Animal Word Search
Find familiar animals in this printable animal word search. Solve it online, or print a worksheet and answer key.
Customize
Find the words below. Words can run horizontally, vertically, or diagonally.
How to play: Drag across a word on touch or mouse. Keyboard users can select its first and last letters using Enter. Print Puzzle creates a worksheet; Print Answer Key shows the solution.
Words to find
How to use this printable puzzle
This animal word search includes 12 hidden words in a 15 × 15 letter grid. Find each word in the grid, then mark it off in the word list. Words may appear across, down, diagonally or backward.
Vocabulary to look for
Start with Elephant, Giraffe, Penguin, Dolphin and Tiger. These are examples from the puzzle word list. Longer words are often easier to spot by searching for unusual letter combinations.
Animal habitats
Sort the animals into land, water and mixed-habitat groups. Discuss which habitats need protection.
Try a follow-up activity
Draw an animal habitat and label three features that help its animals survive.
Printing and answer key
Select “Print puzzle” for a clean worksheet. Use “Print answer key” for a separate solution view with the correct word paths highlighted. You can choose “Save as PDF” in your browser’s print dialog.
Make it your own
Change the words or grid size in the controls above and select “New puzzle” to generate a fresh arrangement. The new puzzle will contain your edited word list.
Animal vocabulary practice
After solving, group the animals by habitat: land, ocean, or both. Compare how a penguin and a dolphin move, then write one sentence about each animal.