Medical Word Search Puzzles for Health Science and Waiting Rooms

Press New puzzle for 15 defined medical terms, from Stethoscope to Triage, then print the grid with its answer key.

Name Date

Medical Word Search

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

0 of 15 words found

PLTHHNRVOVUCHRV

LEXRCEMLOJHHOKD

DLNIPATIENTDSIJ

MONEVLEJSCSHPDV

VSJSURGERYIRINA

LUSPTHERMOMETER

SRYUMTGLIOYVAYT

CGMCLINICMTALDE

AEPGEPHARMACYHR

LOTDRWAFOYCCDAY

PNOBRSCUSYRINGE

EAMBULANCETNRKB

LNEAARNNODREWIO

RRSFMEOHPACTUFM

RDMLIINSEZLHAES

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.

ThermometerTHERMOMETER
SyringeSYRINGE
ScalpelSCALPEL
HospitalHOSPITAL
ClinicCLINIC
PharmacyPHARMACY
AmbulanceAMBULANCE
SurgeonSURGEON
PatientPATIENT
ArteryARTERY
KidneyKIDNEY
SymptomSYMPTOM
MicroscopeMICROSCOPE
SurgerySURGERY
VaccineVACCINE

15 of 22 words from the Medical list.

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Word list

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Answer key: Medical Word Search

PLTHHNRVOVUCHRV

LEXRCEMLOJHHOKD

DLNIPATIENTDSIJ

MONEVLEJSCSHPDV

VSJSURGERYIRINA

LUSPTHERMOMETER

SRYUMTGLIOYVAYT

CGMCLINICMTALDE

AEPGEPHARMACYHR

LOTDRWAFOYCCDAY

PNOBRSCUSYRINGE

EAMBULANCETNRKB

LNEAARNNODREWIO

RRSFMEOHPACTUFM

RDMLIINSEZLHAES

THERMOMETER, SYRINGE, SCALPEL, HOSPITAL, CLINIC, PHARMACY, AMBULANCE, SURGEON, PATIENT, ARTERY, KIDNEY, SYMPTOM, MICROSCOPE, SURGERY, VACCINE

Next step Make a word search from your own course terms Make a medical word scramble

All 139 words

Medical Tools 17

Crutches A pair of supports that take weight off an injured leg or foot.
Forceps A hinged tool for grasping and holding tissue or small objects.
Gauze Thin, loosely woven cloth used for dressings and pads.
Inhaler A handheld device that delivers a measured puff of medicine to the lungs.
Mask A covering for the nose and mouth, worn in the operating room to keep the surgical field clean.
Otoscope A lighted tool for looking down the ear canal at the eardrum.
Scalpel A small, very sharp knife used in surgery and dissection.
Sling A loop of cloth that holds an injured arm against the chest.
Splint A rigid support that keeps an injured limb from moving.
Stethoscope A listening tool for the heart and lungs, invented by Rene Laennec in Paris in 1816. The Greek parts mean chest and to look.
Stretcher A flat frame for carrying a person who has to stay lying down.
Swab A small absorbent pad on a stick, used to clean a spot or collect a sample.
Syringe A tube with a plunger for giving injections or drawing fluid. The name goes back to the Greek syrinx, a pipe.
Thermometer A tool that measures temperature, by mouth, ear or forehead in a clinic.
Tourniquet A tight band placed around a limb to slow blood flow for a short time, as when blood is drawn.
Tweezers Small pincers for picking up things too fine for fingers, such as a splinter.
Wheelchair A seat that rolls, for a person who cannot walk or should not walk far.

