Florida Word Search Printable

Everglades, Conch and Rocket hide in the first Florida grid; press New puzzle for others, then print with the key.

Name Date

Florida Word Search

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0 of 16 words found

FLORIDAKEYSOGKE

RRDLOFNNFTAMPAI

SWNIRARKCITRUSR

SAINTAUGUSTINEO

OLCWVWESUWOEAML

MLPSLOFRWNKJROL

SIAYOILHKIEPMCE

EGNTMIAMIDEDPKR

MAHUCSMCTOCIYIC

ITAFRJIOLRHECNO

NONTOHNNGLOJPGA

ORDKCDGCCABZHBS

LNLLKDOHENEHPIT

EKEVERGLADESHRE

CAWQTNUHZONYZDR

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.

MiamiMIAMI
TampaTAMPA
OrlandoORLANDO
Saint AugustineSAINT AUGUSTINE
Florida KeysFLORIDA KEYS
PanhandlePANHANDLE
ConchCONCH
EvergladesEVERGLADES
OkeechobeeOKEECHOBEE
MockingbirdMOCKINGBIRD
AlligatorALLIGATOR
CitrusCITRUS
RocketROCKET
Roller CoasterROLLER COASTER
SeminoleSEMINOLE
FlamingoFLAMINGO

16 of 28 words from the Florida Favorites list.

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Answer key: Florida Word Search

FLORIDAKEYSOGKE

RRDLOFNNFTAMPAI

SWNIRARKCITRUSR

SAINTAUGUSTINEO

OLCWVWESUWOEAML

MLPSLOFRWNKJROL

SIAYOILHKIEPMCE

EGNTMIAMIDEDPKR

MAHUCSMCTOCIYIC

ITAFRJIOLRHECNO

NONTOHNNGLOJPGA

ORDKCDGCCABZHBS

LNLLKDOHENEHPIT

EKEVERGLADESHRE

CAWQTNUHZONYZDR

MIAMI, TAMPA, ORLANDO, SAINT AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA KEYS, PANHANDLE, CONCH, EVERGLADES, OKEECHOBEE, MOCKINGBIRD, ALLIGATOR, CITRUS, ROCKET, ROLLER COASTER, SEMINOLE, FLAMINGO

Next step Make a word search from your own Florida unit words Scramble the Florida city names

All 176 words

Florida Cities and Towns 25

Apalachicola Panhandle port at the mouth of a river of the same name, known for oysters.
Boca Raton Atlantic coast city whose Spanish name is often read as mouth of the rat.
Cedar Key Quiet island town on the Gulf, once a center of pencil-wood mills.
Clearwater Gulf city on a peninsula west of Tampa.
Daytona Beach Atlantic city whose hard-packed sand was once a racecourse for cars.
Eatonville Town near Orlando that was the childhood home of the writer Zora Neale Hurston.
Fort Lauderdale City of canals and yacht basins north of Miami.
Fort Myers City on the Caloosahatchee where Thomas Edison kept a winter home and laboratory.
Jacksonville Largest city in the state, on the St. Johns River near the Atlantic.
Key West Island city at the end of the Overseas Highway, closer to Havana than to Miami.
Kissimmee City south of Orlando at the head of a chain of lakes.
Lakeland City of many small lakes between Tampa and Orlando.
Little Havana Miami neighborhood that is the heart of Cuban American life.
Miami City on Biscayne Bay known for its Art Deco hotels and its ties to Latin America.

Show all 176 words (162 more)

Florida Cities and Towns, continued

Naples Gulf coast city at the edge of the Everglades.
Ocala Inland city ringed by horse farms, beside a national forest of the same name.
Orlando Inland city of lakes that became the theme park capital of the country.
Panama City Port on St. Andrews Bay in the Panhandle.
Pensacola Port at the western tip of the Panhandle, home of a famous navy flying team.
Saint Augustine City founded by the Spanish in 1565, the oldest in the United States.
Sarasota Gulf coast city that was the winter home of a great circus.
Tallahassee State capital, among rolling hills in the Panhandle.
Tampa Port city on a big bay of the Gulf coast, with the old Latin quarter of Ybor City.
Tarpon Springs Gulf town where divers from Greece built a sponge fishing fleet.
Ybor City Historic district of Tampa built by immigrants from Cuba, Spain and Italy.

