Pennsylvania Word Search Printable

Keystone, Liberty Bell, Punxsutawney and 13 more Pennsylvania words in one grid; New puzzle changes them, Print adds the key.

Name Date

Pennsylvania Word Search

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

0 of 16 words found

GETTYSBURGAPEGL

HPKEYSTONEMUSRJ

AOERIEVENIINUEK

RCNHJRCWARSXSAB

ROYTLAQSMSHSQTL

INLANCASTERUUDI

SOGSWIIKRLATEAB

BSYFERROSDPAHNE

UMDLXMIAMOTWAER

RCWILLIAMPENNBT

GPRESQUEISLENTY

BIXWHHFYGRNYAXB

FNYEDANTHRACITE

MONONGAHELAZWLL

PITTSBURGHTDEIL

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.

HarrisburgHARRISBURG
PittsburghPITTSBURGH
ErieERIE
LancasterLANCASTER
PunxsutawneyPUNXSUTAWNEY
PoconosPOCONOS
SusquehannaSUSQUEHANNA
MonongahelaMONONGAHELA
Presque IslePRESQUE ISLE
KeystoneKEYSTONE
Great DaneGREAT DANE
William PennWILLIAM PENN
Liberty BellLIBERTY BELL
GettysburgGETTYSBURG
AnthraciteANTHRACITE
AmishAMISH

16 of 29 words from the Pennsylvania Favorites list.

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

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Answer key: Pennsylvania Word Search

GETTYSBURGAPEGL

HPKEYSTONEMUSRJ

AOERIEVENIINUEK

RCNHJRCWARSXSAB

ROYTLAQSMSHSQTL

INLANCASTERUUDI

SOGSWIIKRLATEAB

BSYFERROSDPAHNE

UMDLXMIAMOTWAER

RCWILLIAMPENNBT

GPRESQUEISLENTY

BIXWHHFYGRNYAXB

FNYEDANTHRACITE

MONONGAHELAZWLL

PITTSBURGHTDEIL

HARRISBURG, PITTSBURGH, ERIE, LANCASTER, PUNXSUTAWNEY, POCONOS, SUSQUEHANNA, MONONGAHELA, PRESQUE ISLE, KEYSTONE, GREAT DANE, WILLIAM PENN, LIBERTY BELL, GETTYSBURG, ANTHRACITE, AMISH

Next step Go on to the US history word search Find all 50 states in one puzzle

All 172 words

Pennsylvania Cities and Towns 24

Allentown Chief city of the Lehigh Valley.
Altoona Railroad city at the foot of the Alleghenies, near the Horseshoe Curve.
Bethlehem City founded by Moravians on a winter holiday eve and nicknamed for that holiday.
Carlisle Cumberland Valley town with an old army post and a college.
Easton City where the Lehigh joins the Delaware.
Erie Port on the Great Lake of the same name, sheltered by a curving sand peninsula.
Harrisburg State capital, on the east bank of the Susquehanna.
Jim Thorpe Mountain town in the Lehigh Gorge renamed for a great Native American athlete.
Johnstown City in a deep valley of the Conemaugh, known for its steep incline railway.
Kennett Square Chester County town at the center of the state's mushroom farms.
Lancaster City at the heart of Amish farm country.
Latrobe Town near Pittsburgh that says the banana split was invented there.
Lititz Lancaster County town founded by Moravians and known for pretzel baking.
Philadelphia Largest city in the state, home of Independence Hall, where the nation's founding papers were debated and approved.
Pittsburgh City of bridges at the meeting of the Allegheny and the Monongahela, long the capital of steel.

Show all 172 words (157 more)

Pennsylvania Cities and Towns, continued

Punxsutawney Town where a groundhog is asked each February about the coming of spring.
Reading City on the Schuylkill known for a railroad, pretzels and a hilltop pagoda.
Scranton City of the hard-coal country nicknamed the Electric City.
State College Town in the middle of Pennsylvania that grew up around its big land-grant university.
Titusville Town where Edwin Drake struck oil and started an industry.
Wellsboro Gaslit town that is the gateway to the Pine Creek Gorge.
Wilkes-Barre City on the Susquehanna in the Wyoming Valley, built on hard coal.
Williamsport Old lumber city on the West Branch, birthplace of a youth baseball league whose world series is played just across the river.
York City west of the Susquehanna where the Continental Congress met during a winter of the Revolution.

