3rd Grade Word Search Printable, from Silent Letters to Continents

A third grade word search with 12 words across, down and on two diagonals, and an answer key to print.

Name Date

3rd Grade Word Search

Find every word hidden in the grid. Words go across, down and diagonally.

0 of 12 words found

ICOTHOUGHTEG

ACOATLASRSNN

ONHNECSUUOOH

LDIGIHBARMUO

TASMTHCWTIGT

YANYAESOCEHS

OEMEBLPLANET

ASIZVPRHUNIH

HODMAFMAGNET

SIIOKUNTHILM

IKNJJLPCTNRR

TKFLEARHFLSA

This grid is wider and taller than its box. Slide it to see every letter.To drag, hold the first letter for a moment, then slide.Keyboard: Tab to the grid, arrow keys to move, Enter on the first and last letter.

BecauseBECAUSE
CaughtCAUGHT
EnoughENOUGH
ThoughtTHOUGHT
WrongWRONG
HelpfulHELPFUL
MythMYTH
MagnetMAGNET
AnimalANIMAL
HatchHATCH
PlanetPLANET
AtlasATLAS

12 of 25 words from the 3rd Grade list.

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Medium: words go across, down and diagonally.

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Show clues, not words

Word list

Large print Lower-case letters Name and date line on paper

The puzzle changes as you go. See the puzzle

Answer key: 3rd Grade Word Search

ICOTHOUGHTEG

ACOATLASRSNN

ONHNECSUUOOH

LDIGIHBARMUO

TASMTHCWTIGT

YANYAESOCEHS

OEMEBLPLANET

ASIZVPRHUNIH

HODMAFMAGNET

SIIOKUNTHILM

IKNJJLPCTNRR

TKFLEARHFLSA

BECAUSE, CAUGHT, ENOUGH, THOUGHT, WRONG, HELPFUL, MYTH, MAGNET, ANIMAL, HATCH, PLANET, ATLAS

Next step Build a puzzle from this week's spelling list Solve a 3rd grade crossword with a word bank

All 300 words

Tricky Spelling Words 30

Almost Nearly, but not quite.
Already Before now; by this time.
Always Every time, without fail.
Because For the reason that. One way to spell it: be + cause.
Bought Paid money for something. The past of buy.
Brought Carried something along with you. The past of bring.
Busy Having a lot to do. The u sounds like a short i.
Caught Grabbed something moving, like a ball. It rhymes with taught.
Decide To make up your mind.
Early Before the usual time. The opposite of late.
Enough As much as you need. The gh sounds like f.
Except Leaving out; but not.
Friend Someone you like and trust. The i comes before the e.
Heard Took in a sound with your ears. The past of hear.
Important Mattering a great deal.
Laugh The sound you make when something is funny. The gh sounds like f.
People More than one person. The o is silent.
Probably Very likely, but not for sure.
Really Truly; very much.
Remember To keep something in your mind, or to bring it back to mind.
Several More than two, but not many.
Special Not like the others. The ci sounds like sh.
Taught Helped someone learn. The past of teach.
Thought An idea in your mind. It is also the past of think.
Through In one side and out the other. It sounds like threw.
Together With each other, not apart.
Trouble A problem or a worry. The ou sounds like a short u.
Usually Most of the time.
Whole All of something, with no part missing. It sounds like hole.
Whose The asking word for who owns something.

Show all 300 words (270 more)

