Printable California Word Search

Find Sacramento, Big Sur and 14 more California words, then print with the answer key or press New puzzle.

Name Date

California Word Search

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0 of 16 words found

DSACRAMENTOJLSA

SAVOCADONASAIMO

ANOHGEIWIFILTOM

NFAWTYADQYLMTNX

DRXFTNNUFDIOETO

IABIGSURWOCNUEC

ENDHOLLYWOODHRF

GCPEDIUWXINHBEV

OIWSASMATWVMEYM

ESIERRANEVADACO

MCTWTCMFMNLNRBJ

AOCONDORNHLBFAA

DGLOSANGELESLNV

VHALFDOMEKYOAIE

TUMGOLDRUSHUGSO

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.

SacramentoSACRAMENTO
Los AngelesLOS ANGELES
San DiegoSAN DIEGO
San FranciscoSAN FRANCISCO
MontereyMONTEREY
HollywoodHOLLYWOOD
Half DomeHALF DOME
Sierra NevadaSIERRA NEVADA
MojaveMOJAVE
Big SurBIG SUR
Bear FlagBEAR FLAG
AlmondALMOND
AvocadoAVOCADO
CondorCONDOR
Gold RushGOLD RUSH
Silicon ValleySILICON VALLEY

16 of 28 words from the California Favorites list.

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Answer key: California Word Search

DSACRAMENTOJLSA

SAVOCADONASAIMO

ANOHGEIWIFILTOM

NFAWTYADQYLMTNX

DRXFTNNUFDIOETO

IABIGSURWOCNUEC

ENDHOLLYWOODHRF

GCPEDIUWXINHBEV

OIWSASMATWVMEYM

ESIERRANEVADACO

MCTWTCMFMNLNRBJ

AOCONDORNHLBFAA

DGLOSANGELESLNV

VHALFDOMEKYOAIE

TUMGOLDRUSHUGSO

SACRAMENTO, LOS ANGELES, SAN DIEGO, SAN FRANCISCO, MONTEREY, HOLLYWOOD, HALF DOME, SIERRA NEVADA, MOJAVE, BIG SUR, BEAR FLAG, ALMOND, AVOCADO, CONDOR, GOLD RUSH, SILICON VALLEY

Next step Make a word search from your own California report words Scramble the California city names

All 207 words

California Cities 24

Anaheim Orange County city founded by German settlers on the Santa Ana River.
Bakersfield City at the south end of the Central Valley, in Kern County, ringed by oil fields and farms.
Berkeley East Bay city that grew up around a campus of the University of California.
Fresno Farm city in the San Joaquin Valley whose Spanish name means ash tree.
Hollywood Los Angeles neighborhood whose hillside sign of giant white letters stands for the film industry.
Irvine Planned city in Orange County built on a former ranch, with a University of California campus.
Long Beach Coastal city south of Los Angeles with a huge container port.
Los Angeles Largest city in the state, spread over a basin between the Pacific and the San Gabriel Mountains.
Monterey Bay town that was the capital under Spain and Mexico; its old sardine canneries now draw visitors.
Oakland Port city on the east shore of San Francisco Bay, linked to its neighbor by the Bay Bridge.
Palm Springs Desert resort city in the Coachella Valley at the foot of the San Jacinto Mountains.
Pasadena City below the San Gabriel Mountains, known for a New Year's Day parade of flower-covered floats.

