Free Printable Carnival Word Search

Press New puzzle for 15 carnival words, from Ferris wheel to Funnel cake, then print the sheet and answer key.

Name Date

Carnival Word Search

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

0 of 15 words found

ZNLNZCARNIVALGI

ILISMIDWAYSHNPU

FFVWLRNYYTZHZOL

EUEGVCDGSTTIWPM

RNSCRUTRTLLDSCR

RNTOASFYWVYPBOA

IEOTCBIGTOPOLRD

SLCTROVCOLVRUNS

WCKOOLEMONADEZN

HAENBUMPERCARSW

EKPCAIITJLISIAG

EERATMGFONPFBJI

LRINGMASTERIBHT

HOZDTVPBDTGAOAY

MREYSTLTVACHNMV

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.

CarnivalCARNIVAL
Ferris wheelFERRIS WHEEL
Bumper carsBUMPER CARS
MidwayMIDWAY
PrizePRIZE
Cotton candyCOTTON CANDY
PopcornPOPCORN
Funnel cakeFUNNEL CAKE
LemonadeLEMONADE
CircusCIRCUS
Big topBIG TOP
RingmasterRINGMASTER
AcrobatACROBAT
LivestockLIVESTOCK
Blue ribbonBLUE RIBBON

15 of 26 words from the Carnival list.

Which ride or game would you try first? Write why in two sentences.

Start from a list

Easy: words go across and down.

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Word list

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

The puzzle changes as you go. See the puzzle

Answer key: Carnival Word Search

ZNLNZCARNIVALGI

ILISMIDWAYSHNPU

FFVWLRNYYTZHZOL

EUEGVCDGSTTIWPM

RNSCRUTRTLLDSCR

RNTOASFYWVYPBOA

IEOTCBIGTOPOLRD

SLCTROVCOLVRUNS

WCKOOLEMONADEZN

HAENBUMPERCARSW

EKPCAIITJLISIAG

EERATMGFONPFBJI

LRINGMASTERIBHT

HOZDTVPBDTGAOAY

MREYSTLTVACHNMV

CARNIVAL, FERRIS WHEEL, BUMPER CARS, MIDWAY, PRIZE, COTTON CANDY, POPCORN, FUNNEL CAKE, LEMONADE, CIRCUS, BIG TOP, RINGMASTER, ACROBAT, LIVESTOCK, BLUE RIBBON

Next step Make a word search from your own carnival booths Make a carnival word scramble

All 129 words

Carnival Rides 25

Bounce house An inflated room for jumping.
Bumper cars Small electric vehicles with rubber edges, made for crashing into each other.
Carnival The fair that rolls into town on trucks, sets up for a few days and moves on.
Carousel A turning platform of painted horses. The first American patent for one was issued in 1871.
Dizzy How you feel after spinning.
Drop tower A ride that lifts its seats high and lets them fall.
Ferris wheel A giant upright ring of hanging seats. The first was built for the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago.
Fun house A walk-through building of moving floors, tilted rooms and wavy mirrors.
Go karts Small open cars raced around a low track.
Gondola One of the passenger cars that hang from a big wheel.
Hayride A slow trip in a wagon full of straw.
Lap bar The padded rail that holds a rider in the seat.
Line The row of people waiting for a turn.
Log flume A boat ride down a water chute that ends in a splash.
Loop A full circle in a coaster track that turns riders upside down.

Show all 129 words (114 more)

Carnival Rides, continued

Mirror maze A puzzle of glass walls and reflections to find a way through.
Roller coaster A train of cars that climbs, drops and turns on a track.
Slide A tall, wavy chute ridden down on a mat.
Spin To turn around and around.
Swings Seats on chains that fly outward as the top spins.
Teacups A ride of round cars that each spin on a turning floor.
Thrill A sudden rush of excitement.
Track The rails a coaster runs on.
Train A string of small cars that carries riders around the grounds.
Wristband A paper strap that lets its wearer ride all day.

