Printable Word Search Nursery Rhymes

A nursery rhyme puzzle of words from Mother Goose that prints with its answer key.

Name Date

Nursery Rhymes Word Search

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

0 of 15 words found

TGODIAMONDLOSBT

SXAVBWOOLHAYPME

TFEEINOOERMYIAR

HWDYDHNTBVBSDPT

MRZREHIAJILLEGT

OPSIAOARTPABRGI

TNTWQNSMTFCVNSF

HTUFFETBNTKLHUP

EODILFAZREBLARA

RLIDUDREEAIEOVH

GYBDPGIXOLRRENS

OWHLPSHEEPDFPBR

OOEEATCHOASCEET

SOUEIIWLOLAELOU

EHILLCUPBOARDPX

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.

LambLAMB
SheepSHEEP
SpiderSPIDER
BlackbirdsBLACKBIRDS
JillJILL
Mother GooseMOTHER GOOSE
FiddleFIDDLE
TuffetTUFFET
PailPAIL
CupboardCUPBOARD
WoolWOOL
DiamondDIAMOND
HillHILL
MoonMOON
StarSTAR

15 of 26 words from the Nursery Rhymes list.

Pick one word from the list. Write two words that rhyme with it.

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Word list

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

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Answer key: Nursery Rhymes Word Search

TGODIAMONDLOSBT

SXAVBWOOLHAYPME

TFEEINOOERMYIAR

HWDYDHNTBVBSDPT

MRZREHIAJILLEGT

OPSIAOARTPABRGI

TNTWQNSMTFCVNSF

HTUFFETBNTKLHUP

EODILFAZREBLARA

RLIDUDREEAIEOVH

GYBDPGIXOLRRENS

OWHLPSHEEPDFPBR

OOEEATCHOASCEET

SOUEIIWLOLAELOU

EHILLCUPBOARDPX

LAMB, SHEEP, SPIDER, BLACKBIRDS, JILL, MOTHER GOOSE, FIDDLE, TUFFET, PAIL, CUPBOARD, WOOL, DIAMOND, HILL, MOON, STAR

Next step Make a word search from your class's favorite rhyme Make a nursery rhyme word scramble

All 137 words

Animals in the Rhymes 15

Blackbirds Four and twenty of them were baked in a pie, and then began to sing.
Cat The pet named with the fiddle in Hey Diddle Diddle.
Cow The animal that jumped over the moon.
Dog The little one laughed to see such sport. Mother Hubbard had one too.
Gander A male goose. Old Mother Goose rode through the air on a very fine one.
Hen A good, fat one comes at nine, ten in One, Two, Buckle My Shoe.
Horses With all the King's men, they could not put Humpty Dumpty together again.
Ladybird The spotted red beetle that is told to fly away home.
Lamb Mary's little pet that followed her to school one day.
Mice Three blind ones all ran after the farmer's wife.
Mouse It ran up the clock, and down again when the hour struck one.
Pig This little one went to market. Another stayed at home.
Robin The bird that sits in a barn to keep warm when the north wind blows.
Sheep Bo-Peep lost hers. A black one had three bags of wool.
Spider It sat down beside Miss Muffet.

Show all 137 words (122 more)

Who's Who 21

Baker One of the three men in a tub. Pat-a-Cake calls out to his man.
Blacksmith A worker who shapes hot iron. One rhyme asks him to shoe a horse.
Bo-Peep The little girl who lost her sheep and could not tell where to find them.
Boy Blue The little boy who looks after the sheep. He is told to come and blow his horn.
Cobbler A mender of shoes. One rhyme asks him to give a shoe a stitch.
Dame An old word for a lady. One bag of the black sheep's wool was for her.
Doctor Foster had this title when he went to Gloucester in a shower of rain.
Farmer In Three Blind Mice, the mice all ran after his wife.
Humpty Dumpty He sat on a wall and had a great fall.
Jack He fell down and broke his crown. Another boy of this name jumped over a candlestick.
Jill She came tumbling after on the way down the hill.
King He was in his countinghouse, counting out his money.
Knave He took the tarts and brought them back. An old word for the jack in a pack of cards.
Maids Pretty ones stand all of a row in Mary's garden.
Mary Her lamb went to school. Another girl of this name was quite contrary.
Mother Goose The old woman who gives her name to books of nursery rhymes.
Mother Hubbard She went to the cupboard to give her poor dog a bone.
Muffet The Little Miss who sat eating curds and whey.
Peter Piper He picked a peck of pickled pepper in a well-known tongue twister.
Queen She was in the parlor, eating bread and honey. The one of Hearts made tarts.
Simple Simon He met a pie seller going to the fair, but had no penny.

