Hard Word Scramble

Print this hard word scramble with its answer key, or press New scramble to mix the letters again.

Word 1 of 100 solved

Hint: A blue-green gemstone, or its color

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Tap the letters in order, or type them. Tap a letter in your answer to take it back. Backspace removes the last one and Escape clears the word.

Hard Word Scramble

Unscramble each word and write it on the line.

  1. E U U S Q T O R I.Hint: A blue-green gemstone, or its color
  2. A E R I L C E H N D.Hint: A branched light that hangs from a ceiling
  3. E N N O H N M P O E.Hint: Something you can observe, often something remarkable
  4. T B Y N R A L H I.Hint: A maze of winding paths
  5. N Y E O D U M S P.Hint: A made-up name an author signs books with
  6. A O C L M G A F E U.Hint: Colors and patterns that help an animal hide
  7. U N A E I N T L T E.Hint: An officer who ranks below a captain
  8. U H O L E S T I E T.Hint: A dark outline seen against a light background
  9. O R S V U D E N E Z.Hint: A meeting at a time and place set ahead
  10. E V L B O A R U D.Hint: A wide city street, often lined with trees

Sheet 551679

10 words from the Hard: 9 and 10 letters list.

Answer key: Hard Word Scramble

  1. EUUSQTORITURQUOISE
  2. AERILCEHNDCHANDELIER
  3. ENNOHNMPOEPHENOMENON
  4. TBYNRALHILABYRINTH
  5. NYEODUMSPPSEUDONYM
  6. AOCLMGAFEUCAMOUFLAGE
  7. UNAEINTLTELIEUTENANT
  8. UHOLESTIETSILHOUETTE
  9. ORSVUDENEZRENDEZVOUS
  10. EVLBOARUDBOULEVARD

Sheet 551679

More options

Print gives the worksheet, then the answer key on its own page. A share link holds the word list in the link itself, so leave out anything private, such as full names.

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All 30 words

Hard: 9 and 10 letters 10

  • Boulevard A wide city street, often lined with trees
  • Camouflage Colors and patterns that help an animal hide
  • Chandelier A branched light that hangs from a ceiling
  • Labyrinth A maze of winding paths
  • Lieutenant An officer who ranks below a captain
  • Phenomenon Something you can observe, often something remarkable
  • Pseudonym A made-up name an author signs books with
  • Rendezvous A meeting at a time and place set ahead
  • Silhouette A dark outline seen against a light background
  • Turquoise A blue-green gemstone, or its color

Harder: 11 and 12 letters 10

  • Archipelago A large group of islands
  • Choreography The art of planning the steps of a dance
  • Hieroglyphic Written in picture symbols, as in ancient Egypt
  • Kaleidoscope A tube you turn to see changing colored patterns
  • Mischievous Playful in a way that causes small trouble
  • Onomatopoeia Making a word from a sound, as in buzz
  • Pterodactyl An extinct flying reptile; its first letter is silent
  • Refrigerator The kitchen appliance that keeps food cold
  • Symmetrical The same on both sides of a middle line
  • Unnecessary Not needed

Hardest: 13 letters 10

  • Conscientious Careful to do a job thoroughly and well
  • Extraordinary Far beyond what is usual
  • Metamorphosis The change from caterpillar to butterfly, for one
  • Miscellaneous Made up of many different kinds of things
  • Parallelogram A four-sided shape with two pairs of parallel sides
  • Pronunciation The way a word is said aloud
  • Quadrilateral Any shape with four straight sides
  • Questionnaire A printed list of questions to answer
  • Sophisticated Highly developed and complex
  • Ventriloquist A performer who seems to make a puppet talk

How it works

This hard word scramble is long words nobody reads at a glance, such as Silhouette and Rendezvous. The opening sheet has nine and ten letter words with a hint under each, and the answer key prints on its own page.

Read the full guide

Lists by length

The opening list is nine and ten letters. Pick a longer one under Start from a list: eleven and twelve letters (Kaleidoscope, Onomatopoeia) or thirteen (Ventriloquist, Conscientious).

Make it a difficult word scramble

Settings under More options, below the sheet, raise the difficulty. Switch off Hints under the words, and set Scramble to Hard, the toughest mix the tool makes.

  • Silent letters are the trap: Pseudonym and Pterodactyl start with a P nobody hears.
  • Stuck? Sort the letters into vowels and consonants, then look for an ending such as -ous or -tion.

Questions and answers

Does the hard word scramble have an answer key?

Yes. The answer key prints on a second page after the sheet. To print the puzzle alone, switch off Print the answer key under More options, below the sheet.

How hard are the words?

Each has nine to thirteen letters and a spelling that trips people up: Lieutenant, Camouflage, Hieroglyphic, Questionnaire. All are in a standard school dictionary, and none is rare or technical.

Who is it for?

Grade 5 and up, teens and adults. With hints on it suits a strong upper elementary speller. With hints off and the hard mix it is a fair challenge for a grown-up.

Can I use my own hard words?

Yes. Type them over the words on the sheet, or paste your list into its last line. The sheet redraws with your list.

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