Silent Letters 30

Answer What you give when someone asks a question. The w is silent.
Autumn The season between summer and winter, also called fall. The n is silent.
Climb To go up a tree, a ladder or a hill. The b is silent.
Comb You pull it through your hair to tidy it. The b is silent.
Crumb A tiny bit of bread or cake. The b is silent.
Design A plan or a pattern drawn before something is made. The g is silent.
Gnat A tiny fly. Some kinds bite. The g is silent.
Honor Great respect. The h is silent.
Kneel To rest on your knees. The k is silent.
Knife A tool with a blade for cutting. The k is silent.
Knock To tap on a door with your fist. The first k is silent.
Knot What you tie in a rope or a shoelace. The k is silent.
Knuckle A joint in your finger. The first k is silent.
Listen To pay attention to a sound. The t is silent.
Numb Unable to feel anything, like very cold fingers. The b is silent.
Palm The inside of your hand. It is also a tropical tree. The l is silent.
Plumber A person who fixes water pipes. The b is silent.
Rustle The soft sound of dry leaves moving. The t is silent.
Scent A smell, often a nice one. The c is silent.
Scissors A tool with two blades for cutting paper. The c is silent.
Stalk The main stem of a plant. The l is silent.
Sword A long metal blade with a handle. The w is silent.
Whistle To make a high sound by blowing air through your lips. The t is silent.
Wrap To cover a gift in paper. The w is silent.
Wreath A ring of leaves or flowers hung on a door. The w is silent.
Wrench A tool that grips and turns a nut or a bolt. The w is silent.
Wrinkle A small fold in cloth or in skin. The w is silent.
Write To put words on paper. The w is silent.
Wrong Not correct. The w is silent.
Yolk The yellow part of an egg. The l is silent.

Prefixes and Suffixes 30

Breakable Break + able. Easy to crack or smash.
Careful Care + ful. Paying attention so that nothing goes wrong.
Colorful Color + ful. Bright with red, blue, yellow and more.
Discover Dis + cover. To find something for the first time.
Dislike Dis + like. To not enjoy something.
Disobey Dis + obey. To not do what you are told.
Endless End + less. Going on and on, or seeming to.
Harmless Harm + less. Not able to hurt anyone.
Helpful Help + ful. Ready to lend a hand.
Kindness Kind + ness. Being gentle and caring toward others.
Misplace Mis + place. To put something down and forget where.
Misread Mis + read. To read something the wrong way.
Movement Move + ment. A change of place or position.
Nonstop Non + stop. Going on without a break.
Payment Pay + ment. Money handed over for something.
Peaceful Peace + ful. Calm and quiet.
Preheat Pre + heat. To warm the oven before the food goes in.
Prepay Pre + pay. To hand over the money before you get the thing.
Quickly Quick + ly. At a fast speed.
Redo Re + do. To make or try a second time.
Refill Re + fill. To make a cup or a bottle full once more.
Reread Re + read. To go over a page a second time.
Rewrite Re + write. To put a draft into better words.
Sadness Sad + ness. The feeling of being unhappy.
Unhappy Un + happy. Sad.
Unkind Un + kind. Mean; not nice to other people.
Unlock Un + lock. To open with a key.
Unpack Un + pack. To take your things out of a bag.
Untie Un + tie. To loosen a knot or a bow.
Washable Wash + able. Safe to clean with soap and water.

Reading and Grammar 30

Adjective A describing word, like red, tall or noisy.
Adverb A word that tells how, when or where, like slowly or soon.
Apostrophe The raised mark in can't and in Sam's.
Character A person or an animal in a story.
Conclusion The ending that wraps up a piece of writing.
Contents The page at the front of a book that lists the chapters.
Event One thing that happens in a story.
Explain To make something clear by telling how or why.
Fantasy A story with magic or creatures that could never be real.
Indent To start the first line of a paragraph a little way in.
Label A word or two that names one part of a picture.
Lesson What a story teaches.
Limerick A funny poem of five lines.
Mystery A story with a puzzle or a crime to solve.
Myth A very old story that explains how something in nature began.
Narrative Writing that tells a story.
Nonfiction Writing about real people, places and happenings.
Possessive The form that shows who owns something, like the dog's bone.
Predicate The part of a sentence that tells what the subject does.
Problem What goes wrong in a story and has to be fixed.
Pronoun A word that stands in for a noun, like he, she, it or they.
Reason The why behind an opinion.
Report A piece of writing that gives facts about a topic.
Sequence The order in which things happen: first, next, then, last.
Sidebar A box of extra facts at the edge of a page.
Singular The form of a word that means only one.
Subject Who or what a sentence is about.
Tense The form of a verb that shows past, present or future.
Trickster A clever character in old stories who fools the others.
Villain The bad character who works against the hero of a story.

