18 puzzles · all free to play and print
American History Word Search
Free American History word search puzzles to print or play online.
Play online or print
Explorers
8 words to find
- SHIP
- SAIL
- OCEAN
- MAP
- STARS
- LAND
- CREW
- VOYAGE
Drag from the first to the last letter of a word, or tap the first letter and then the last. The PDF has the puzzle on page 1 and the answer key on page 2.
All 18 American History puzzles stay free here. Want them as one printable booklet?
18 printable American History word search puzzles
18 puzzles in three levels. Easy puzzles are 10 by 10 grids with eight words across and down, medium puzzles are 13 by 13 grids with twelve words and diagonals, and hard puzzles are 16 by 16 grids with eighteen words in every direction, backwards too. Themes include the Pilgrims, the Revolution, the Civil War and the Great Depression. Every puzzle has an answer key and prints on US Letter or A4. Every one of these 18 puzzles is free: play it online above or print its PDF, with the answer key on page 2. No account, no email.
Easy: across and down 6 puzzles
Medium: across, down and diagonal 6 puzzles
Hard: every direction, backwards too 6 puzzles
Optional · all in one file
Want all 18 in one booklet?
You do not need it: every American History puzzle above is free to play and to download one by one. The booklet is only for printing them all at once, a 38-page PDF with a cover, a contents page and the answer keys at the back. Buying it also keeps this site free for everyone.
One-time payment, secure checkout with Stripe. US Letter and A4 PDFs, the download link arrives by email.
How to use these American History word searches
Use the easy and medium puzzles as a warm-up before a social studies lesson, or as a review after a unit on colonies, the Revolution or westward growth. Homeschool families can match a puzzle to the period they are reading about, and history clubs or care home groups can try the hard ones. Each PDF has the puzzle on page 1 and the answer key on page 2.
Make your own American History word search
Add your own words, a name or a class list to these american history words and pick a level. The preview is free; the printable PDF with its answer key is $1.99.
Good to know about American History word search
Every American History puzzle on this page is free to play online and free to print as a PDF with its answer key, one by one. Only the optional booklet, all 18 puzzles bundled into one print-ready file, costs money.
The puzzles run in rough order from early explorers and the Pilgrims through the colonies, the Revolution, the Civil War, Reconstruction, westward growth and immigration to the twentieth century, including the Great Depression and the Cold War.
Colonial America, Road to Revolution, Westward Growth and Coming to America are medium puzzles with 12 words that match common fourth and fifth grade units. Younger kids can start with Explorers, Pilgrims or Colonial Life.
in three places. Revolution is an easy puzzle, Road to Revolution is a medium puzzle on events such as the Stamp Act and Yorktown, and Revolutionary War Battles is a hard puzzle with battle sites and the Treaty of Paris.
Easy puzzles (10 by 10, words across and down) work from about age 6. Medium puzzles (13 by 13, diagonals added) suit ages 8 to 11. Hard puzzles (16 by 16, every direction, backwards too) are for older kids and adults.
Page 2 of every PDF is the answer key, with each word marked where it hides. When you play online, the Show answers button marks them on the grid.
Every puzzle comes as a US Letter PDF (8.5 by 11 inches) and an A4 PDF (210 by 297 mm). Print at 100% or Actual size.
Every puzzle on this page plays in the browser on a phone, tablet or computer: drag or tap from the first to the last letter of a word. Nothing to install and no account.
Print as many copies as you need for your home, classroom, church group or care home. Please link to this page instead of uploading the files elsewhere.