ANIMAL WORD SEARCH

An animal word search you can play here or print out. Pick the level that suits you, find every animal hidden in the grid, and generate a new puzzle whenever you want another — the grid is different every time.

Animals are the theme most people learn first in a new language, and for good reason: they're concrete, most learners already know what the thing is, and the words are short. That makes them a gentle way to practise reading English words as whole shapes rather than sounding out each letter. The English learner level here sticks to the animals a beginner meets early — pets and farm animals, nothing longer than five letters — and tells you what each one means as you find it.

The native level is a different proposition. It draws on animals that are familiar to look at but awkward to spell: PORCUPINE, ALBATROSS, RHINOCEROS. Knowing the animal doesn't help much when you're scanning a 13×13 grid against a clock.

HOW TO PLAY

• Tap the first letter, then the last letter. No dragging, which matters on a phone where dragging a diagonal across small letters is inaccurate.
• Across, down or diagonally — never backwards, at either level.
• Either order works. Tapping the last letter first is fine; it's the line that counts.

PRINT IT

Press Print this puzzle — or just Ctrl‑P — and you'll get the grid exactly as it is on screen, with the word list underneath and a full answer key on a second sheet. Generate a new grid first if you'd like a different one; whatever is on screen is what prints. No account, no watermark, nothing to download.

THE WORDS

English learner level — eight of these twelve appear in any one puzzle:

• CAT — a small pet with whiskers
• DOG — a pet that barks
• COW — a farm animal that gives milk
• PIG — a pink farm animal
• HEN — a female chicken
• FISH — an animal that lives in water
• BIRD — an animal with wings
• DUCK — a bird that swims
• GOAT — a farm animal with horns
• HORSE — a large animal you can ride
• SHEEP — a farm animal with wool
• MOUSE — a very small animal with a long tail

Native speaker level — fourteen of these are used at a time:

ELEPHANT · PORCUPINE · ALBATROSS · CHIMPANZEE · RHINOCEROS · HEDGEHOG · FLAMINGO · CROCODILE · PANGOLIN · WOLVERINE · ARMADILLO · MONGOOSE · OTTER · BADGER · HERON · LEMUR · TAPIR · IGUANA

QUESTIONS

Is it free?
Yes, to play and to print, with no signup.

Are the puzzles always the same?
No — every grid is generated fresh, so this theme never runs out.

Can I use this in a classroom?
Yes. Print as many as you like. The answer key comes on its own sheet.

→ All word search themes