later.
Themes are the dinner table, harvest and fall, gratitude and family, parade day, and history. Words that are two words long are shown without a space in the grid.
Easy, medium and hard
Difficulty changes the grid size, the number of words and the directions they run.
- Easy: 10 by 10 grid, 8 short words, reading right or down. Good for young children.
- Medium: 13 by 13 grid, 12 words, also running diagonally.
- Hard: 15 by 15 grid, 18 words, running in all eight directions, including backward.
Puzzle codes and repeatable puzzles
Each puzzle shows a short puzzle code. Type the same code with the same theme, difficulty and words, and you get the identical puzzle. That lets you print a set for the kids table now and the answer key later. Leave the box blank for a new puzzle each time.
Use your own words
Type words in the box, one per line or separated by commas, and the puzzle uses them instead of the theme. Guest names, a family recipe or classroom vocabulary all work. Use up to 20 words, with 3 or more letters, and no longer than the grid. Accents are removed and anything other than letters is dropped. If words do not fit together, the page tells you what to change.
The words you type are not sent, stored or shared. They stay in this browser tab and disappear when you close it.
Printing and the answer key
Press Print to open your browser’s print dialog. The puzzle prints on one page and the answer key on the next, with each hidden word highlighted. Untick the answer key box to print only the puzzle. Choose Save as PDF if you want a file.
Common questions
Is every word really in the grid?
Yes. A puzzle is only shown if every listed word was placed, and each word appears once in the directions that level allows.
Can I add my own words?
Yes, up to 20, with 3 or more letters each. They are used in your browser only.
How do I get the same puzzle again?
Use the same puzzle code, theme, difficulty and words.
Is there an answer key?
Yes. It prints on its own page and highlights every word. You can turn it off before printing.
The studio notebook
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Clear steps, considered details, and ideas you can put to use.
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