Pennsylvania Mountains and Rivers 26

Alleghenies Short name of the mountains that cross the middle of the state.
Allegheny Name of a river, a plateau and a national forest in the west and north.
Boulder Field Flat expanse of jumbled rocks left from the Ice Age at Hickory Run.
Brandywine Creek of the southeast with a Revolutionary War battlefield on its banks.
Cherry Springs State park in the north famous for very dark night skies.
Delaware River Stream that separates Pennsylvania from New Jersey all the way down.
Hawk Mountain Ridge-top sanctuary where people count migrating raptors each fall.
Juniata River of the central ridges that joins the Susquehanna above Harrisburg.
Kinzua Name of a dam on the Allegheny and of a railroad bridge turned into a skywalk.
Kittatinny Name of the long ridge, also called Blue Mountain, that crosses the east of the state.
Lackawanna Stream of the hard-coal valley around Scranton.
Lake Erie Shallow inland sea that gives Pennsylvania a short northwestern shore.
Lehigh River of the east that passes Allentown and Bethlehem.
Monongahela River that flows north to Pittsburgh to help form the Ohio.
Mount Davis Top of the state, a rocky rise on a long ridge in Somerset County.
Ohio River Waterway born at Pittsburgh where the Allegheny and the Monongahela meet.
Ohiopyle State park where the Youghiogheny drops over wide falls.
Pine Creek Gorge Deep canyon in the north nicknamed the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania.
Poconos Short name of the wooded highlands and resort country of the northeast.
Presque Isle Sandy peninsula that curls into Lake Erie, now a state park.
Raystown Name of a long reservoir in the mountains of Huntingdon County.
Ricketts Glen State park where trails pass waterfall after waterfall.
Susquehanna Wide, shallow river that drains much of the state on its way to Chesapeake Bay.
Wallenpaupack Name of a big reservoir in the Poconos.
Water Gap Notch where the Delaware cuts through a mountain ridge on the New Jersey line.
Youghiogheny Whitewater river of the southwest whose name is often shortened to the Yough.

Pennsylvania State Symbols 20

Brook Trout State fish, found in shaded headwater runs of the mountains.
Crownvetch Pink-flowered plant seeded along highways, named the state beautification plant.
Firefly State insect, a beetle that flashes on summer evenings.
Great Dane State dog, a giant breed.
Hellbender State amphibian, a giant salamander of clean rivers.
Hemlock State tree, a shade-loving conifer of cool ravines.
Horses Black animals that hold up the shield on the state coat of arms.
Independence Word that ends the motto of the commonwealth and names the hall where it was declared.
Keystone Wedge at the top of an arch that locks the other stones, the emblem and nickname of the state.
Liberty Word at the heart of the motto of the commonwealth, also the name of a famous bell.
Mountain Laurel State flower, an evergreen shrub with pink and white blossoms.
Niagara Name of the sailing warship kept at Erie, the official state flagship.
Plow Farm tool shown on the shield of the state coat of arms.
Ruffed Grouse State game bird, a woodland dweller whose wingbeats sound like a drum roll.
Sheaves Bundles of wheat shown on the shield of the state coat of arms.
Ship Vessel under full sail shown on the shield of the state coat of arms.
Sylvania Latin for woodland, joined to the founder's family name to make the name of the state.
Trilobite Extinct sea creature with a segmented shell; one kind is the state fossil.
Virtue Word that begins the motto of the commonwealth.
Whitetail Animal chosen as the state mammal, watched for on the opening day of hunting season.