Florida Coasts and Keys 24

Amelia Island Barrier isle at the far northeast corner of the state.
Biscayne Name of the bay beside Miami and of a national park that is mostly water.
Cape Canaveral Point on the Atlantic coast from which rockets are launched.
Captiva Island just north of Sanibel.
Conch Big sea snail with a spiral shell; also a nickname for a Key West native.
Coral Reef Living ridge built by tiny animals; the one along the Keys is a marine sanctuary.
Dry Tortugas Remote national park of small islands and a huge brick fort west of Key West.
Emerald Coast Name for the green-water beaches of the western Panhandle.
Florida Keys Chain of low coral islands that curves southwest from the tip of the mainland.
Gulf Coast Western shore, with calm, warm water and white sand.
Indian River Long lagoon behind the barrier islands of the east coast, famous for citrus.
Intracoastal Name of the sheltered boat route that runs the length of the coast.
Islamorada Village spread over several islands, known for sport fishing.
Jetty Wall of rocks built out into the water to guard an inlet.
Key Largo Island at the top of the chain, beside an underwater coral reef park.
Mangrove Salt-loving tree whose tangled roots shelter young fish.
Marco Island Resort on the southwest coast at the edge of a maze of mangrove islets.
Overseas Name of the highway that hops from island to island on long bridges.
Panhandle Northwestern strip of the state between Alabama, Georgia and the Gulf.
Pier Walkway on pilings where people fish over the surf.
Sanibel Island known for beaches covered in seashells.
Seven Mile Name of a famous long bridge on the highway to Key West.
Space Coast Name for the shore around the launch pads.
Tampa Bay Large natural harbor of the west coast, crossed by the Sunshine Skyway Bridge.

Florida Springs, Swamps and Lakes 24

Aquifer Layer of water-filled rock under the state that feeds its springs and wells.
Big Cypress Swamp preserve west of the Everglades.
Blue Spring State park where manatees gather in winter.
Britton Hill Highest point in the state, in the Panhandle close to Alabama.
Caloosahatchee River that links the big lake with the Gulf at Fort Myers.
Crystal River Gulf coast town and bay where people watch manatees.
Everglades Vast slow river of marsh in the south, part of it a national park.
Flatwoods Level pine forest with an understory of palmetto.
Hammock Island of hardwood trees in a marsh or pineland.
Ichetucknee Spring-fed river popular for tubing.
Key Low island of coral or sand; the word comes from the Spanish cayo.
Okeechobee Largest lake in the state.
River of Grass Nickname of the Everglades.
Saint Johns River that flows north, slowly, to Jacksonville.
Sawgrass Sharp-edged sedge that covers the Everglades.
Scrub Dry habitat of white sand, low oaks and sand pines.
Silver Springs Clear headwater near Ocala famous for glass-bottom boats.
Sinkhole Pit that opens when the limestone below gives way.
Slough Deeper channel of slow water through a marsh.
Suwannee River that crosses the north of the state from Georgia to the Gulf.
Wakulla Name of a deep spring near Tallahassee where old glass-bottom boats run.
Weeki Wachee Spring where performers dressed as mermaids swim behind glass.
Wetland Marsh, swamp or bog, where the soil stays waterlogged.
Withlacoochee Name shared by a pair of rivers of the state.

Florida State Symbols 20

Agatized Coral State stone, fossil reef animals turned to quartz.
Alligator State reptile.
Coreopsis State wildflower, a yellow daisy of roadsides.
Dolphin State saltwater mammal.
Gopher Tortoise State symbol among land reptiles, a burrower of dry sandy ground.
Horse Conch State shell, the long spiral home of a giant orange mollusk.
Key Lime Pie State pie, tart and creamy.
Largemouth Bass State freshwater fish.
Loggerhead State saltwater reptile, a sea turtle.
Manatee State marine mammal, a gentle plant eater.
Mockingbird State bird, a gray mimic.
Moonstone State gem, chosen to honor the moon landings.
Myakka Fine gray sand that covers much of the peninsula, named a state symbol.
Orange Blossom State flower, the fragrant white bloom of a citrus tree.
Panther State animal, a rare tan cat of the southern swamps.
Sabal Palm State tree, also called cabbage palmetto.
Sailfish State saltwater fish, with a tall fin on its back.
Saltire Red diagonal cross on the state flag.
Sunshine State Official nickname.
Zebra Longwing State butterfly, with long narrow wings banded in pale yellow.

