Antarctica Word Search

South Pole, Iceberg, Krill and Emperor Penguin wait in a grid that prints with its answer key.

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

0 of 16 words found

DXNAJPAMUNDSENF

TEAWGCDICEBERGS

KRWSLWCRESEARCH

ELSUAANTARCTICA

SUHVCBREOECGQKC

ERGTILTHTCYFCRK

NODUEUSTFTAGFIL

DSRARESOUTHPOLE

USQWEWTSUISPMLT

RSOUTHERNOCEANO

AERTFAIMSYNCCSN

NACSTLSAFYJRVCC

CRAICESHEETSPOC

EMPERORPENGUINE

STZSTATIONUBSSY

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.

AntarcticaANTARCTICA
South PoleSOUTH POLE
Ross SeaROSS SEA
Ice SheetICE SHEET
GlacierGLACIER
IcebergICEBERG
KrillKRILL
ResearchRESEARCH
StationSTATION
Emperor PenguinEMPEROR PENGUIN
Blue WhaleBLUE WHALE
OrcaORCA
AmundsenAMUNDSEN
ShackletonSHACKLETON
EnduranceENDURANCE
Southern OceanSOUTHERN OCEAN

16 of 25 words from the Antarctica Favorites list.

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Answer key: Antarctica Word Search

DXNAJPAMUNDSENF

TEAWGCDICEBERGS

KRWSLWCRESEARCH

ELSUAANTARCTICA

SUHVCBREOECGQKC

ERGTILTHTCYFCRK

NODUEUSTFTAGFIL

DSRARESOUTHPOLE

USQWEWTSUISPMLT

RSOUTHERNOCEANO

AERTFAIMSYNCCSN

NACSTLSAFYJRVCC

CRAICESHEETSPOC

EMPERORPENGUINE

STZSTATIONUBSSY

ANTARCTICA, SOUTH POLE, ROSS SEA, ICE SHEET, GLACIER, ICEBERG, KRILL, RESEARCH, STATION, EMPEROR PENGUIN, BLUE WHALE, ORCA, AMUNDSEN, SHACKLETON, ENDURANCE, SOUTHERN OCEAN

Next step Make a puzzle from your own polar unit words Scramble the Antarctic animal names

All 198 words

Antarctic Places 27

Bay of Whales Inlet in the ice where Amundsen built his base camp.
Beardmore Great glacier that Shackleton and Scott climbed as a road toward the Pole.
Cape Adare Headland with a huge Adelie penguin colony and huts from the first winter spent ashore.
Cape Evans Spot on Ross Island where the wooden hut of Scott's last expedition still stands.
Drake Passage Stormy stretch of water between Cape Horn and the South Shetland Islands.
Dry Valleys Snow-free hollows near McMurdo Sound, so barren that scientists compare them to Mars.
Elephant Island Bleak rock where the crew of the Endurance waited months for rescue.
Lake Vostok Huge body of fresh water hidden deep beneath the ice sheet.
Lambert Glacier One of the largest and longest rivers of ice in the world.
Marie Byrd Land Remote western region that no country claims.
McMurdo Sound Arm of the sea beside Ross Island where supply ships arrive each summer.
Mount Erebus Active volcano on Ross Island with a lake of molten lava in its crater.
Peninsula Long arm of land that reaches toward South America, the mildest corner of the continent.
Polar Plateau High, flat, bitterly cold ice surface around the South Pole.

Show all 198 words (184 more)

Antarctic Places, continued

Port Lockroy Old British base on the Peninsula, now a museum with a post office.
Queen Maud Land Region facing Africa, named for a Norwegian royal.
Ronne Ice Shelf Vast floating plain of glacier-fed ice at the head of the Weddell Sea.
Ross Ice Shelf Largest floating plain of frozen fresh water on Earth, ending in a white cliff above the waves.
Ross Island Volcanic home of McMurdo Station and of the wooden huts left by early explorers.
Ross Sea Deep bay of the Southern Ocean, south of New Zealand, named for a British naval explorer.
South Pole Southernmost point on Earth, where every direction is north.
South Shetlands Chain of islands north of the Peninsula, crowded with research bases.
Southern Ocean Cold ring of sea that surrounds the whole continent.
Victoria Land Mountainous region west of the Ross Sea, named for a British queen.
Vinson Massif Highest mountain on the continent, in the Ellsworth range.
Weddell Sea Ice-choked bay where the ship Endurance was trapped and crushed.
Wilkes Land Stretch of coast facing Australia, named for an American naval explorer.