Show all 207 words (195 more)

California Cities, continued

Redding City on the Sacramento River in the far north, a gateway to Shasta Lake and Lassen Peak.
Riverside Inland city where the navel orange industry of the state took root.
Sacramento State capital, a river city in the north of the Central Valley that boomed in the Gold Rush.
Salinas Farm city near Monterey Bay in a valley nicknamed the Salad Bowl of the World.
San Bernardino Inland city east of Los Angeles that shares its name with a vast desert county and a mountain range.
San Diego Port city beside the Mexican border, with a deep natural harbor and Balboa Park.
San Francisco Hilly city on the tip of a peninsula, known for fog, cable cars and a red suspension bridge.
San Jose City at the south end of San Francisco Bay, the heart of Silicon Valley.
Santa Barbara Coastal city below a wall of mountains, with white walls and red tile roofs in the Spanish style.
Santa Cruz Beach town on the north edge of Monterey Bay, known for surfing and redwood forests nearby.
Stockton Inland port on the San Joaquin River, reached by ships through a deep channel from the bay.
Truckee Mountain town near Donner Pass and Lake Tahoe that grew up along the transcontinental railroad.

California National Parks 24

Alcatraz Rocky island in San Francisco Bay with an old lighthouse and a former federal prison.
Anacapa Small volcanic isle near the mainland with a lighthouse and a natural sea arch.
Badwater Salt-crusted basin 282 feet below sea level, the lowest point in North America.
Bridalveil Fall Waterfall near the entrance of Yosemite Valley whose spray drifts sideways in the wind.
Channel Islands National park on a chain of isles off the southern coast, reached by boat from Ventura.
Death Valley Desert national park on the Nevada border that holds the lowest ground in North America.
Devils Postpile National monument near Mammoth Lakes with tall columns of basalt.
El Capitan Sheer granite wall in Yosemite Valley that rock climbers spend days scaling.
Furnace Creek Desert oasis and village that holds the park headquarters and a visitor center.
General Sherman Name of a colossal tree in the Giant Forest, honoring a Civil War commander.
Glacier Point Overlook high on the south wall of Yosemite Valley with a view of the high country.
Half Dome Granite summit at the east end of Yosemite Valley that looks sliced down the middle.
Joshua Tree National park where the Mojave and Colorado deserts meet, named for a spiky yucca.
Kings Canyon National park beside its southern twin, with a deep glacier-carved valley and Grant Grove.
Lassen Peak Volcano at the south end of the Cascade Range, ringed by steaming vents and boiling mud pots.
Lava Beds National monument near the Oregon border with caves formed by flowing molten rock.
Mariposa Grove Stand of ancient giant trees near the south entrance of Yosemite, home of the Grizzly Giant.
Muir Woods National monument north of the Golden Gate that shelters an old-growth grove of coast redwoods.
Pinnacles National park east of the Salinas Valley with rock spires, caves and soaring condors.
Point Reyes Foggy cape and national seashore north of San Francisco with a lighthouse and tule elk.
Redwood Name of the national and state parks on the north coast that protect groves of towering old-growth trees.
Sequoia National park in the southern Sierra Nevada named for its enormous trees.
Tuolumne Name of a high mountain meadow and a river in the north of Yosemite.
Yosemite Sierra Nevada park whose glacier-carved valley is walled by towering rock and laced with falls.

