18 puzzles · all free to play and print
Social Studies Word Search
Free Social Studies word search puzzles to print or play online.
Play online or print
Maps
8 words to find
- MAP
- GLOBE
- NORTH
- SOUTH
- EAST
- WEST
- KEY
- SCALE
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 Social Studies puzzles stay free here. Want them as one printable booklet?
18 printable Social Studies 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 maps, government, economics and ancient civilizations. 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 Social Studies 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 Social Studies word searches
Use the easy puzzles as a station activity or early finisher in primary grades, and the medium ones as vocabulary review before a unit test. Middle school teachers can assign a hard puzzle as sub plans, and homeschool families can match one to the strand they are reading about. Each PDF has the puzzle on page 1 and the answer key on page 2.
Make your own Social Studies word search
Add your own words, a name or a class list to these social studies words and pick a level. The preview is free; the printable PDF with its answer key is $1.99.
Good to know about Social Studies word search
Every Social Studies 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.
Easy puzzles on maps, community and rules suit grades 1 and 2. Medium puzzles on continents, landforms and government suit grades 3 to 5. Hard puzzles on civics, economics and world history fit middle school and adults.
They are not tied to one state's standards. They cover the strands most courses share: geography, government and civics, economics, history and culture, so you can match a puzzle to your own unit.
Some, such as Our Country and Government, focus on the United States, but others cover the continents and oceans, ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, Greece and Rome, medieval trade routes and world religions.
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.