Show all 139 words (122 more)

Hospital and Clinic 20

Ambulance A vehicle that carries patients. The French name first meant a moving hospital, from the Latin for to walk.
Caduceus A winged staff with two snakes, the staff of Hermes. The rod of Asclepius, the older symbol of medicine, has one snake.
Chart The patient's medical record: history, test results, orders and notes.
Clinic A place where patients are seen and go home the same day.
Emergency A sudden, serious situation that needs care at once. Also the hospital department that gives it.
Hospital A place where sick and injured people stay for treatment. The word goes back to the Latin hospes, host or guest.
Medic A person trained to give emergency care, often in the military.
Midwife A professional trained to care for mothers and babies through pregnancy and birth.
Nurse A licensed professional who cares for patients, gives treatments and watches for changes.
Patient A person receiving medical care. The word comes from the Latin patiens, one who endures.
Pharmacist The licensed professional who prepares and dispenses prescription medicines.
Pharmacy The place where prescriptions are filled, and the science of preparing medicines.
Physician A medical doctor, especially one who treats with medicine more than with surgery.
Pulse The beat felt in an artery each time the heart pumps, counted in beats per minute.
Scrubs The plain, easily washed shirt and pants worn by hospital staff.
Specialist A doctor with extra training in one branch of medicine.
Surgeon A doctor trained to operate.
Therapist A professional trained in one kind of treatment, such as physical, speech or respiratory care.
Triage Sorting patients by how urgently each one needs care. It comes from the French trier, to sort.
Ward A section of a hospital with beds for patients of one kind.

Anatomy 24

Aorta The main and largest artery, which leaves the left ventricle of the heart.
Artery A vessel that carries blood away from the heart.
Cartilage Firm, flexible tissue that cushions joints and shapes the nose and ears.
Clavicle The collarbone. The Latin clavicula means a small key.
Cochlea The spiral tube of the inner ear that turns sound into nerve signals. It is Latin for snail.
Diaphragm The dome of muscle under the lungs that does most of the work of breathing.
Esophagus The muscular tube that carries food from the throat to the stomach.
Intestine The long tube after the stomach where food is digested and water is absorbed.
Kidney One of two bean-shaped organs that filter the blood and make urine.
Ligament A band of tough tissue that ties one bone to another at a joint.
Liver A large organ under the right ribs that filters the blood and makes bile.
Pancreas A gland behind the stomach that makes digestive juices and the hormone insulin.
Patella The kneecap. In Latin the word means a small pan or dish.
Pelvis The ring of bone at the base of the spine that holds the hip sockets. In Latin the word means basin.
Retina The light-sensing layer at the back of the eye. The name comes from the Latin for net-like.
Scapula The shoulder blade, the flat triangular bone on the upper back.
Spleen An organ in the upper left abdomen that filters blood and stores blood cells.
Stapes The stirrup-shaped bone of the middle ear, the smallest bone in the human body.
Sternum The breastbone, the flat bone down the middle of the chest.
Tendon A tough cord that attaches a muscle to a bone.
Thyroid A gland in the front of the neck that sets the pace of metabolism. Its Greek name means shield-shaped.
Trachea The windpipe, the tube that carries air from the throat toward the lungs.
Vein A vessel that carries blood back toward the heart.
Vertebra One of the small bones stacked to form the spine. The plural ends in ae.

Medical Specialties 16

Audiology The study of hearing and balance, including hearing tests and the fitting of hearing aids.
Cardiology The branch of medicine for the heart, from the Greek kardia, heart.
Dermatology The branch of medicine for the skin, from the Greek derma, skin.
Geriatrics The medical care of older adults. The word was coined in 1909 and modeled on pediatrics.
Hematology The study of blood and its disorders, from the Greek haima, blood.
Immunology The study of the immune system, the body's defense against infection.
Nephrology The branch of medicine for the kidneys, from the Greek nephros, kidney.
Neurology The branch of medicine for the brain and nerves, from the Greek neuron, nerve or sinew.
Obstetrics The branch of medicine for pregnancy and childbirth.
Oncology The branch of medicine that studies and treats tumors, from the Greek onkos, bulk or mass.
Orthopedics The branch of medicine for bones, joints and muscles. The Greek orthos means straight.
Pathology The study of disease, often by examining tissue and fluids, from the Greek pathos, disease.
Pediatrics The medical care of children, from the Greek pais, child, and iatros, physician.
Podiatry The care of the feet and ankles.
Psychiatry The branch of medicine concerned with disorders of mood, thought and behavior.
Radiology The branch of medicine that makes and reads X-rays and other images of the inside of the body.

