Missouri Word Search Printable

Find Saint Louis, Big Muddy, Bluebird and Gateway Arch in a Missouri puzzle that prints with its answer key.

Name Date

Missouri Word Search

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

0 of 16 words found

SEKANSASCITYRHF

HANNIBALSERPTOE

YHBRUHPKCPZRNNF

IUCSAINTLOUISEI

GJEFFERSONCITYM

ABARBECUEYBIWBA

TUAPLRKHREDPTER

EBLFSBSEWXAFBEK

WMISSISSIPPILDT

AUOWIGNEERODUOW

YLZARMPMDENDEGA

AEAEMUYTHSMLBWI

RDRBEDFLKSOEION

CFKYADRUWERRROW

HBSDIYTSEIMODDG

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.

Saint LouisSAINT LOUIS
Kansas CityKANSAS CITY
Jefferson CityJEFFERSON CITY
HannibalHANNIBAL
MississippiMISSISSIPPI
Big MuddyBIG MUDDY
OzarksOZARKS
BluebirdBLUEBIRD
DogwoodDOGWOOD
MuleMULE
HoneybeeHONEYBEE
FiddleFIDDLE
Gateway ArchGATEWAY ARCH
Pony ExpressPONY EXPRESS
Mark TwainMARK TWAIN
BarbecueBARBECUE

16 of 28 words from the Missouri Favorites list.

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Answer key: Missouri Word Search

SEKANSASCITYRHF

HANNIBALSERPTOE

YHBRUHPKCPZRNNF

IUCSAINTLOUISEI

GJEFFERSONCITYM

ABARBECUEYBIWBA

TUAPLRKHREDPTER

EBLFSBSEWXAFBEK

WMISSISSIPPILDT

AUOWIGNEERODUOW

YLZARMPMDENDEGA

AEAEMUYTHSMLBWI

RDRBEDFLKSOEION

CFKYADRUWERRROW

HBSDIYTSEIMODDG

SAINT LOUIS, KANSAS CITY, JEFFERSON CITY, HANNIBAL, MISSISSIPPI, BIG MUDDY, OZARKS, BLUEBIRD, DOGWOOD, MULE, HONEYBEE, FIDDLE, GATEWAY ARCH, PONY EXPRESS, MARK TWAIN, BARBECUE

Next step Make a puzzle from your own town and river names Scramble the Missouri towns and rivers

All 217 words

Missouri Cities and Towns 28

Arrow Rock Village on the Santa Fe Trail that is now a historic site.
Branson Ozark town known for its music theaters and nearby lakes.
Cape Girardeau Mississippi River town in the southeast, named for a Frenchman who set up a trading post there.
Chillicothe Town that calls itself the Home of Sliced Bread.
Columbia College town in the middle of the state, home of the University of Missouri since 1839.
Diamond Small town near the birthplace of the scientist George Washington Carver.
Fulton Town where Winston Churchill gave his Iron Curtain speech.
Hannibal Mississippi River town where the writer Mark Twain grew up.
Hermann Town on the Missouri River founded by German settlers.
Independence Town where wagon trains set out on the trails west; home of President Harry Truman.
Jefferson City State capital on the Missouri River, named for the third president.
Joplin Southwest city that grew up around lead and zinc mines.
Kansas City The state's largest, known for barbecue, jazz and fountains.
Laclede Small town where General John Pershing was born.
Lamar Town where President Harry Truman was born.
Mansfield Ozark town where Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote her books about pioneer life.

Show all 217 words (201 more)

Missouri Cities and Towns, continued

Marshall Town with a memorial garden for Jim the Wonder Dog.
New Madrid Mississippi River town that gave its name to an earthquake zone.
Osage Beach Resort town on the Lake of the Ozarks.
Poplar Bluff Town on the Black River where the Ozark hills meet the flat southeast.
Rolla Ozark town with a university of science and technology.
Saint Charles First capital of the state, on the Missouri River west of St. Louis.
Saint Joseph River town where Pony Express riders began their run west.
Saint Louis Big city on the Mississippi where the Gateway Arch stands.
Sedalia Home of the State Fair and a town with a ragtime past.
Springfield Southwest city nicknamed the Queen City of the Ozarks.
Ste. Genevieve French colonial town on the Mississippi, the first lasting European settlement in the state.
Warrensburg Town where a courtroom speech about the hound Old Drum praised a dog as a best friend.