3rd Grade Math 30

Area The number of square units that cover a flat shape.
Centimeter A short metric length. One hundred of them make a meter.
Chart A table or a drawing that sets out facts so they are easy to read.
Data Facts or numbers collected to answer a question.
Divide To split into equal groups or shares.
Double Two times as much.
Eighths Eight equal parts of one whole.
Elapsed Gone by, as time does. From 2:00 to 2:45, 45 minutes have done this.
Expanded Stretched out. 300 + 40 + 2 is this form of 342.
Fraction A number for part of a whole, like 1/2 or 3/4.
Gram A small unit of mass. A small paper clip is about one.
Halfway At the middle point. 25 is this between 20 and 30.
Liter A unit for liquids equal to 1,000 milliliters, a little more than a quart.
Multiply To add equal groups quickly. 4 x 5 means four groups of five.
Nearest Closest. When you go to the closest ten, 50 is this for 48.
Octagon A shape with eight sides, like a stop sign.
Operation Adding, subtracting, multiplying or dividing.
Perimeter The distance all the way around a shape.
Pictograph A chart that uses small pictures to stand for numbers.
Rectangle A shape with four sides and four right angles, like a door.
Round To change a number to the closest ten or hundred.
Scale The numbers along the side of a graph. It is also a tool for weighing.
Sixths Six equal parts of one whole.
Solve To find the answer to a problem.
Square A shape with four equal sides and four right angles.
Tally A mark made to count one. The fifth mark crosses the first four.
Thousand Ten hundreds. The number 1,000.
Times The word we say for the x sign, as in 3 x 4.
Twice Two times.
Unit A fixed amount used to measure, like an inch or a gram.

Forces and Magnets 30

Attract To pull closer. Opposite ends of two magnets do this.
Axle The rod through the center of a wheel.
Bounce To spring back after hitting the floor.
Charge An amount of electricity held by an object. It can be positive or negative.
Collide To crash into each other.
Contact Touching. A push by hand needs it, but the pull of a magnet does not.
Direction The way something moves or points, such as left, up or north.
Force A push or a pull.
Friction The rubbing force that slows a sliding object.
Gear A wheel with teeth that turns another toothed wheel.
Glide To move smoothly with little effort, like a skater on ice.
Gravity The force that pulls everything toward the ground.
Launch To send something into the air with a strong push.
Lever A stiff bar that turns on a fixed point to lift a load. A seesaw is one.
Machine A tool that makes work easier. The lever counts among the six simple ones.
Magnet An object that pulls iron and steel toward it.
Motion Movement from one place to another.
Pendulum A weight hung from a fixed point so that it can sway back and forth.
Pole One of the two ends of a magnet, called north and south.
Position Where an object is.
Pulley A wheel with a rope over it, used to lift a load.
Ramp A sloping surface. It is the simple machine called an inclined plane.
Repel To push away. One magnet can do this to another.
Roll To move by turning over and over, as a ball does.
Rotate To turn around a center point, as a wheel does.
Screw A simple machine: a ramp wound around a post. It holds wood together.
Skid To slip sideways when wheels lose their grip.
Static The kind of electricity that builds up when you rub a balloon on your hair.
Wedge A simple machine with a thin edge that splits things apart, like an ax head.
Wheel A round part that turns on an axle.

