How it works
These 5th grade crossword puzzles, printable on Letter or A4, are vocabulary crosswords in which 64 of the 160 clues name a Greek or Latin root: Spect means look, for Spectator. The page opens on 10 Word Roots clues.
Read the full guide
How a root clue works
A root clue gives the parts, then the meaning: Tele (far) plus phon (sound) for Telephone, Contra (against) plus dict (say) for Contradict. Press New puzzle and the roots come back in other words: ped in Pedal, Pedestrian and Centipede. The list under the puzzle files 34 root clues under Word Roots and 30 more in their subject, as Equilateral is in Math.
Subject sets with checked dates
Reading and writing, math and science have a set each. Social Studies follows United States history to 1865: Jamestown in 1607, the Declaration of July 4, 1776, the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. Shorter Answers gathers the words of 4 to 6 letters, such as Haiku, Veto and Biome.
- After a Word Roots puzzle, partners list two more words for each root they met.
- Answers run to 12 letters, as in Alliteration and Onomatopoeia. When spelling is the hurdle, open More options and tick Word bank under the clues.
Questions and answers
Does a root clue give the answer away?
It gives a fair start, not the word. Ped means foot opens the clues for both Pedal and Pedestrian, and Aqu means water opens Aquarium and Aquifer, so the solver still needs the rest of the clue and the crossing letters.
Do the clues follow a fifth grade standard?
No published standard was used, and none is claimed. The words are ones a fifth grader is likely to meet, such as Inference, Quadrant, Kinetic and Preamble. Open "Show all clues and answers" under the puzzle to read every word first.
Are the 5th grade crossword puzzles free to print?
Yes, with no sign-up and no copy limit, and the answer key prints last. Fifth grade answers are long, so 12 or 15 words (press Add another clue for more) often need a third page. The line that starts "Print gives" has the count.