Missouri Rivers, Lakes and Springs 22

Alley Spring Ozark beauty spot with a red roller mill beside the blue water.
Bagnell Dam Barrier on the Osage River that created the Lake of the Ozarks.
Barge Flat-bottomed boat pushed by a towboat to carry grain and coal on big rivers.
Bennett Spring State park where anglers wade for trout in cold water welling up from the ground.
Big Muddy Nickname of the Missouri River, for the silt it carries.
Big Spring Huge Ozark outflow of groundwater near Van Buren that pours into the Current River.
Canoe Narrow paddled boat, a favorite for a float down a clear stream.
Confluence Meeting point of two rivers, as where the Missouri joins the Mississippi north of St. Louis.
Current River Clear, spring-fed Ozark stream popular for canoe trips.
Eleven Point Ozark stream protected as a National Wild and Scenic River.
Flood Water spreading over land when a river rises above its banks, as happened here in 1993.
Gasconade Winding river of the northern Ozarks that flows to the Missouri.
Greer Spring Large flow from the ground that feeds the Eleven Point River.
Jacks Fork Ozark stream that joins the Current River; both are protected as a national park area.
Levee Bank of earth built along a river to hold back floods.
Meramec Ozark river that flows past caves and springs to the Mississippi.
Mississippi Great river that forms the eastern border of the state.
Saint Francis River that forms the western edge of the Bootheel.
Sandbar Ridge of sand built up by the current in a river.
Table Rock Large lake on the White River near Branson.
Towboat Powerful boat that pushes a group of barges on a river.
White River Ozark stream held back to form Table Rock Lake and others.

Missouri Ozarks, Caves and Parks 25

Bluff Steep cliff or high bank along a river.
Bootheel Southeast corner that juts south, shaped like the heel of a shoe.
Cave State Nickname earned by the great number of caverns under its hills.
Cavern A large cave or a big chamber inside one.
Elephant Rocks State park of giant pink granite boulders standing in a row like circus animals.
Glade Open, rocky clearing in the woods where wildflowers and lizards live.
Grand Gulf State park canyon left when the roof of an old cavern fell in.
Ha Ha Tonka State park with the stone ruins of a mansion built like a castle, above the Lake of the Ozarks.
Karst Limestone country of caves, sinkholes and springs.
Katy Trail Long walking and bike path on an old railroad line beside the Missouri River.
Limestone Rock that rainwater slowly dissolves to make caves.
Loess Fine windblown soil that covers much of the land north of the Missouri River.
Mina Sauk Falls Waterfall on the side of the state's highest mountain.
Onondaga Cave State park cavern known for its many dripstone formations.
Ozarks Region of wooded hills, springs and caves across the south of the state.
Prairie Grassland that once covered much of the north and west of the state.
Roaring River State park in the Ozarks with a fish hatchery on a cold, clear stream.
Rock Bridge State park near Columbia with a natural stone arch over a creek.
Saint Francois Low mountains of ancient volcanic rock in the southeast Ozarks.
Shut-Ins Places where a stream squeezes through hard rock, making chutes and pools.
Sinkhole Hollow where the ground has sunk into a cave below.
Stalactite Icicle-shaped stone that hangs from a cave ceiling.
Stalagmite Cone of stone that grows up from a cave floor.
Taum Sauk Mountain in the St. Francois range that is the highest point in the state.
Tornado Spinning funnel of wind; the state lies in a belt where they are common.