Antarctic Ice and Weather 30

Bergy Bit Piece of floating ice larger than a growler but smaller than an iceberg.
Blizzard Storm of wind-driven snow.
Brash Ice Soup of small floating fragments.
Calving The moment a block breaks off a glacier into the sea.
Crevasse Deep crack in a glacier, sometimes hidden under a bridge of snow.
Diamond Dust Tiny ice crystals that drift and sparkle in clear, very cold air.
Fast Ice Frozen sea surface that stays attached to the shore.
Firn Old, grainy snow on its way to becoming glacier ice.
Glacier Slow river of ice that creeps downhill toward the sea.
Growler Small chunk of floating ice that barely shows above the waves.
Ice Core Long cylinder drilled from a glacier that holds bubbles of ancient air.
Ice Floe Flat floating sheet, big enough for seals to rest on.
Ice Sheet Frozen layer that covers almost the whole continent, kilometers thick in places.
Ice Stream Fast-moving current within a slower sheet of the frozen cover.
Iceberg Floating mass broken from a glacier or shelf, mostly hidden under water.
Icefall Steep, broken stretch of a glacier, like a frozen waterfall.
Katabatic Kind of fierce wind that pours downhill from the high ice toward the coast.
Meltwater What runs off when snow and ice thaw.
Moraine Rubble of rock carried and dumped by a glacier.
Nunatak Rocky peak that pokes up through the ice.
Pack Ice Floating floes jammed together into a wide, drifting field.
Permafrost Ground that stays frozen all year.
Polynya Patch of open water surrounded by sea ice.
Sastrugi Hard ridges carved in snow by the wind.
Sea Ice Frozen ocean water that spreads far out from the coast each winter.
Snowdrift Bank piled up by the wind.
Sun Dog Bright spot beside the Sun, made by ice crystals in the air.
Tabular Shape of the flat-topped icebergs that break from ice shelves.
Whiteout Weather in which snow and cloud blur together and the horizon disappears.
Wind Chill How much colder the air feels when it is blowing hard.

Antarctic Animals and Plants 35

Adelie Small black and white penguin that nests on bare rock all around the coast.
Albatross Great seabird that glides for hours over the Southern Ocean on long, narrow wings.
Arctic Tern Bird that flies here from the far north every year to enjoy a second summer.
Blubber Thick layer of fat that keeps seals and whales warm.
Blue Whale Largest animal known to have lived, which feeds on krill in summer.
Chinstrap Penguin with a thin black line running under its beak from ear to ear.
Colossal Squid Giant of the deep Southern Ocean with hooks on its tentacles.
Crabeater Very numerous seal that, in spite of its name, eats krill.
Creche Group of penguin chicks that wait together while their parents fish.
Elephant Seal Enormous, heavy swimmer; the male's trunk-like nose gives the animal its name.
Emperor Penguin Largest bird of its kind; the male guards one egg on his feet through the dark winter.
Fur Seal Eared swimmer with a thick coat, once hunted almost to extinction.
Gentoo Penguin with an orange bill and a white patch above each eye.
Hairgrass One of only two flowering plants native to the continent.
Huddle Tight crowd that emperor penguins form to share warmth.
Humpback Long-flippered whale known for leaping and singing.
Icefish Pale fish whose blood has no red pigment.
Krill Small shrimp-like animal that swims in huge swarms and feeds whales, seals and penguins.
Leopard Seal Spotted hunter with a huge jaw that catches penguins at the ice edge.
Lichen Crusty partnership of fungus and alga that clings to bare rock.
Macaroni Penguin with a crest of yellow feathers on its head.
Midge Wingless insect about as long as a grain of rice, found nowhere else on Earth.
Minke Small baleen whale often seen among the pack ice.
Moss Small green plant that forms cushions where meltwater runs.
Orca Black and white hunter that works in family groups, also called the killer whale.
Pearlwort Low cushion plant, one of only two flowering plants native to the continent.
Phytoplankton Microscopic drifting life that blooms in summer and feeds the krill.
Rookery Crowded nesting ground of penguins or seals.
Sea Spider Long-legged animal of the ocean floor that grows unusually large in these cold waters.
Sheathbill White, pigeon-like bird that scavenges around penguin colonies.
Skua Bold brown seabird that steals penguin eggs and chicks.
Snow Petrel Pure white seabird with black eyes and a black bill.
Springtail Tiny six-legged jumper that hides under stones.
Tardigrade Microscopic "water bear" that can survive being frozen.
Toothfish Big deep-water fish whose blood contains a natural antifreeze.

