12 puzzles · all free to play and print
Pirates Word Search
Free Pirates word search puzzles to print or play online.
Play online or print
Pirate Ship
8 words to find
- SHIP
- SAIL
- MAST
- DECK
- ANCHOR
- FLAG
- WHEEL
- CANNON
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 12 Pirates puzzles stay free here. Want them as one printable booklet?
All 12 Pirates word search puzzles
twelve puzzles in three levels. Easy puzzles are 10 by 10 grids with eight words across and down. Medium puzzles are 13 by 13 with twelve words and diagonals. Hard puzzles are 16 by 16 with eighteen words in every direction, backwards too. The sub-themes include Pirate Ship, Treasure, Famous Pirates, Pirate Waters, Life Aboard Ship and Treasure and Coins. Every puzzle has an answer key and prints on US Letter or A4. Every one of these 12 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 4 puzzles
Medium: across, down and diagonal 4 puzzles
Hard: every direction, backwards too 4 puzzles
Optional · all in one file
Want all 12 in one booklet?
You do not need it: every Pirates puzzle above is free to play and to download one by one. The booklet is only for printing them all at once, a 26-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 Pirates word searches
Print a few for a pirate birthday party and let each guest hunt for the words before the treasure hunt starts. Teachers can use them in a unit on sea voyages, and librarians can use them at a summer reading kickoff. Scout groups and families can bring them along on a boat trip. Each PDF has the puzzle on page 1 and the answer key on page 2.
Make your own Pirates word search
Add your own words, a name or a class list to these pirates words and pick a level. The preview is free; the printable PDF with its answer key is $1.99.
Good to know about Pirates word search
Every Pirates 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 12 puzzles bundled into one print-ready file, costs money.
Try Pirate Ship, Treasure or Pirate Dress. Each is a 10 by 10 grid with eight short words like sail, gold and hat that run across and down only, with no diagonals to confuse a new reader.
Famous Pirates lists historical figures from the Golden Age of piracy such as Blackbeard, Anne Bonny, Mary Read and Calico Jack. Pirate History explains terms like privateer, buccaneer and corsair for older students.
Sailing Words has port, starboard, stern, fathom and windward, and Ships and Parts has galleon, sloop, brigantine, bowsprit and rudder. Life Aboard Ship adds hardtack, hammock, galley and boatswain.
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.