Life Cycles and Traits 30

Adapt To become better suited to the place where it lives.
Adult A fully grown person, animal or insect.
Amphibian An animal such as a frog that starts life in water with gills and grows lungs.
Animal A living thing that can move around and must eat to live, like a bird or a bee.
Beetle An insect whose hard front wings cover its back like a case.
Behavior The way an animal or a person acts.
Brood A family of young birds that came out of their eggs together.
Chrysalis The pupa of a butterfly. Inside it a caterpillar changes into its winged form.
Dormant Alive but resting, like a seed or a tree in winter.
Fossil The remains or the print of a living thing from long ago, kept in rock.
Hatch To break out of an egg, as a chick, a tadpole or a caterpillar does.
Hibernate To spend the winter in a deep rest, as some bears and bats do.
Inherit To get a trait from a parent.
Larva The young, wormlike form of an insect after it leaves the egg.
Learned Picked up by practice, not known from birth, like a trick a dog does.
Lifespan How long a living thing usually lives.
Litter All the babies born to one mother animal at the same time.
Mammal An animal with hair or fur that feeds its babies milk.
Molt To shed old skin, feathers or a shell so that new ones can grow.
Nymph A young insect, such as a grasshopper, that looks like a small adult without wings.
Offspring The young of a plant or an animal.
Pollinate To carry pollen from bloom to bloom so that seeds can form, as bees do.
Pride A family group of lions.
Pupa The resting stage in which a young insect changes into its grown form.
Reptile A cold-blooded animal such as a snake, a lizard or a turtle. Most lay eggs.
Survival Staying alive when food is scarce or an enemy is near.
Swarm A large group of bees or other insects moving together.
Tadpole A young frog or toad. It swims with a tail and breathes with gills.
Thrive To grow strong and healthy.
Trait A feature of a living thing, such as eye color or leaf shape.

Weather and Climate 30

Average The usual amount, found from many days or years of measuring.
Blizzard A long snowstorm with strong winds that make it hard to see.
Celsius The temperature scale on which water freezes at 0 and boils at 100.
Climate The usual weather of a place over many years.
Cloudy With more clouds than blue sky.
Cyclone The name for a hurricane in the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific.
Danger The chance that someone could get hurt.
Drizzle Light rain made of very small drops.
Flurry A light, short fall of snow.
Forecast A report that says what the weather will probably be.
Frost Thin white ice that forms on grass and windows on a cold night.
Gauge A tool that measures an amount, such as how much rain has fallen.
Gust A sudden strong rush of wind.
Hail Balls or lumps of ice that fall from a thunderstorm.
Humid Damp and sticky, with a lot of water in the air.
Hurricane A huge spinning storm from over warm ocean water, with winds of 74 mph or more.
Lightning A giant flash of electricity in the sky.
Mist A thin fog of tiny water drops near the ground.
Monsoon A seasonal wind that brings months of heavy rain to places like India.
Overcast With gray clouds covering the whole sky.
Polar Of the icy areas around the North and South Poles.
Pressure The push of the air on everything below it. A barometer measures it.
Rainfall The amount of rain that comes down in one place over a set time.
Sleet Small, clear pellets of ice that fall in cold weather.
Storm Bad weather with strong wind and heavy rain or snow.
Thaw To melt after being frozen.
Tornado A spinning column of air that reaches from a storm cloud to the ground.
Tropical Of the warm parts of the world near the equator.
Vapor Water in the form of a gas that you cannot see.
Warning A message that dangerous weather is on the way.

Maps and Continents 30

Abroad In or to another country.
Africa The second largest continent.
America Part of the name of two continents, North and South.
Antarctica The coldest continent, covered in ice, with the South Pole on it.
Asia The largest continent.
Atlas A book of maps.
Australia The smallest continent. It is also one country.
Continent One of the seven great areas of land on Earth.
Eastern Toward the right side of most maps, where the Sun comes up.
Equator The imaginary line around the middle of Earth, halfway between the poles.
Europe The continent west of Asia. France, Spain and Poland are there.
Explore To travel through a new place to learn about it.
Indian The third largest ocean, lying between Africa and Australia.
Inset A small extra map set in the corner of a bigger one.
Legend The box on a map that tells what each symbol means. It is also an old story.
Locate To find where something is.
Longitude How far east or west a place is, counted from a line through Greenwich, England.
Mainland The main part of a country or a continent, not its islands.
Meridian A line on a globe that runs from the North Pole to the South Pole.
Northern Toward the top of most maps.
Overseas Across the ocean.
Pacific The largest ocean.
Peninsula Land that sticks out from the mainland with water around most of it.
Planet A huge ball that travels around a star. Earth is the one we live on.
Region A part of a country or the world with something in common, like the Midwest.
Route The way you take to get from one place to another.
Southern Toward the bottom of most maps. It also names the ocean around Antarctica.
Travel To go from one place to another, often far away.
Voyage A long trip by sea or in space.
Western Toward the left side of most maps, where the Sun goes down.

