Animal word search

A free animal word search in easy, medium and hard, from cats and dogs to hippopotamus. Print the PDF or play on screen.

Animals word search

0 of 10 found

  • Bear
  • Cat
  • Cow
  • Dog
  • Duck
  • Fish
  • Frog
  • Horse
  • Lion
  • Pig

Tap the first letter of a word, then its last letter.

Animals words in this puzzle

Easy (10 words)

Cat, Dog, Cow, Pig, Duck, Fish, Lion, Bear, Frog, Horse

Medium (16 words)

Cat, Dog, Cow, Pig, Duck, Fish, Lion, Bear, Frog, Horse, Tiger, Zebra, Monkey, Rabbit, Giraffe, Elephant

Hard (25 words)

Cat, Dog, Cow, Pig, Duck, Fish, Lion, Bear, Frog, Horse, Tiger, Zebra, Monkey, Rabbit, Giraffe, Elephant, Penguin, Dolphin, Kangaroo, Crocodile, Hippopotamus, Rhinoceros, Chameleon, Cheetah, Octopus

About this animal word search

The easy puzzle starts with pets and farm animals that young readers can sound out. The medium and hard puzzles move on to jungle, savanna and ocean animals with longer names, like GIRAFFE, KANGAROO, CROCODILE and HIPPOPOTAMUS.

  • Easy: 10 short words, across and down.
  • Medium: up to 16 words, with diagonals.
  • Hard: 25 words in every direction.

Classroom ideas

  • Sort the animals: after solving, sort the words into farm, jungle and ocean, or into mammals, birds, reptiles and fish.
  • Phonics: on the easy puzzle, ask students to clap the syllables of each animal they find. The syllable counter can check longer names.
  • Research card: each student picks one animal from the hard puzzle and finds three facts about it.

More classroom puzzles: solar system word search and sight words word search.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Is this animal word search free?

Yes. All three levels are free PDFs with an answer key on page two.

Is it good for preschool and kindergarten?

Yes. The easy puzzle hides 10 short animal names like CAT, DOG, COW and PIG, across and down only. Read the list aloud together first.

How hard is the hard level?

It hides 25 animals on an 18×18 grid in all eight directions, including long names like HIPPOPOTAMUS, RHINOCEROS and CHAMELEON.

Can I make a puzzle about one habitat?

Yes. Press "Edit this puzzle" to open it in the word search maker, then keep only ocean, farm or jungle animals.

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