Food in the Rhymes 22

Bone What Mother Hubbard went to fetch for her poor dog.
Bread The queen ate it with honey. Little Tom Tucker has it white, with butter.
Broth Thin soup. The old woman who lived in a shoe gave it to her children.
Corn Where the cow has strayed in Little Boy Blue.
Curds The soft lumps that form when milk turns sour. Miss Muffet ate them.
Honey The queen ate it with bread in the parlor.
Hot cross buns Spiced rolls with a mark on top, sold at one a penny, two a penny.
Lemons With oranges, what the bells of St. Clement's say.
Oranges With lemons, what the bells of St. Clement's say.
Pepper Peter Piper picked a peck of it, pickled.
Pie Jack Horner ate a Christmas one. Blackbirds were baked in another.
Plum What Jack Horner pulled out with his thumb.
Porridge The pease kind is hot, then cold, then in the pot nine days old.
Pudding It comes just before pie in the rhyme about Georgy Porgy.
Pumpkin Peter ate this big orange fruit.
Roast beef What one little pig had while another had none.
Rye A grain. The song of sixpence has a pocket full of it.
Sugar With spice and things that are nice, what little girls are made of.
Supper The evening meal that Little Tom Tucker sings for.
Tarts The Queen of Hearts made some, all on a summer's day.
Vinegar With brown paper, it patched Jack's head after his fall.
Whey The thin liquid left when milk is made into cheese. Miss Muffet ate it with curds.

Things in the Rhymes 28

Bags The black sheep had three of them, full.
Bells Silver ones grow in Mary's garden. A lady on a white horse wears them on her toes.
Bowl Three wise men went to sea in one. Had it been stronger, the song had been longer.
Candlestick Jack was nimble and quick enough to jump over it.
Clock The mouse ran up it. Then it struck one.
Clothes What the maid was hanging out in the garden.
Cradle The baby's bed that rocks when the wind blows.
Crown The top of the head. Jack broke his when he fell down.
Cupboard Mother Hubbard found it bare.
Diamond The little star is like one in the sky.
Dish It ran away with the spoon.
Fiddle The instrument named with the cat. It is another word for a violin.
Fleece A sheep's coat. That of Mary's lamb was white as snow.
Hobbyhorse A toy with a pony's head on a stick. The one in the rhyme was dapple gray.
Horn What the boy who looks after the sheep is told to come and blow.
Pail What Jack and Jill took up the hill to fetch water.
Penny The coin Simple Simon did not have. It buys one hot cross bun, or two.
Platter A large flat dish. Jack Sprat and his wife licked it clean.
Pocket The song of sixpence has one full of rye.
Rings The lady on a white horse at Banbury Cross wears them on her fingers.
Shoe The home of the old woman with so many children. In a counting rhyme you buckle it.
Sixpence A former British coin worth six pennies. One rhyme sings a song of it, and a crooked man found one.
Spoon The dish ran away with it.
Stile Steps for climbing over a fence. The crooked man found a sixpence beside one.
Thumb What Jack Horner put into his Christmas pie.
Tub Three men sat in one in Rub-a-Dub-Dub.
Tuffet What Miss Muffet sat on. It may be a low seat or a grassy mound.
Wool The black sheep had three bags full of it.

Places and Weather 24

Barn Where the robin sits to keep warm in the snow.
Bough A large branch. When it breaks, the cradle will fall.
Countinghouse The office where the king sat with his money.
Fair Where the pie seller was going when Simple Simon met him.
Garden Mary's grows with silver bells. A maid hung out the clothes in another.
Hill Where Jack and Jill went to fetch a pail of water.
Lane Where the little boy cries in Baa, Baa, Black Sheep.
London The city where the cat went to look at the queen.
Market Where the first little pig went.
Meadow Where the sheep are in Little Boy Blue.
Moon The cow jumped over it.
Parlor The sitting room where the queen ate bread and honey.
Puddle Doctor Foster stepped in one, right up to his middle.
Rain Doctor Foster went to Gloucester in a shower of it.
School Where Mary's lamb followed her one day.
Showers With March winds, the April ones bring forth May flowers.
Sky The little star is like a diamond in it.
Snow The north wind brings it. Mary's lamb had fleece as white as it.
Star Twinkle, twinkle, little one, how I wonder what you are.
Town Wee Willie Winkie runs through it at bedtime.
Treetop Where the baby's cradle rocks in Hush-a-Bye, Baby.
Upstairs The first place Wee Willie Winkie runs in his nightgown.
Wall Where Humpty Dumpty sat.
Wind When it blows, the cradle will rock.