California Mountains and Deserts 26

Anza-Borrego Desert state park in San Diego County known for spring wildflowers and bighorn sheep.
Big Sur Rugged stretch of the central coast where the Santa Lucia Mountains drop straight into the Pacific.
Catalina Short name of an island off Los Angeles where a herd of bison roams.
Central Valley Long, flat lowland between the Coast Ranges and the Sierra Nevada, the leading farm region of the state.
Coast Ranges Chains of mountains that follow the Pacific shore, broken by San Francisco Bay.
Donner Pass Gap in the Sierra Nevada near Truckee, named for a wagon party trapped there by deep snow.
Earthquake Jolt felt when strain along a fault such as the San Andreas is suddenly released.
Farallon Name of the rocky islands west of the Golden Gate, a refuge for seabirds and seals.
Klamath Name of a river and a mountain range in the northwest corner of the state.
Lake Tahoe Deep, clear alpine water on the Nevada border, high in the Sierra Nevada.
Mojave High desert in the southeast, home of Joshua trees.
Mono Lake Salty desert basin east of Yosemite, known for knobby tufa towers.
Mount Diablo Peak east of San Francisco Bay with a sweeping summit view over the Central Valley.
Mount Shasta Snow-capped volcano that towers over the far north of the state.
Mount Whitney Summit in the Sierra Nevada, the highest point in the United States outside Alaska.
Owens Valley Dry trough between the Sierra Nevada and the White Mountains whose water flows by aqueduct to Los Angeles.
Pacific Ocean that forms the whole western edge of the state.
Palomar Mountain in San Diego County topped by an observatory with the giant Hale Telescope.
Salton Sea Salty inland water in the southeast desert, formed when the Colorado River flooded a basin in 1905.
San Andreas Fault running much of the length of the state, where plates of Earth's crust grind past each other.
San Gabriel Mountain range that rises north of Los Angeles; Mount Wilson and its observatory stand in it.
San Joaquin River and valley that make up the southern part of the Central Valley.
Sierra Nevada Great mountain chain along the eastern side of the state; its Spanish name means snowy range.
Tehachapi Mountain range and pass between the Central Valley and the Mojave, known for wind turbines and a railroad loop.
Telescope Peak Summit of the Panamint Range that looks down on Badwater from the west.
White Mountains Dry range east of the Owens Valley where ancient bristlecone pines grow.

California State Symbols 26

Banana Slug Bright yellow forest mollusk of the redwoods, an official state symbol.
Bear Flag Banner raised at Sonoma by settlers in revolt against Mexican rule; the design of the state's own copies it.
Benitoite Rare blue state gemstone named for the county and river where it was discovered.
Bodie Official state gold rush ghost town, preserved east of the Sierra Nevada.
Calico Official state silver rush ghost town, in the Mojave near Barstow.
Coast Redwood Towering evergreen of the foggy northern shore that shares the title of state tree with its mountain cousin.
Denim Sturdy blue cotton cloth, the official state fabric.
Desert Tortoise State reptile, a slow burrower of the Mojave.
Dungeness Crab State crustacean, caught off the north coast.
Eureka State motto, a Greek word meaning I have found it.
Garibaldi Bright orange state marine fish that lives in kelp forests off the southern coast.
Giant Sequoia Massive tree of the Sierra Nevada that shares the title of state tree with its coastal cousin.
Golden State Official nickname, recalling the miners' rush and fields of bright poppies.
Golden Trout State freshwater fish, native to cold streams of the southern Sierra Nevada.
Gray Whale State marine mammal, seen from shore as it migrates between Alaska and Mexico.
Grizzly Bear Animal shown on the state flag and named the state animal, though none live wild here now.
Lace Lichen Pale green netting that hangs from oak branches, a state symbol of its own kind.
Minerva Roman goddess shown seated on the Great Seal of the state.
Needlegrass Purple-tinged bunchgrass of the old prairies, the state grass.
Pallid Bat Pale, big-eared state flying mammal that hunts scorpions and crickets on the ground.
Poppy Golden-orange wildflower that is the state flower.
Quail Plump ground bird with a curved head plume, the state bird.
Serpentine Green, waxy state rock.
Smilodon Saber-toothed cat of the Ice Age, the state fossil.
Surfing Wave-riding named the official state sport.
West Coast Swing Partner style named the official state dance.