Antarctic Explorers and Ships 28

Amundsen Norwegian who led the first party to the South Pole, in December 1911.
Bellingshausen Russian naval officer whose ships sighted the continent in January 1820.
Byrd American aviator who led the first flight over the South Pole, in 1929.
Captain Cook English navigator whose ships crossed the Antarctic Circle in 1773 without sighting land.
Compass Direction finder with a magnetized needle.
Depot Store of food and fuel left along a route for the return journey.
Discovery Scott's first expedition ship, now a museum in Dundee, Scotland.
Endurance Ship lost in the Weddell Sea in 1915 and found on the seabed in 2022.
Expedition Organized journey made to explore or study a place.
Fram Amundsen's ship; its name is Norwegian for "forward".
Heroic Age Name given to the era of Amundsen, Scott and Shackleton.
Hut Wooden shelter built by early explorers; several still stand.
James Caird Lifeboat in which Shackleton sailed to South Georgia to fetch help.
Man-hauling Pulling a loaded sledge by human strength alone.
Mawson Australian geologist who survived a long solo trek back to his base.
Navigator Person who works out the route of a ship or a sledge party.
Nimrod Small ship of an early Shackleton expedition that came close to the Pole.
Pemmican Dried meat and fat packed as trail food by early expeditions.
Ross British captain whose ships Erebus and Terror met a great wall of floating ice.
Scott British naval officer who reached the Pole a month after his rival and did not survive the journey back.
Sextant Instrument once used to find position from the Sun and stars.
Shackleton Leader whose whole crew survived after their ship was crushed by ice.
Sled Dog Thick-coated puller of loads for early expeditions; none are allowed on the continent now.
Sledge Low vehicle on runners pulled by dogs, ponies or people to carry supplies over snow.
Terra Nova Ship that carried Scott's last expedition south.
Tom Crean Irish seaman who served on three famous expeditions with Scott and Shackleton.
Weddell British sealer who in 1823 sailed farther south than anyone before him.
Wilkes American naval officer who mapped a long stretch of the coast.

Antarctic Science and Stations 32

Anemometer Instrument that measures wind speed.
Biologist Expert on living things.
Concordia Base high on the inland ice, shared by France and Italy.
Drill Tool used to bore down through the ice.
Field Camp Temporary base of tents set up far from a station.
Fossil Remains in rock which show that forests and dinosaurs once lived here.
Geologist Expert on rocks and the history of the Earth.
Glaciologist Expert on ice sheets and how they move.
Halley British base whose scientists reported the hole in the ozone layer in 1985.
Icebreaker Strong ship built to smash a path through frozen seas.
Laboratory Room equipped for experiments.
McMurdo Largest research base on the continent, run by the United States.
Meteorite Rock from space; many thousands have been collected from the ice here.
Midnight Sun Summer daylight that lasts all night.
Mirny Russian base on the coast, named for one of Bellingshausen's ships.
Neutrino Ghostly particle hunted by a detector buried in the ice at the South Pole.
Ozone Hole Thinning of a protective gas layer high over the continent each spring.
Palmer United States base on an island off the Peninsula.
Polar Night Winter darkness that lasts all day.
Research Careful study to learn new facts, the main work of everyone who lives here.
Rothera British base on an island off the Peninsula.
Satellite Spacecraft that maps the ice from orbit.
Scientist Person who studies nature by observing and testing.
Ski Plane Aircraft that lands on snow with long runners in place of wheels.
Southern Lights Glowing curtains of color in the winter sky, also called the aurora australis.
Station Group of buildings where scientists live and work.
Subglacial Word for lakes and land that lie beneath the ice sheet.
Telescope Instrument for studying the sky, helped here by cold, dry, steady air.
Thermometer Instrument that measures temperature.
Treaty Agreement signed in 1959 that keeps the continent for peace and science.
Vostok Russian base where the lowest air temperature ever measured at ground level was recorded.
Weather Balloon Gas-filled bag that carries instruments high into the air.