Medical Terminology 24

Abrasion A scrape, where the top layer of skin is rubbed away.
Acute Starting suddenly and lasting a short time. In medicine the word does not mean severe.
Anemia Too few healthy red blood cells. The Greek anaimia means without blood.
Angiogram An X-ray picture of blood vessels. The ending gram comes from the Greek for a picture or writing.
Appendectomy Surgical removal of the appendix. The ending ectomy comes from the Greek for excision.
Arthritis Inflammation of a joint. Arthron is Greek for joint, and the ending itis means inflammation.
Benign Said of a growth that is not cancer and does not spread.
Bradycardia A heart rate slower than normal. Brady is Greek for slow.
Cardiac Having to do with the heart.
Chronic Lasting a long time, or coming back again and again.
Contusion The medical word for a bruise.
Cyanosis A bluish tint to the skin or lips from too little oxygen in the blood. The Greek kyanos means blue.
Diagnosis Naming a condition from its signs, symptoms and test results.
Edema Swelling caused by fluid collecting in body tissue.
Endoscopy Looking inside the body with a camera on a thin flexible tube.
Hypertension Blood pressure higher than normal. Hyper is Greek for over or above.
Hypothermia Body temperature well below normal. Hypo is Greek for under.
Jaundice Yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes. The word comes from the French jaune, yellow.
Laceration A cut or tear in the skin or other soft tissue.
Leukocyte A white blood cell. Leukos is Greek for white.
Prognosis A forecast of how a condition is likely to go. In Greek, pro means before and gnosis means knowledge.
Symptom Something the patient feels and reports, such as pain. A sign is what an examiner can see or measure.
Syndrome A set of signs and symptoms that tend to occur together.
Tachycardia A resting heart rate faster than normal. Tachy is Greek for swift and cardia for heart.

Lab and Imaging 19

Antibody A protein the immune system makes to lock onto one specific germ or foreign substance.
Bacteria Single-celled microbes. Most are harmless and some cause infections. One of them is a bacterium.
Biopsy A small sample of tissue removed so it can be examined under a microscope.
Centrifuge A machine that spins samples at high speed so heavier parts, such as blood cells, settle out.
Enzyme A protein that speeds up a chemical reaction in the body.
Glucose The sugar the blood carries to cells as fuel, measured in a blood sugar test.
Hemoglobin The iron-rich protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen.
Hormone A chemical messenger made by a gland and carried in the blood.
Microscope An instrument that magnifies cells and microbes too small to see.
Pathogen Any microbe that can cause disease, such as a bacterium, a virus or a fungus.
Pipette A slim tube for measuring and moving small amounts of liquid.
Plasma The pale yellow liquid part of blood, which carries the blood cells.
Platelet A tiny cell fragment in the blood that helps form clots.
Radiograph The image made with X-rays, which Wilhelm Roentgen discovered on November 8, 1895. He chose X for unknown.
Scan A picture of the inside of the body made by a CT or MRI machine.
Specimen A sample of blood, urine or tissue collected for testing.
Ultrasound Imaging that builds a picture from the echoes of high-pitched sound waves.
Virus A germ far smaller than a bacterium that can multiply only inside living cells.
X-ray A picture of the inside of the body made with invisible radiation. Doctors use one to check for a broken bone.