Days and Months 30

Annual Happening once every year.
April The fourth month. It has 30 days.
August The eighth month. It has 31 days.
Daily Happening every day.
Decade Ten years.
December The twelfth and last month. It has 31 days.
Evening The end of the day, after the afternoon and before night.
February The second month. It has 28 days, or 29 in a leap year.
Friday The last day of the school week.
January The first month. It has 31 days.
July The seventh month. It has 31 days.
June The sixth month. It has 30 days.
Leap The kind of year that has 366 days. It also means to jump.
March The third month, with 31 days. It also means to walk in step.
May The fifth month, with 31 days. It has the shortest name.
Midday Twelve o'clock, when the morning ends.
Monday The day after Sunday. For many people the school week starts here.
Monthly Happening once every four weeks or so, twelve times a year.
Morning The first part of the day, from sunrise until noon.
November The eleventh month. It has 30 days.
October The tenth month. It has 31 days.
Saturday The first day of the weekend.
September The ninth month. It has 30 days.
Sunday The day between Saturday and Monday.
Thursday The day before Friday.
Tuesday The day after Monday. Watch the ue in the middle.
Wednesday The middle of the school week. Its first d is silent.
Weekday Any day from Monday to Friday.
Weekly Happening once every seven days.
Yesterday The day before today.

How it works

Third grade is the first grade here to open with diagonal words. This 3rd grade word search printable hides 12 words, such as because, magnet and Friday, across, down and along two diagonals in a 12 by 12 grid.

Read the full guide

Word search puzzles for 3rd graders, by unit

Start from a list offers ten themes: Tricky Spelling Words, Silent Letters, Prefixes and Suffixes, Reading and Grammar, 3rd Grade Math, Forces and Magnets, Life Cycles and Traits, Weather and Climate, Maps and Continents, and Days and Months. Each holds 30 words; a pick swaps in 12 and renames the puzzle. Add another gives one more word and the cross beside a word takes it away; 15 may grow the grid.

Without diagonals, or with backwards words

If diagonals are too much, pick 3rd Grade Warm-Up (88 words of 3 to 5 letters) and press Easy. The stretch is 3rd Grade Challenge, 67 words of 7 to 10 letters, on Hard, which adds backwards words.

Prefixes and Suffixes clues open with the parts, as in "Un + kind" and "Help + ful".
Wednesday is in Days and Months, and its clue warns that the first d is silent.

Questions and answers

Is this word search for 3rd graders printable with clues in place of words?

Yes. Tick Show clues, not words in More options, then print. The worksheet lists a clue for each hidden word, such as "A tool with a blade for cutting. The k is silent." for Knife. The answer key still names every word.

Does this word search for third graders have the days of the week and the months?

Yes. Days and Months holds the 7 days, the 12 months and 11 calendar words such as decade and leap. Each month's clue gives its number of days, and February's adds the leap year.

Is there an answer key for the 3rd grade word search?

Yes, for every puzzle. It prints on its own page after the puzzle, so the puzzle goes to students and the key stays on your desk. Press New puzzle and the key changes with it.

What other word games for third graders are on this site?

Two that print. 3rd grade crossword puzzles opens on 10 warm-up words of 3 or 4 letters with a word bank. The multiplication word search lists facts such as 6 × 7 and hides each product spelled out, FORTYTWO.

All 300 words

Tricky Spelling Words 30

Silent Letters 30

Prefixes and Suffixes 30

Reading and Grammar 30

3rd Grade Math 30

Forces and Magnets 30

Life Cycles and Traits 30

Weather and Climate 30

Maps and Continents 30

Days and Months 30

How it works

Word search puzzles for 3rd graders, by unit

Without diagonals, or with backwards words

Questions and answers

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