Antarctic Geography 25

Antarctica Fifth-largest continent, lying around the South Pole and almost wholly covered by ice.
Bedrock Solid rock that lies under the ice.
Claim Several countries have made one to a slice of the continent; the treaty puts them all on hold.
Coldest Word for this continent: no other has such low temperatures.
Continent One of the seven great landmasses of the Earth.
Desert Place with very little rain or snow, which describes most of this icy land.
Driest Word for this continent: so little snow falls that it counts as a desert.
Fresh Water Most of the planet's supply is frozen in the ice here.
Frozen Turned solid by cold.
Gondwana Ancient supercontinent that once joined this land to Africa, India, Australia and South America.
Hemisphere Half of the globe; this continent lies wholly in the southern one.
Horizon Line where sky seems to meet land or sea.
Latitude Distance north or south of the Equator in degrees; the Pole is at 90 south.
Longitude Lines that run from pole to pole and all meet at the bottom of the globe.
Meridian Any one of the north-to-south lines that meet at the Pole.
Midwinter Holiday that station crews celebrate in June.
Polar Describes the regions around the top and bottom ends of the Earth.
Sea Level It would rise by many meters if all the ice here melted.
Solstice Day when the Sun is highest or lowest for the year.
Summer Season from about November to February here, when the Sun does not set at the Pole.
Time Zones They all meet at the Pole, so each station chooses which clock to follow.
Tourist Summer visitor, who usually arrives by ship from South America.
Volcano Mountain that can erupt; Erebus is the best known here.
Wilderness Wild land with no towns, farms or roads.
Windiest Word for this continent: gales blow harder here than anywhere else.

Antarctic Gear and Travel 21

Balaclava Knitted hood that covers the head and most of the face.
Crampons Spikes strapped under boots for grip on ice.
Flag Cloth emblem of a nation; those of the first treaty countries ring the marker at the Pole.
Goggles Tinted eye covers that guard against wind and glare.
Helicopter Aircraft with spinning blades that carries teams to remote sites.
Ice Axe Pick-headed tool for cutting steps and stopping a slide.
Journal Daily written record kept by an explorer.
Layers What you wear several of, one over another, to trap warm air.
Mittens Hand covers that keep the fingers together for warmth.
Parka Long, thick, hooded coat.
Radio Device for talking with base from far away.
Rations Measured supplies of food for each day of a trip.
Rope Line that ties climbers together when they cross crevasses.
Runway Strip of smoothed ice or snow where aircraft land.
Skis Long narrow runners worn on the feet for gliding over snow.
Sleeping Bag Padded sack that a camper zips into at night.
Snowmobile Motor sled steered with handlebars.
Stove Small burner used to melt snow for water and to cook.
Sunglasses Dark lenses that guard eyes against the glare off the snow.
Tent Cloth shelter pitched at a field camp.
Tractor Tracked vehicle that hauls sleds of fuel and cargo across the ice.