Missouri State Symbols 31

Archery Official sport; the compound bow was invented by a Kansas City man.
Big Bluestem Official grass of the tallgrass prairie, nicknamed turkeyfoot.
Black Walnut Official tree nut; the state grows more of them than any other.
Bluebird Official bird since 1927: a small songbird with a bright blue back.
Bobwhite Official game bird, a quail whose call sounds like its name.
Box Turtle Official reptile is the three-toed kind, which can close its hinged shell.
Bullfrog Official amphibian, the largest frog native to the state, with a deep call.
Channel Catfish Official fish, with a forked tail and whiskers that help it find food.
Chanterelle The smooth kind, a yellow-orange trumpet-shaped fungus, is the official mushroom.
Crayfish Official invertebrate: a small freshwater cousin of the lobster, also called a crawdad.
Crinoid Official fossil: a sea animal nicknamed the sea lily, from when an ocean covered the state.
Dogwood Official tree, small, with showy white or pink bracts in spring.
Fiddle Official musical instrument, a violin played for folk and dance tunes.
Fox Trotter Official horse, a breed from the Ozarks with a smooth gait.
Galena Official mineral, the main ore of lead.
Great Seal Emblem with two grizzly bears holding a shield, kept by the Secretary of State.
Hawthorn Official flower: the white blossom of a small tree also called the red haw.
Hellbender Official endangered species: a giant salamander of cool, clear streams.
Honeybee Official insect, a pollinator that lives in hives and makes honey from nectar.
Ice Cream Cone Official dessert, a hit at the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis.
Jumping Jack Official exercise, said to have been made popular by General John Pershing.
Mozarkite Official rock: a colorful chert found around Benton County.
Mule Official animal: the strong offspring of a horse and a donkey that pulled pioneer wagons.
Old Drum Official historical dog, a hound remembered by a statue in Warrensburg.
Paddlefish Official aquatic animal: a river fish with a long, flat snout shaped like a spoon.
Parrosaurus Official dinosaur, a duck-billed plant eater whose bones were found near Glen Allen.
Pawpaw Official fruit tree, with soft yellow fruit that tastes a little like banana.
Show Me State Best-known nickname, for people who want proof before they believe.
Square Dance Official American folk step, performed by couples as a caller sings out the moves.
Waltz Dance in three-beat time; the official state song is one.
Wonder Dog Jim, a setter said to follow almost any instruction, holds this official title.

Missouri History and Trails 25

Capitol Domed building in Jefferson City where lawmakers meet.
Civil War Conflict of the 1860s in which the state was divided but stayed in the Union.
Compromise The 1820 deal in Congress that let Missouri in as a slave state and Maine as a free one.
Earthquake Violent shaking of the ground; strong ones struck near New Madrid in 1811 and 1812.
Frontier Edge of settled country; St. Louis was a starting place for journeys into it.
Fur Trade Business in beaver pelts that made St. Louis grow in its early years.
Gateway Arch Steel monument in St. Louis, 630 feet tall, that honors the push west; a tram climbs to the top.
Keelboat Long river craft poled or pulled upstream; Lewis and Clark set out in one.
Kindergarten The first public one in St. Louis was opened by Susan Blow in 1873.
Lewis and Clark Explorers who set out up the Missouri River from near St. Louis in 1804.
Mastodon Ice age cousin of the elephant whose bones were found with spear points at Kimmswick.
Missouria Native people who lived along the river and gave the state its name.
Mother Road Nickname of old Route 66, which crossed the state from St. Louis to Joplin.
Old Courthouse St. Louis building where Dred Scott sued for his freedom.
Oregon Trail Wagon road to the Pacific Northwest that began at Independence.
Osage Native nation whose homeland included much of the state.
Pioneer Early settler heading into new country.
Pony Express Fast mail service by horseback riders that began in St. Joseph.
Santa Fe Trail Trade route to the Southwest that started in the middle of the state.
Statehood Reached in 1821, when Missouri became the 24th state.
Steamboat Paddle-wheel vessel that carried people and goods on the big rivers.
Territory What the region was called from 1812 until it became a state.
Wagon Train Line of covered carts and families traveling west together.
Wilsons Creek Battlefield near Springfield from an early fight of the 1860s conflict.
Worlds Fair Huge 1904 exposition in St. Louis that marked the Louisiana Purchase.

Famous Missourians 17

Angelou Maya ___, poet and author born in St. Louis.
Benton Thomas Hart ___, painter whose mural fills a room of the state capitol.
Bingham George Caleb ___, painter of river boatmen and frontier elections.
Carver George Washington ___, scientist born into slavery near Diamond who studied peanuts.
Daniel Boone Frontiersman who spent his last years in the Missouri River valley.
Dred Scott Enslaved man whose long court fight for freedom began in St. Louis.
Eliot T. S. ___, poet born in St. Louis who won a Nobel Prize.
Harry Truman President born in Lamar who lived most of his life in Independence.
Hubble Edwin ___, astronomer born in Marshfield who showed that the universe is expanding.
Hughes Langston ___, poet born in Joplin.
Mark Twain Pen name of Samuel Clemens, who grew up in Hannibal and wrote about life on the river.
Parker Charlie ___, jazz saxophone great who grew up in Kansas City.
Pershing General from Laclede who led American forces in World War I.
Pulitzer Joseph ___, St. Louis newspaper publisher for whom famous writing prizes are named.
Scott Joplin Composer called the King of Ragtime, who lived in Sedalia and St. Louis.
Susan Blow Teacher who founded the first public kindergarten in St. Louis, called the Mother of the Kindergarten.
Wilder Laura Ingalls ___, who wrote her pioneer stories at Rocky Ridge Farm in Mansfield.