California Farms and Orchards 26

Almond Tree nut of Central Valley orchards that bloom white and pink in late winter.
Apricot Small orange stone fruit once grown all over the Santa Clara Valley.
Aqueduct Canal or pipeline that carries water over long distances to farms and cities.
Artichoke Thistle bud eaten as a vegetable; Castroville is known for it.
Avocado Buttery green fruit; the Hass kind traces back to a tree in La Habra Heights.
Broccoli Green vegetable with tight flowering heads, grown year-round near the coast.
Cotton Fluffy white fiber crop of the San Joaquin Valley.
Dairy Milk farming; herds in the Central Valley supply cheese and butter makers.
Date Palm Desert tree of the Coachella Valley that bears clusters of sweet brown fruit.
Fig Soft, seedy fruit of a tree brought by Franciscan missionaries; a dark variety is named Mission.
Garlic Pungent bulb that the town of Gilroy is known for.
Honeybee Insect whose hives are trucked into almond orchards in February to pollinate the blossoms.
Irrigation Supplying farm fields from rivers and reservoirs in a land of dry summers.
Lemon Sour yellow citrus grown near the coast in Ventura County.
Lettuce Leafy salad crop, a main harvest of the Salinas Valley.
Olive Small oily fruit planted at the Spanish missions and pressed for cooking oil.
Orange Citrus fruit that gave a southern county its name; the navel kind made Riverside rich.
Peach Fuzzy stone fruit; the cling kind is grown for canning.
Pistachio Green nut whose shell splits open as it ripens, grown in the San Joaquin Valley.
Pomegranate Red fruit packed with juicy seeds, brought to the state by Spanish settlers.
Prune Dried plum, a crop of the Sacramento Valley.
Raisin Dried grape, laid out in the sun between vineyard rows around Fresno.
Rice Cereal crop of the Sacramento Valley, raised in shallow paddies.
Strawberry Red berry picked by hand in coastal fields around Watsonville and Oxnard.
Tomato Red fruit grown by the truckload in the Central Valley for sauce and paste.
Walnut Wrinkled nut in a hard round shell, grown in orchards of the Sacramento Valley.

California Wildlife 27

Abalone Sea snail with an ear-shaped shell lined with shimmering mother-of-pearl.
Bighorn Sheep Sure-footed climber of desert cliffs; the rams have heavy curled horns.
Black Bear Forest animal that raids campsites for food; many here have brown or cinnamon fur.
Bobcat Spotted hunter with a stubby tail that gives it its name.
Chuckwalla Stout desert lizard that wedges itself into rock cracks and puffs up.
Condor Giant black vulture with a bald head, brought back from the edge of extinction.
Coyote Wild relative of the dog heard yipping at night from deserts to city edges.
Elephant Seal Huge marine mammal whose males have a floppy, trunk-like nose; colonies crowd beaches in winter.
Island Fox Cat-sized hunter of the offshore Channel chain, a small cousin of the mainland gray species.
Jackrabbit Long-eared hare of deserts and dry valleys.
Kelp Seaweed that rises from the seabed in tall stands where otters and fish shelter.
Kit Fox Tiny big-eared hunter of the San Joaquin Valley grasslands, active at night.
Leopard Shark Slender spotted fish of shallow bays, harmless to people.
Marmot Chubby ground squirrel that whistles from rock piles in the high Sierra.
Monarch Orange and black butterfly that spends the winter in coastal groves such as those at Pacific Grove.
Mountain Lion Big tan cat, also called cougar or puma, that hunts deer in the hills.
Mule Deer Big-eared browser of foothills and mountain meadows; its black-tailed kind lives near the coast.
Pelican Big seabird with a throat pouch that dives headfirst for fish.
Pika Small round-eared relative of rabbits that gathers hay piles among alpine rocks.
Rattlesnake Venomous reptile that warns with a buzzing tail.
Roadrunner Fast-running desert bird that chases lizards and snakes.
Scrub Jay Bold blue bird without a crest that buries acorns.
Sea Lion Barking, eared seal that hauls out on docks and buoys along the coast.
Sea Otter Furry marine mammal that floats on its back in kelp beds and cracks shellfish with a stone.
Sidewinder Desert rattler that moves by throwing its body in loops across loose sand.
Tarantula Large hairy spider seen walking in fall in the deserts and dry hills.
Tule Elk Grassland grazer with antlers, named for a marsh reed, rescued after being nearly wiped out.