Doing and Describing Words 19

Asleep Not awake. The little boy who looks after the sheep was found this way.
Blow What Boy Blue must do with his horn. The north wind doth it too.
Contrary Always wanting the opposite. Mary, Mary was quite this.
Crooked Bent, not straight. A man, a mile, a sixpence, a stile, a cat and a mouse are all this in one rhyme.
Dainty Fine and pleasing. The blackbird pie was this kind of dish to set before the king.
Fall Humpty Dumpty had a great one.
Fetch To go and bring back, as Jack and Jill meant to do with water.
Frightened Scared. The big spider did this to Miss Muffet.
Jump What Jack does over the candlestick. The cow did it over the moon.
Laughed What the little dog did to see such sport.
Merry Cheerful. Old King Cole was this kind of old soul.
Nimble Light and fast on your feet. Jack is told to be this.
Quick Fast. Jack is told to be nimble and this.
Rock What the cradle will do when the wind blows.
Sing What the birds began to do when the pie was opened.
Tumbling How Jill came after Jack fell down.
Twinkle What the little star is asked to do, twice.
Wander To roam about. Old Mother Goose rode her gander when she wanted to.
Wonder What the singer does about the little star, not knowing what it is.

Words That Rhyme 8

Diddle It follows Hey twice in the rhyme about the cat and the cow.
Dock The last word of Hickory, Dickory.
Flowers What April showers bring forth in May.
Hearts The suit of the queen who made the tarts.
Mile The crooked man went a crooked one.
Money What the king was counting out.
Nose The last word of Sing a Song of Sixpence, about the maid in the garden.
Rule A lamb at school was against this.

How this list was compiled: Own work: the word list and every clue were written for this page. Every word was read on 9 October 2026 in a rhyme as printed in one of three public-domain books on Wikisource: The Real Mother Goose, 1916 (https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Real_Mother_Goose), A Book of Nursery Songs and Rhymes, 1895 (https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/A_Book_of_Nursery_Songs_and_Rhymes) and Poems for our Children, 1830, for Mary's Lamb (https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Poems_for_our_Children/Mary%27s_Lamb). Word meanings were checked the same day against Wiktionary (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/tuffet and the entries for the other words), and the dates and meanings in the page's answers against these English Wikipedia articles: Little Miss Muffet, Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, Mary Had a Little Lamb, Mother Goose, Humpty Dumpty, Sixpence (British coin) and Hot cross bun. No rhyme is printed in full. Licence: own work

How it works

Fiddle, Tuffet, Spider, Clock, Lamb and Pail are on the list this printable word search on nursery rhymes opens on. Every word comes from a rhyme in an old nursery rhyme book, and its clue retells the line.

Read the full guide

Six lists, from the animals to the weather

Animals in the Rhymes has Lamb, Spider, Blackbirds and Gander. Who's Who has Humpty Dumpty, Bo-Peep, Mother Hubbard and Simple Simon. Food in the Rhymes has Curds, Whey, Tarts and Hot cross buns. Things in the Rhymes has Tuffet, Sixpence and Candlestick, Places and Weather has Hill, Meadow and Treetop, and Doing and Describing Words has Tumbling, Nimble and Contrary.

A seventh list: Words That Rhyme

Forty words make 20 pairs, each pair taken from one rhyme: Moon and Spoon, Wall and Fall, Thumb and Plum, Honey and Money, Gander and Wander. Cupboard is paired with Mother Hubbard, because its p is silent.

Sixpence, Knave, Stile and Tuffet are old words, so their clues give the meaning as well as the line.

Questions and answers

Is there an easy nursery rhymes word search to print?

Yes. Under Start from a list, Short and Easy has 12 words of 3 to 5 letters, such as Cat, Cow, Lamb, Jack, Jill, Hill and Pail. On the Easy level every word runs across or down, never backwards.

Which nursery rhymes are in the word search?

More than 40 traditional rhymes, among them Hey Diddle Diddle, Jack and Jill, Little Miss Muffet, Humpty Dumpty, Baa Baa Black Sheep, Little Bo-Peep, Mary Had a Little Lamb, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Sing a Song of Sixpence.

What is a tuffet?

Today the word can mean a low seat, but in the rhyme it probably meant a grassy mound. Little Miss Muffet was first recorded in 1805. Source: Wikipedia, Little Miss Muffet, read 9 October 2026.

Is the nursery rhymes word search free to print for a class?

Yes, with no sign-up. Press Print or save as PDF. Page one is the puzzle with a name and date line and the rhyming task, and page two is the answer key, on Letter or A4.

Are the rhymes printed on the sheet?

No. The sheet holds the grid, the word list and the task. Open More options and tick Show clues, not words, and the list turns into riddles such as What Miss Muffet sat on.

All 137 words

Animals in the Rhymes 15

Who's Who 21

Food in the Rhymes 22

Things in the Rhymes 28

Places and Weather 24

Doing and Describing Words 19

Words That Rhyme 8

How it works

Six lists, from the animals to the weather

A seventh list: Words That Rhyme

Questions and answers

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