Missouri Farms, Food and Music 24

Apples Orchard fruit picked in fall.
Barbecue Slow-smoked meat; Kansas City is famous for its thick, sweet sauce.
Blues Soulful style of music; St. Louis has its own kind.
Burnt Ends Crisp, smoky pieces cut from the tip of a brisket, a Kansas City treat.
Butter Cake The gooey kind, flat and sweet, comes from St. Louis.
Cattle Beef animals that graze the state's pastures.
Corn Tall grain crop of the northern farms.
Cotton Fluffy fiber crop grown in the warm Bootheel.
Country Ham Salt-cured and aged pork, a farm tradition.
Fountain Kansas City has so many that it is called the City of them.
Hogs Farm pigs, raised here in large numbers.
Jazz Music that flourished in the clubs of Kansas City in the days of the big bands.
Lead Heavy gray metal; the state mines more of its ore than any other.
Mill Water-powered building for grinding grain into flour or meal.
Peaches Fuzzy summer fruit grown in the orchards of the southeast.
Pork Steak Cut from the shoulder and grilled, a backyard favorite in St. Louis.
Ragtime Bouncy piano music with an off-beat rhythm that arose in the 1890s.
Rice Grain grown in flooded fields of the Bootheel.
Saxophone Reed horn played by Charlie Parker, the jazz great from Kansas City.
Soybeans Bean crop grown across the state for oil and animal feed.
State Fair Eleven-day gathering in Sedalia with animal competitions, concerts, crafts and food.
Toasted Ravioli Breaded, fried pasta pillows that come from St. Louis.
Wheat Grain ground into flour for bread.
Zinc Bluish metal mined with lead around Joplin.

Missouri Wildlife and Trees 45

Bald Eagle Big bird of prey that winters along the large rivers.
Barred Owl Night bird whose call sounds like who cooks for you.
Bass Largemouth or smallmouth, a favorite catch in lakes and streams.
Bat Flying mammal that sleeps in caves.
Beaver Rodent that fells trees and builds dams.
Black Bear Large forest mammal that eats acorns, berries and insects.
Blue Jay Noisy crested bird with white, black and sky-colored feathers.
Bluegill Small round sunfish with a dark flap on its gill cover.
Bobcat Short-tailed wild cat of woods and bluffs.
Cardinal Bright red songbird seen at feeders all year.
Cedar The red kind is an evergreen of rocky glades.
Cicada Loud insect that sings from the trees in summer.
Collared Lizard Colorful reptile of rocky glades that can run on its hind legs.
Coneflower Purple prairie wildflower with a spiky center.
Copperhead Venomous snake with hourglass bands.
Cottonwood Riverside tree that sheds fluffy white seeds.
Coyote Wild dog whose yips and howls carry at night.
Deer The white-tailed kind is seen in woods and fields all over the state.
Elk Large deer whose males bugle in fall.
Firefly Beetle that blinks its light at dusk.
Gar Long fish with hard scales and a snout full of teeth.
Goldenrod Tall wildflower with plumes of yellow in late summer.
Heron Tall wading bird that stands still in shallow water to hunt.
Hickory Hardwood with tough nuts, used to smoke meat.
Milkweed Plant that monarch caterpillars eat.
Monarch Orange and black butterfly that migrates to Mexico.
Morel Honeycomb-capped mushroom hunted in the woods each spring.
Muskrat Marsh rodent that builds lodges of cattails.
Oak Acorn tree that, with hickory, makes up much of the state's forest.
Opossum Pouched mammal that may play dead when scared.
Persimmon Tree whose orange fruit turns sweet in autumn.
Prairie Chicken Rare grassland grouse whose males boom and dance at dawn.
Raccoon Masked mammal with a ringed tail.
Redbud Small tree covered in pink-purple blossoms in early spring.
River Otter Playful swimmer that slides down muddy banks.
Shortleaf Pine Evergreen with needles in bundles of two or three and small cones.
Snow Goose White waterfowl with black wingtips that passes through in huge flocks.
Squirrel Bushy-tailed rodent that buries acorns and nuts.
Sturgeon Armored, bottom-feeding fish of the big rivers.
Sycamore Tall streamside tree with peeling, patchy bark.
Tarantula Big hairy spider of dry, rocky places.
Trout Cold-water fish stocked below the big springs.
Whip-poor-will Night bird named for its repeated call.
Wild Turkey Big game bird of the oak woods.
Wood Duck Colorful waterfowl that nests in tree holes.