Florida Farms, Space and Visitors 27

Airboat Flat boat pushed by a big fan across the marsh.
Apollo Name of the Moon missions that lifted off from the Space Coast.
Astronaut Space traveler.
Cattle Ranch Big pasture farm; cowboys here were called cow hunters.
Citrus Family of fruits; the state is a leading grower of them.
Coconut Hard-shelled fruit of a palm that lines southern beaches.
Cruise Ship Floating hotel that sails from Miami and Port Canaveral.
Cuban Sandwich Pressed loaf of pork, ham, cheese and pickles claimed by Tampa and Miami.
Datil Small hot pepper grown around St. Augustine.
Grouper Big reef fish served in sandwiches.
Guava Tropical fruit baked into pastries in the Cuban bakeries of Miami.
Kennedy Name of the space center on Merritt Island.
Launch Pad Platform from which spacecraft lift off.
Lime Small green citrus; the Key kind flavors a famous pie.
Mango Sweet tropical fruit grown in the far south.
Phosphate Mineral mined in the Bone Valley and made into fertilizer.
Rocket Vehicle that lifts off from Cape Canaveral.
Roller Coaster Ride of steep drops and loops; parks near Orlando and in Tampa are full of them.
Snowbird Visitor from the north who spends the winter here.
Space Shuttle Winged spacecraft that flew from Florida.
Spiny Lobster Clawless shellfish of the Keys.
Sponge Sea animal harvested by divers at Tarpon Springs.
Spring Training Weeks before the season when baseball teams practice in the Florida sun.
Stone Crab Shellfish whose big claws are a winter delicacy.
Sugarcane Tall grass grown on the rich black soil south of the big lake.
Tangerine Loose-skinned orange cousin that comes apart in neat segments.
Tourism Business of welcoming visitors, a mainstay of the state.

Florida History 26

Ais Native people of the Indian River coast when the Spanish came.
Apalachee Native people of the Tallahassee hills.
Bethune Surname of the educator Mary McLeod, adviser to presidents, whose statue stands for Florida in the U.S. Capitol.
Calusa Native people of the southwest coast who built mounds of shells.
Castillo Short name of the star-shaped stone fort at St. Augustine.
Chickee Open-sided house with a thatched roof of palm leaves.
Coquina Soft stone made of tiny shells, used to build the old fort.
Cow Hunter Florida word for a cowboy.
Cuban Person from the island nation to the south; many families made new homes in Miami and Tampa.
Flagler Family name of Henry, the builder of a railroad down the east coast to Key West.
Fort Mose Settlement near St. Augustine founded by people who had escaped slavery.
Galleon Spanish treasure ship of the kind wrecked off the east coast in a great storm.
Hemingway Family name of Ernest, the author whose Key West house is known for cats with extra toes.
Land Boom Rush to buy building lots that swept the state after World War I.
Menéndez Family name of the Spanish admiral who founded St. Augustine.
Miccosukee Native nation whose villages lie along the Tamiami Trail.
Mission Spanish church outpost; a rebuilt one stands at Tallahassee.
Osceola War leader of the Seminole who resisted removal.
Pascua Florida Spanish name of the spring feast of flowers that gave the state its name.
Patchwork Seminole clothing sewn from bright strips of cloth.
Ponce de León Spanish explorer who named the land in 1513.
Seminole Native nation of the state, some of whom held out in the Everglades.
Statehood Entry into the Union in 1845 as state number twenty-seven.
Tamiami Name of the road across the Everglades between the west coast and Miami.
Tequesta Native people who lived where Miami now stands.
Timucua Native people of the north of the peninsula when the Spanish came.

Florida Wildlife and Plants 30

Anhinga Bird that spears fish underwater and spreads its wings to dry.
Burrowing Owl Small long-legged owl that nests underground in open lots.
Coral Snake Venomous reptile ringed in red, yellow and black.
Crocodile Narrow-snouted reptile of the salty southern tip.
Flamingo Rosy long-necked wader that has become an emblem of the state.
Gallinule The purple kind walks on lily pads on long yellow toes.
Gecko Chirping lizard with sticky toe pads that hunts insects around porch lights.
Ghost Orchid Rare leafless flower of deep swamps.
Gumbo Limbo Tropical tree with red, peeling bark.
Hibiscus Garden shrub with big, bright blooms that last a day.
Horseshoe Crab Helmet-shaped sea creature older than the dinosaurs.
Key Deer Dog-sized whitetail of the lower Keys.
Leatherback Giant sea turtle whose back is tough, ridged skin instead of bony plates.
Limpkin Brown wading bird with a wailing cry that eats apple snails.
Lovebug Small black fly that swarms over highways in spring and fall.
Poinciana Tree that bursts into flame-red bloom in early summer.
Python Huge snake from Asia that has spread through the Everglades.
Royal Palm Tall tree with a smooth gray trunk like a concrete column.
Saw Palmetto Shrubby plant with fan-shaped fronds on toothed stems.
Scrub Jay Blue and gray bird of sandy oak thickets.
Seagrass Underwater meadow plant that manatees graze.
Shark Fish with a skeleton of cartilage; the nurse kind rests on the reef by day.
Snail Kite Hawk with a hooked bill for pulling its shelled prey out.
Snook Game fish of mangrove shores with a black stripe on its side.
Stingray Flat fish with a whip tail that hides in the sand.
Stork The wood kind nests in colonies high in cypress swamps.
Strangler Fig Tree that starts life on another tree and wraps it in roots.
Tarpon Big silver game fish that leaps when hooked.
Tegu Big black and white lizard from South America that has spread in the south.
Wahoo Fast, striped game fish of offshore waters.