Treatment and Surgery 19

Anesthesia Loss of feeling so that surgery causes no pain. Ether was first demonstrated in public in Boston on October 16, 1846.
Antibiotic A medicine that kills bacteria or stops their growth. It has no effect on viruses.
Antiseptic A substance put on the skin to stop the growth of microbes.
Capsule A small case that holds a dose of medicine and dissolves after it is swallowed.
Cast A hard shell of plaster or fiberglass that holds a broken bone still while it heals.
Dialysis Filtering waste from the blood by machine when the kidneys cannot do it.
Donor A person who gives blood, tissue or an organ.
Dose The measured amount of a medicine taken at one time.
Incision A cut made on purpose by a surgeon.
Injection Medicine pushed into the body through a needle.
Ointment A smooth, oily preparation rubbed on the skin.
Prescription A clinician's written order for a medicine or treatment.
Sterile Free of all living microbes.
Surgery Treatment by operating. The word goes back to the Greek for hand work: kheir, hand, and ergon, work.
Suture A stitch that holds the edges of a wound together, or the thread used for it.
Therapy Treatment meant to heal, relieve or restore, such as exercises after an injury.
Transfusion Giving a patient blood or blood parts from a donor.
Transplant Moving an organ or tissue from a donor into a patient.
Vaccine A preparation that trains the immune system against one disease. The name comes from Edward Jenner's 1798 Latin term for cowpox.

How this list was compiled: 139 medical words chosen and defined for this site: seven themed lists (medical tools, hospital and clinic, anatomy, medical specialties, medical terminology, lab and imaging, treatment and surgery), a 22-word starter list, 12 short words and every word of 8 letters or more. The list holds no brand or product names and no named drugs. Definitions are our own wording for teenage and adult readers; they say what a word means and give no medical advice. Facts were checked on 18 September 2026, and the X-ray entry on 20 September 2026, at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stethoscope https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rod_of_Asclepius https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triage https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaccine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stapes https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aorta https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anesthesia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-ray https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signs_and_symptoms and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_medical_roots,_suffixes_and_prefixes and word origins at https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/pediatrics and the same address pattern for tachycardia, pathology, hospital, ambulance, surgery, patient, clavicle, patella, cochlea, thyroid, retina, syringe, prognosis, pelvis, geriatrics and jaundice. Licence: own work

How it works

These medical word search puzzles are vocabulary practice, and nothing here is medical advice. The starter list has 22 terms, Stethoscope, Triage and Kidney among them. Seven themed lists follow in the Start from a list row, under the puzzle.

Read the full guide

Seven lists for a health science course

Medical Terminology holds 24 words, most built from Greek parts, and each definition takes its word apart: Tachycardia is tachy, swift, plus cardia, heart. Medical Specialties does the same for 16 branches, from Cardiology to Nephrology. For a terminology quiz, pick Medical Terminology and tick Show clues, not words. The clue for Leukocyte adds that leukos is Greek for white.

For a waiting room table

Medical Tools, Hospital and Clinic, and Anatomy name no illness, so they suit a waiting room. One word to look for is Caduceus, the winged staff with two snakes. The older symbol of medicine, the rod of Asclepius, has one snake and no wings. The US Army Medical Corps adopted the caduceus in 1902.

For older eyes in a waiting room, open More options and tick Large print.

Questions and answers

What words are in the medical word search?

139 terms in seven lists: Medical Tools, Hospital and Clinic, Anatomy, Medical Specialties, Medical Terminology, Lab and Imaging, and Treatment and Surgery. No list holds a brand of medicine, and each definition says what a term means and stops there.

Does the medical terminology puzzle come with an answer key?

Yes. Every puzzle prints its own answer key on a second page, with each word ringed in the grid. The grid is rebuilt on every press of New puzzle, so the key matches the sheet. On screen, Show answers rings the words not yet found.

How is X-ray hidden in the puzzle?

X-ray sits in Lab and Imaging. The grid hides it as XRAY, without the hyphen, and the word list shows it as typed. Wilhelm Roentgen discovered the rays on November 8, 1895, and chose X for unknown.

All 139 words

Medical Tools 17

Hospital and Clinic 20

Anatomy 24

Medical Specialties 16

Medical Terminology 24

Lab and Imaging 19

Treatment and Surgery 19

How it works

Seven lists for a health science course

For a waiting room table

Questions and answers

More tools