How this list was compiled: Own work. Words and names about the state of Missouri for grades 2 to 8: eight themed lists (cities and towns; rivers, lakes and springs; Ozarks, caves and parks; state symbols; history and trails; famous Missourians; farms, food and music; wildlife and trees), Missouri Favorites, an easy list of every word of 3 to 5 letters and a hard list of every word of 8 letters or more. Entries have 3 to 14 letters, and inside one list no word sits inside another, forwards or backwards. The grid keeps only the letters A to Z, so Ste. Genevieve is hidden as STEGENEVIEVE and Whip-poor-will as WHIPPOORWILL. Clues are our own wording; no clue repeats a word of four letters or more from its own entry. No brand, team or living person is listed; the people named are figures of the state's past. The official symbols follow the State Symbols pages of the Missouri Secretary of State (https://www.sos.mo.gov/symbol), read 12 October 2026; the state grape is left out of a children's list. Places, people, animals and plants were checked the same day against the English Wikipedia article for each entry (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missouri, license CC BY-SA 4.0). Dates and records were checked in a second work: Store norske leksikon (https://snl.no/Missouri_-_delstat and its articles on the Missouri River, Maine and ragtime), Missouri State Parks (https://mostateparks.com) for the highest point and the first capital, the National Park Service for Ste. Genevieve, the State Historical Society of Missouri for the first public kindergarten, and the U.S. Geological Survey for the New Madrid earthquakes. Where no second work gave a date or a record, the clue leaves it out. Unofficial and not affiliated with the State of Missouri; an educational puzzle, so check an official source before you rely on a fact. Licence: own work

How it works

This Missouri word search opens with Kansas City, Jefferson City, Mississippi, Ozarks, Mark Twain and 11 more favorites. Eight lists go further: cities, rivers and springs, Ozark caves, state symbols, trails west, famous Missourians, farm and food words, and wildlife.

Read the full guide

State symbols, two of them dogs

Missouri State Symbols follows the Secretary of State's list, and each clue says what the symbol is official for: Bluebird, Hawthorn, Dogwood, Mule, Paddlefish, Crinoid, Mozarkite, Fiddle, Jumping Jack and Ice Cream Cone. Old Drum is the historical dog and Jim is the Wonder Dog.

Cave words for an earth science week

Missouri Ozarks, Caves and Parks holds Karst, Sinkhole, Stalactite, Stalagmite, Limestone and Cavern beside Elephant Rocks, Taum Sauk and Onondaga Cave. Open More options and tick Show clues, not words, and Shut-Ins becomes places where a stream squeezes through hard rock.

Easy Missouri has the 33 words of 3 to 5 letters, among them Mule, Corn, Jazz, Bat, Gar, Oak and Rolla.
Compromise is the deal of 1820 that let Missouri in as a slave state and Maine as a free one.

Questions and answers

Is the Missouri word search printable with an answer key?

Yes. Print or save as PDF puts the puzzle on one page with a Name and Date line and the answer key on the next. New puzzle deals another 16 of the favorites, so tables get different grids.

Is it Saint Louis or St. Louis in the grid?

The name is spelled out, SAINTLOUIS, and so are Saint Joseph, Saint Charles and Saint Francis. Ste. Genevieve keeps its short form: written in full it would be longer than the 14 letters an entry may have.

Is the Missouri mule in the puzzle?

Yes. Mule, the official state animal, is in the opening grid with Bluebird, Dogwood, Honeybee and Fiddle. The state symbols list adds 26 more, from Pawpaw and Hellbender to Parrosaurus, the state dinosaur.

Does it work for a Missouri history lesson?

Missouri History and Trails has Lewis and Clark, Pony Express, Santa Fe Trail, Oregon Trail, Statehood and Compromise. Famous Missourians adds Mark Twain, Harry Truman, Carver and Dred Scott, each with a one-line clue.

All 217 words

Missouri Cities and Towns 28

Missouri Cities and Towns, continued

Missouri Rivers, Lakes and Springs 22

Missouri Ozarks, Caves and Parks 25

Missouri State Symbols 31

Missouri History and Trails 25

Famous Missourians 17

Missouri Farms, Food and Music 24

Missouri Wildlife and Trees 45

How it works

State symbols, two of them dogs

Cave words for an earth science week

Questions and answers

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