How this list was compiled: Own work. Words and names about Antarctica for grades 2 to 8: seven themed lists (places; ice and weather; animals and plants; explorers and ships; science and stations; geography; gear and travel), Antarctica Favorites, an easy list of every word of 3 to 5 letters and a hard list of every word of 8 letters or more. Entries have 3 to 14 letters, and inside one list no word sits inside another, forwards or backwards. The grid keeps only the letters A to Z, so South Pole is hidden as SOUTHPOLE and Man-hauling as MANHAULING. Clues are our own wording; no clue repeats a word of four letters or more from its own entry. Every person named is an explorer of the past, and no brand is listed. Places, people, animals and terms were checked on 16 October 2026 against the English Wikipedia article for each entry (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antarctica, license CC BY-SA 4.0). Dates, firsts and records were checked the same day in a second work: Store norske leksikon (https://snl.no, its articles on Amundsen, Scott, Shackleton, the Endurance, Bellingshausen, Byrd, Weddell, Cook, Borchgrevink, the Ross Ice Shelf, Mount Vinson and the Antarctic Treaty), the Antarctic Treaty Secretariat (https://www.ats.aq/e/antarctictreaty.html), the Australian Antarctic Program's pages on weather, the ice sheet, plants, the emperor penguin and the crabeater seal (https://www.antarctica.gov.au/about-antarctica/), NASA Space Place (https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/antarctica/en/), NOAA Fisheries on the blue whale, the British Antarctic Survey's page on Halley and the National Science Foundation's page on McMurdo Station. Where no second work gave a date or a record, the clue leaves it out. Not affiliated with any national Antarctic program; an educational puzzle, so check an official source before you rely on a fact. Licence: own work

How it works

This Antarctica word search opens with Ross Sea, Ice Sheet, Glacier, Amundsen, Shackleton, Endurance and 10 more favorites. Seven lists go further: places, ice and weather, animals and plants, explorers and ships, science and stations, geography, and gear and travel.

Read the full guide

The race to the Pole in one list

Antarctic Explorers and Ships tells the story clue by clue. Bellingshausen sighted the continent in 1820, Amundsen reached the South Pole in December 1911, and Scott arrived a month later. Endurance, the ship Shackleton lost in 1915, was found on the seabed in 2022. Fram, Terra Nova, Discovery and Nimrod are the other ships.

Ice words for a science unit

Antarctic Ice and Weather goes past Iceberg and Glacier to the terms a glacier unit needs: Crevasse, Calving, Moraine, Firn, Nunatak, Polynya, Sastrugi and Katabatic, each with a one-line meaning. Antarctic Geography adds Coldest, Windiest and Driest, three records the continent holds.

No polar bear is in the list. They live in the Arctic; this continent has penguins, seals, whales and seabirds.
Easy Antarctica has the 24 words of 3 to 5 letters: Krill, Orca, Skua, Moss, Fram, Hut, Tent, Skis, Parka and Polar among them.
Hairgrass and Pearlwort look out of place in an ice puzzle: they are the only two flowering plants native to the continent.

Questions and answers

Is this Antarctica word search printable?

Yes. Print or save as PDF gives the puzzle on one page with a Name and Date line, then the answer key on a page of its own. Press New puzzle and the next sheet draws a different 16 from the 25 favorites.

Are penguins in the Antarctica word search?

Five kinds: Emperor Penguin, Adelie, Chinstrap, Gentoo and Macaroni. Antarctic Animals and Plants has 35 entries in all, with Leopard Seal, Blue Whale, Orca, Albatross, Icefish and Krill, the small animal that feeds most of the others.

Can it be an Antarctica vocabulary quiz?

Open More options and tick Show clues, not words. Each word gives way to its fact: Vostok becomes the Russian base where the lowest air temperature ever measured at ground level was recorded.

Is there a harder Antarctica word search for older students?

Pick Hard Antarctica: 116 entries of 8 letters or more, such as Bellingshausen, Glaciologist, Southern Lights and Phytoplankton. Press Hard as well, and words also run diagonally and backward.

All 198 words

Antarctic Places 27

Antarctic Places, continued

Antarctic Ice and Weather 30

Antarctic Animals and Plants 35

Antarctic Explorers and Ships 28

Antarctic Science and Stations 32

Antarctic Geography 25

Antarctic Gear and Travel 21

How it works

The race to the Pole in one list

Ice words for a science unit

Questions and answers

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