How this list was compiled: Own work. Words and names about the state of Florida, chosen and described for children: seven themed lists (cities and towns, coasts and Keys, springs, swamps and lakes, state symbols, farms, space and visitors, history, wildlife and plants), Florida 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 Ponce de León is hidden as PONCEDELEON and Saint Augustine as SAINTAUGUSTINE. Entries have 3 to 14 letters once marks and spaces 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, theme park, team, living person or drink is listed. American spellings. Places, names and state symbols were checked on 3 October 2026 against the English Wikipedia article Florida, its list of Florida state symbols and the article for each entry (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida, license CC BY-SA 4.0). The largest city, the oldest city, the largest lake, the highest point, the citrus crop and the years 1513, 1565 and 1845 were checked the same day in a second work, Store norske leksikon (https://snl.no/Florida). Where no second work gave a figure or a record, the clue leaves it out. Unofficial and not affiliated with the State of Florida; an educational puzzle, so check the official source before you rely on a fact. Licence: own work

How it works

This Florida word search opens with Miami, Saint Augustine, Okeechobee, Seminole and 12 more favorites. Start from a list has seven themed lists: cities, coasts and Keys, springs and swamps, state symbols, farms and space, history and wildlife.

Read the full guide

River names for a hard puzzle

Caloosahatchee has 14 letters, the most an entry may have, and Withlacoochee has 13. Both are in Florida Springs, Swamps and Lakes with Okeechobee, Ichetucknee, Wakulla and Weeki Wachee. Press Hard and they may run backwards.

From the Castillo to Cape Canaveral

Florida History starts with Ponce de León, who named the land in 1513, and the coquina walls of the Castillo at Saint Augustine. Florida Farms, Space and Visitors brings the story up to the rocket age: Rocket, Launch Pad, Space Shuttle, Astronaut, Kennedy and Apollo.

Easy Florida has the words of 3 to 5 letters: Miami, Tampa, Ocala, Key, Conch, Jetty, Lime, Mango, Gecko and Snook.
Tick Show clues, not words, on Florida State Symbols: Moonstone is "State gem, chosen to honor the moon landings."

Questions and answers

Which Florida animals are in the word search?

Alligator, Manatee, Panther, Dolphin and Loggerhead are in Florida State Symbols. Florida Wildlife and Plants adds Crocodile, Key Deer, Flamingo, Anhinga, Limpkin, Snail Kite, Burrowing Owl, Python, Tarpon and Horseshoe Crab.

Is the Everglades in the puzzle?

Yes. Florida Springs, Swamps and Lakes has Everglades, River of Grass, Sawgrass, Big Cypress, Hammock and Slough, with Okeechobee, the largest lake in the state, and springs such as Silver Springs and Wakulla.

Does it have Florida history words for a state unit?

Yes: Ponce de León, Pascua Florida, Castillo, Coquina, Timucua, Calusa, Seminole, Miccosukee, Osceola, Fort Mose, Flagler and Statehood, whose clue gives the year, 1845, and the number, twenty-seven.

How do I print the Florida word search?

Press Print or save as PDF. The sheet prints with a Name and Date line and the answer key follows on a page of its own.

All 176 words

Florida Cities and Towns 25

Florida Cities and Towns, continued

Florida Coasts and Keys 24

Florida Springs, Swamps and Lakes 24

Florida State Symbols 20

Florida Farms, Space and Visitors 27

Florida History 26

Florida Wildlife and Plants 30

How it works

River names for a hard puzzle

From the Castillo to Cape Canaveral

Questions and answers

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