California Gold Rush and Missions 32

Acorn Oak nut that many Native peoples ground into meal.
Adobe Sun-dried brick of mud and straw.
Angel Island State park in San Francisco Bay where an immigration station once processed newcomers from Asia.
Cabrillo Explorer who reached this coast in 1542, the first European to do so.
Cahuilla Native people of the inland deserts and mountains around Palm Springs.
Chumash Native people of the Santa Barbara coast and Channel Islands, builders of plank canoes.
Coloma Riverside village in the Sierra foothills where the famous discovery was made.
El Camino Real Royal road that linked the Spanish settlements from San Diego to Sonoma.
Fort Ross Outpost on the Sonoma coast built by Russian fur traders.
Gold Rush Stampede of fortune seekers that began after a discovery on the American River in 1848.
Hupa Native people of the Trinity River valley in the northwest.
Karuk Native people of the middle Klamath River.
Maidu Native people of the northern Sierra foothills and the Feather River country.
Mission Church settlement founded by Spanish Franciscans; a chain of them runs up the coast.
Miwok Native people of the central Sierra foothills and of the Marin County coast.
Modoc Native people of the lava country near the Oregon border.
Mother Lode Long belt of ore-bearing rock in the Sierra foothills.
Nugget Lump of native metal found in a stream bed.
Ohlone Native people of the San Francisco and Monterey Bay areas.
Panning Washing river sand in a round tin so the heavy yellow flakes stay behind.
Pomo Native people north of San Francisco Bay, renowned for fine baskets.
Pony Express Relay of horseback mail riders whose route ended in Sacramento.
Presidio Spanish fort built to guard a harbor, as at Monterey and San Francisco.
Prospector Miner who roams the hills hoping to strike it rich.
Railroad Track of steel rails; the transcontinental line crossed the Sierra Nevada to reach Sacramento.
Rancho Huge cattle estate granted to a settler under Spanish or Mexican rule.
Stagecoach Passenger and mail wagon pulled by a team over rough roads to the mining camps.
Statehood Joining the Union as a full member, which happened here in 1850.
Sutter's Mill Sawmill at Coloma where James Marshall spotted shining flakes in the water.
Tongva Native people of the Los Angeles basin and nearby islands.
Vaquero Skilled horseback cattle herder of the Spanish and Mexican era.
Yurok Native people of the lower Klamath River and the redwood coast.

California Landmarks 22

Balboa Park Large green space in San Diego filled with museums, gardens and a zoo.
Bay Bridge Long crossing between San Francisco and Oakland by way of Yerba Buena Island.
Bixby Bridge Concrete arch that carries the coast highway over a canyon in Big Sur.
Cable Car Hill-climbing streetcar pulled by a moving loop under the street, a San Francisco icon.
Capitol Sacramento landmark with a white dome where lawmakers gather.
Chinatown San Francisco neighborhood entered through the Dragon Gate.
Coit Tower White column on Telegraph Hill with views over San Francisco Bay.
Freeway Wide divided highway with no stoplights or cross traffic.
Golden Gate Strait at the mouth of San Francisco Bay, crossed by a famous orange-red suspension bridge.
Griffith Name of the hilltop observatory and large city park above Los Angeles.
Hearst Castle Hilltop estate at San Simeon, now a state historical park.
La Brea Natural asphalt seeps in Los Angeles where Ice Age animals were trapped.
Lighthouse Tower with a bright lamp that guides ships, as at Pigeon Point south of San Francisco.
Lombard San Francisco street with a block of tight hairpin turns.
Olvera Street Brick-paved market lane in the historic pueblo district of Los Angeles.
Painted Ladies Row of colorful Victorian houses facing Alamo Square in San Francisco.
Santa Monica Beach city west of Los Angeles whose pier holds a Ferris wheel.
Silicon Valley Nickname of the tech region around San Jose, taken from the material of computer chips.
Sundial Bridge Glass-decked footbridge in Redding whose tall pylon casts a shadow that tells time.
Tower Bridge Golden lift span over the Sacramento River beside the state capital.
Venice Los Angeles beach district laid out with canals like its Italian namesake.
Watts Towers Tall spires of steel and mosaic built by hand over decades by Simon Rodia in Los Angeles.

