Thanksgiving word search
Fourteen Thanksgiving words hidden in the letters.
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Example
Example: a Thanksgiving word search with HAPPY THANKSGIVING in the leftover letters
For the kids’ table on Thanksgiving Day, cousins aged 8 to 12. The 14 Thanksgiving words are kept as they are. Settings: Difficulty Medium (diagonals too), Grid size Just big enough for the words, Hidden message “Happy Thanksgiving”, Letters CAPITALS, word list and answer page on, US Letter.
- With no hidden message the words fill a 14 × 14 grid on every level. With one, layouts are tried until exactly 17 squares stay free, one per letter of HAPPYTHANKSGIVING: 10 rows by 11 columns.
- Two-word entries are hidden without the space: PUMPKIN PIE is the 10 letters PUMPKINPIE in the grid, but prints as PUMPKIN PIE in the word list.
- Under the word list a line tells the children that the letters left over, read row by row, spell a hidden word. Once all 14 words are circled, the letters still free read HAPPY THANKSGIVING.
| Settings | Grid | Squares |
|---|---|---|
| Easy, no hidden message | 14 × 14 | 196 |
| Medium, no hidden message | 14 × 14 | 196 |
| Hard, no hidden message | 14 × 14 | 196 |
| Medium, HAPPY THANKSGIVING hidden | 10 rows × 11 columns | 110, of which 17 spell the message |
thanksgiving-word-search.pdf, 2 pages: the puzzle with its word list, then the answers with every word marked and the hidden message spelt out. Change the puzzle number to give each cousin a different grid of the same words.
How it works
- Keep the Thanksgiving words or type your own, one per line.
- Choose easy (across and down) or harder (diagonals and backwards).
- Download the PDF; the answers are on the second page.
Frequently asked questions
- Is it for kids?
- Choose easy for young children: the words run only across and down. Hard hides them in every direction, backwards too.
- Can I hide a message?
- Yes: type "Happy Thanksgiving" or a family name as the hidden message, and the leftover letters spell it out.
- Can I get a different grid?
- Change the puzzle number: the same words are hidden again in a new grid, so cousins can race on different sheets.
- How big is the grid?
- Just big enough for the words by default: the 14 Thanksgiving words fit a 14 × 14 grid. A hidden message makes the grid tighter, since its letters must be exactly the squares left free. Choose 15 × 15 or 20 × 20 for more filler letters, which makes the words harder to spot.
- What happens to two-word answers like pumpkin pie?
- They are hidden without the space, PUMPKINPIE, and printed with it in the word list, so children search for one run of letters.
- Is anything uploaded?
- No. The puzzle is made in your browser. On the free plan a small line with our name is printed at the foot of the last page.