Games on the Midway 27

Aim To point a throw at the mark.
Arcade A hall full of game machines.
Balloon What a dart has to pop on the wall of one game booth.
Barker The person who calls out to the crowd to come and play.
Basket What a ball must stay in to win.
Bean bag A small cloth sack thrown at a board with holes.
Bell What rings at the top of the strength tower.
Booth A small stall where one game is played.
Bottles What a ball must knock off a shelf, three in a stack.
Bullseye The center of a target.
Darts Small pointed arrows thrown by hand at a board.
Duck pond A game of picking a floating toy bird to find the number underneath.
Dunk tank A seat over a tub of water that drops when a ball hits the mark.
Face paint Bright colors brushed on the cheeks to make a tiger or a butterfly.
High striker The strength game: swing a hammer and send a puck up a tower to ring the top.
Hoop A plastic circle to toss over a peg.
Mallet The big wooden hammer swung at the strength game.
Midway The avenue of games and rides, named for a street at the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago.
Pinwheel A stick with a paper fan on top that whirls when you run.
Prize The reward for knocking down all the bottles.
Ring toss A game of landing small hoops over the necks of bottles.
Score The number of points a player earns.
Target The thing a player aims at.
Teddy bear A soft stuffed toy, the classic thing to win.
Ticket A paper slip that pays for a ride or a game.
Token A metal disk used in place of a coin.
Winner The player who comes out on top.

Fair Food 20

Caramel apple A whole fruit on a stick, coated in a sticky golden candy.
Cheese curds Small squeaky lumps of fresh dairy, battered and fried.
Corn dog A sausage on a stick, dipped in batter and fried.
Cotton candy Spun sugar on a paper cone. It reached a wide public at the 1904 World's Fair as Fairy Floss.
Elephant ear A huge, flat piece of fried dough with cinnamon and sugar.
Fried dough A flat round of batter cooked in oil and sprinkled with sugar.
Fries Thin sticks of potato cooked in oil.
Funnel cake Batter poured in loops into hot oil and dusted with powdered sugar.
Hot dog A frank tucked into a soft split roll.
Kettle corn Popped kernels that are both sweet and salty.
Lemonade The fair's cold drink, squeezed fresh and sold by the cup.
Mustard A yellow sauce squeezed onto a hot dog.
Nachos A paper tray of crunchy corn triangles under warm cheese sauce.
Peanuts A salty snack sold in a paper bag, still in the shell.
Pickle A sour, crunchy green spear, sometimes served on a stick.
Popcorn The fluffy white snack sold in a striped box.
Pretzel A soft, chewy twist sold warm with coarse salt.
Snow cone Crushed ice in a paper cup with bright syrup on top.
Turkey leg A big smoked drumstick eaten with both hands.
Vendor A person who sells food or goods from a stall.

Under the Big Top 27

Acrobat A performer who flips, tumbles and balances.
Aerialist A performer who works high in the air on ropes, silks or bars.
Applause The sound of hundreds of hands after a good trick.
Audience The people watching a show.
Big top The main circus tent. Such large tents came in during the middle of the 1800s.
Calliope A loud organ of steam whistles.
Circus A show of acrobats, clowns and jugglers. Its modern form grew from trick riding shows that began in 1768.
Clown A performer in bright makeup who makes the audience laugh.
Costume The special clothes a performer wears.
Drumroll A fast, steady beat that builds suspense before a trick.
Encore An extra act given because the crowd asks for more.
Juggler The one who tosses clubs or rings in a circle and catches every one.
Magician The performer who pulls a coin from behind your ear.
Mime A performer who acts without speaking.
Parade A march through town to announce that the show has arrived.
Ringmaster The host in a top hat who introduces each act.
Sequins Tiny shiny disks sewn onto a costume.
Somersault A forward flip that brings the feet over the head.
Spotlight A bright beam that follows one performer.
Stilts Tall poles that make a walker twice as high.
Strongman A performer who lifts very heavy weights.
Tent The big striped canvas roof that a traveling show puts up.
Tightrope A wire stretched high above the ground for walking across.
Trapeze A short bar hung on two ropes high above the ring.
Troupe A company of performers who travel together.
Tumbler A gymnast who does rolls and handsprings across the floor.
Unicycle A one-wheeled ride with pedals and a seat but nothing to hold on to.