How this list was compiled: Own work. Words and names about the state of California, chosen and described for grades 2 to 8: eight themed lists (cities, national parks, mountains and deserts, state symbols, farms and orchards, wildlife, the Gold Rush and missions, landmarks), California Favorites, an easy list of every word of 3 to 5 letters and a hard list of every word of 8 letters or more. The grid keeps only the letters A to Z, so San Francisco is hidden as SANFRANCISCO and Sutter's Mill as SUTTERSMILL. Entries have 3 to 14 letters once spaces, hyphens and apostrophes are dropped, and inside one list no word sits inside another, forwards or backwards. Clues are our own wording; no clue repeats a word of four letters or more from its own entry. No brand, team, living person, fictional character or drink is listed. American spellings. Places, names and state symbols were checked on 3 October 2026 against the English Wikipedia article California, its list of California state symbols and the article for each entry (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California, license CC BY-SA 4.0). The dates, the largest city and the highest and lowest points were checked the same day in a second work, Store norske leksikon (https://snl.no/California). Where no second work gave a figure or a record, the clue leaves it out. Unofficial and not affiliated with the State of California; an educational puzzle, so check the official source before you rely on a fact. Licence: own work

How it works

This printable California word search opens with Sacramento, Half Dome, Mojave, Condor and 12 more favorites. Start from a list holds eight themed lists, from national parks to the Gold Rush, plus an easy and a hard list.

Read the full guide

Why the grid says SANFRANCISCO

The grid has only A to Z, so spaces and apostrophes drop out: San Francisco hides as SANFRANCISCO and Sutter's Mill as SUTTERSMILL. The word list prints each name as it is written. Entries stop at 14 letters, which is why the state flower is listed as Poppy and the state fossil as Smilodon.

Gold Rush and missions as a clue quiz

Tick Show clues, not words, and the California Gold Rush and Missions list becomes a quiz. Pupils work out Coloma from "Riverside village in the Sierra foothills where the famous discovery was made" before they hunt for it. Eleven Native peoples in that list, from Ohlone to Yurok, are clued by their homelands.

Easy California has every word of 3 to 5 letters, such as Poppy, Quail, Rice, Adobe and Pika.
Hard California holds the 14-letter names Devils Postpile, Channel Islands and Bridalveil Fall. Press Hard to hide them backwards too.

Questions and answers

Which California national parks are in the puzzle?

Yosemite, Sequoia, Kings Canyon, Death Valley, Joshua Tree, Redwood, Channel Islands and Pinnacles are in the California National Parks list, with Lassen Peak for Lassen Volcanic. Sights inside them are there too: Half Dome, El Capitan, Badwater and the General Sherman tree.

What California state symbols can pupils find?

The California State Symbols list has Poppy (state flower), Quail (state bird), Grizzly Bear (state animal), Golden Trout, Garibaldi, Gray Whale and Desert Tortoise, the motto Eureka, and the two official ghost towns, Bodie and Calico.

Does the California word search print with an answer key?

Yes. Press Print or save as PDF. The puzzle prints with a Name and Date line, and the answer key follows on its own page. Press New puzzle between printouts so each table gets a different grid.

Can I use it for a state report?

The word list under the tool gives one fact for each entry, filed by theme: Sacramento is the capital, Mount Whitney the highest point in the United States outside Alaska, and Badwater, 282 feet below sea level, the lowest point in North America.

All 207 words

California Cities 24

California Cities, continued

California National Parks 24

California Mountains and Deserts 26

California State Symbols 26

California Farms and Orchards 26

California Wildlife 27

California Gold Rush and Missions 32

California Landmarks 22

How it works

Why the grid says SANFRANCISCO

Gold Rush and missions as a clue quiz

Questions and answers

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