At the State Fair 30

Admission The price paid at the gate.
Agriculture Farming. The first U.S. state fair, in Syracuse, New York, in 1841, was held to promote it.
Auction A sale where buyers call out higher and higher prices.
Barn The big building with stalls and hay where the show animals sleep.
Blue ribbon The award for first place.
Cattle Cows, bulls and steers.
Champion The top winner of a whole class.
Contest An event with entries and a winner.
Crowd All the people packed along the midway on a busy night.
Exhibit A table or wall of entries arranged for fairgoers to admire.
Fairground The field or park where the rides and tents are set up.
Fireworks Colored explosions in the night sky on closing night.
Goat A horned farm animal shown by young farmers.
Grandstand The big bank of seats facing the track or stage.
Hay bale A tied block of dried grass.
Jam Fruit boiled with sugar and sealed in a jar.
Judge The person who decides which entry is best.
Livestock Farm animals. State fairs began as contests for showing them.
Pavilion A large open building for exhibits.
Petting zoo A pen where children can touch gentle animals.
Pie A baked dish with a crust, entered in the baking contest.
Poultry Chickens, ducks, geese and turkeys.
Quilt A stitched bed cover, entered in the needlework contest.
Rabbit A small long-eared animal shown in a cage.
Rodeo A contest of horseback riding and roping in a dirt arena.
Rooster The barnyard bird that crows at sunrise.
Rosette A ribbon gathered into the shape of a flower, pinned on a winner.
Sheep The animal whose fleece is judged at the wool show.
Tractor The farmer's workhorse on wheels, lined up in rows at the machinery show.
Trophy A shining cup handed to the grand champion.

How this list was compiled: Carnival, circus and state fair words chosen and defined for this site: rides, games on the midway, fair food, the circus and the state fair, with a starter list, a short list and a long list. No ride maker, show or brand is named. The facts in the clues (the 1893 Ferris wheel, the Midway Plaisance, Fairy Floss at the 1904 World's Fair, the 1871 carousel patent, big tops, the trick riding shows of 1768, the first state fair in Syracuse in 1841) were checked on 2026-10-03 in the English Wikipedia articles Traveling carnival, Ferris wheel, Carousel, Cotton candy, Circus and State fair, https://en.wikipedia.org/, license CC BY-SA 4.0. Spellings were checked the same day in Wiktionary, https://en.wiktionary.org/. Clues are our own wording. Licence: own work

How it works

This free printable carnival word search hides rides, midway games and fair food, from Ferris wheel and Ring toss to Funnel cake. Two more lists cover the circus and the state fair, and every word has a clue.

Read the full guide

A carnival theme, list by list

For a carnival theme word search free printable for a school carnival or a party table, pick a list under Start from a list. Carnival Rides has Carousel, Teacups and Log flume. Games on the Midway has Dunk tank, High striker and Bean bag. Fair Food has Corn dog, Kettle corn and Elephant ear.

Circus and state fair lists

Under the Big Top makes a circus word search printable with Ringmaster, Trapeze, Juggler and Calliope. At the State Fair makes a state fair word search printable with Livestock, Blue ribbon, Quilt and Grandstand.

Short and Easy holds words of three to five letters, such as Clown, Tent, Prize and Pie.

Questions and answers

What words are in the carnival word search?

The opening list mixes all five themes: Carnival, Carousel, Roller coaster, Bumper cars, Midway, Prize, Ticket, Cotton candy, Popcorn, Clown, Acrobat, Big top and Parade among them. Each press of New puzzle draws 15.

Why is a carnival's main strip called the midway?

It is named for the Midway Plaisance, the avenue of rides and shows at the edge of the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago. Traveling carnivals began touring after that fair. Source: Wikipedia, Traveling carnival, read 3 October 2026.

When was the first Ferris wheel built?

In 1893. George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. designed it as a landmark for the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Smaller wooden wheels of a similar idea are older. Source: Wikipedia, Ferris wheel, read 3 October 2026.

Are circus animals in the puzzle?

No. Under the Big Top names performers and what they use, such as Acrobat, Aerialist, Stilts, Unicycle and Spotlight. Farm animals such as Goat, Sheep and Rooster are in At the State Fair, where they are shown and judged.

All 129 words

Carnival Rides 25

Carnival Rides, continued

Games on the Midway 27

Fair Food 20

Under the Big Top 27

At the State Fair 30

How it works

A carnival theme, list by list

Circus and state fair lists

Questions and answers

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