Pennsylvania History 21

Betsy Ross Philadelphia upholsterer said to have sewn an early flag of stars and stripes.
Buchanan Family name of James, the president from Lancaster.
Carnegie Family name of Andrew, the steelmaker who paid for libraries across the country.
Conestoga Name of the heavy covered wagon that came from Lancaster County.
Crossing Washington's passage of the icy Delaware on a December night, remembered at a state park.
Declaration Paper approved in Philadelphia in 1776 in which thirteen colonies broke from Britain.
Drake Well Site near Titusville where a famous oil strike was made.
Duquesne Name of the French fort that stood where Pittsburgh was later founded.
Fort Necessity Stockade in the southwest where a young George Washington fought an early battle.
Franklin Surname of Benjamin, the almanac publisher and lightning scientist who signed both the Declaration and the Constitution.
Gettysburg Town where a great Civil War battle was fought and Lincoln gave a short, famous speech.
Horseshoe Curve Great bend of railroad track that lifts trains over the Alleghenies near Altoona.
Lenape Native people of the Delaware Valley, also called the Delaware.
Liberty Bell Great bronze ringer with a famous split, shown to visitors across from Independence Hall.
Mason-Dixon Line Surveyed boundary that marks the southern border of the state.
New Sweden Colony whose settlers reached the Delaware Valley before the English.
Quaker Member of the peace-loving faith to which the founder of the colony belonged.
Statehood Pennsylvania approved the Constitution in 1787, the second state to do so.
Susquehannock Native people who lived along the great river of the central part of the state.
Valley Forge Winter quarters of Washington's troops, now a national historical park near Philadelphia.
William Penn Quaker who received the land in 1681 and gave the colony his family name.

Pennsylvania Mines, Mills and Farms 20

Anthracite Hard, clean-burning coal of the northeast.
Barn Farm building; the kind built into a bank has a ramp to the upper floor.
Bituminous Soft coal of the western counties.
Black Cherry Tree of the northern forests prized for furniture wood.
Christmas Tree Evergreen raised on farms; Indiana County is known for them.
Coal Breaker Tall building where anthracite was crushed and sorted by size.
Covered Bridge Roofed wooden span; the state has kept many of them.
Dairy Cow Animal behind the leading farm product of the state.
Ferris Wheel Giant ride invented by a Pittsburgh bridge builder.
Incline Cable railway that climbs a steep hillside, as in Pittsburgh.
Lumber Sawn wood; Williamsport grew rich on it.
Mushroom Crop grown indoors around Kennett Square.
Oil Well Hole drilled for petroleum, as at Titusville.
Railroad Iron road; the main line across the state climbed the mountains at Altoona.
Shale Layered rock; the Marcellus kind is drilled for natural gas.
Slate Gray stone split into roofing tiles and blackboards in the east.
Steel Metal that made Pittsburgh and Bethlehem famous.
Tannery Place where hides are made into leather with the bark of hemlocks.
Turnpike Toll highway that tunnels through the mountains from east to west.
Zipper Fastener manufactured for decades at Meadville.

Pennsylvania Food 20

Banana Split Ice cream dessert that Latrobe claims as its own.
Bologna The Lebanon kind is a smoked, tangy beef sausage.
Cheesesteak Philadelphia sandwich of thin-sliced beef and melted cheese on a long roll.
Chocolate Sweet made in a famous factory town near Harrisburg.
Chow-chow Sweet and sour relish of mixed pickled vegetables.
Fastnacht Fried dough treat made on the day before Lent in Pennsylvania Dutch homes.
Funnel Cake Lacy fried treat of fairs, a Pennsylvania Dutch specialty.
Haluski Dish of fried cabbage and noodles popular around Pittsburgh.
Hoagie Philadelphia name for a long sandwich of meats, cheese and lettuce.
Pepper Pot Thick, spicy soup tied to Philadelphia.
Pierogi Filled dumpling loved in Pittsburgh.
Pot Pie In Pennsylvania Dutch kitchens, a stew of square noodles and meat with no crust.
Potato Chip Thin fried snack made by many firms around Hanover.
Pretzel Twisted baked snack tied to Lititz and Reading.
Shoofly Pie Pennsylvania Dutch dessert with a molasses filling and crumb top.
Sticky Bun Sweet roll baked in caramel and nuts.
Stromboli Rolled, baked turnover of dough, cheese and meats that began near Philadelphia.
Teaberry Pink ice cream flavor of the mountains, named for a wintergreen plant.
Water Ice Philadelphia name for a smooth frozen fruit treat.
Whoopie Pie Pair of soft chocolate cakes with a creamy filling between.

Pennsylvania Wildlife and Trees 20

Barn Owl Pale, heart-faced night hunter of farm country.
Chestnut Tree that once filled the forests before a blight struck.
Elk Big deer whose herd roams the hills around Benezette.
Fern Feathery green plant that carpets the forest floor.
Golden Eagle Large dark raptor that follows the ridges south in late fall.
Goldenrod Tall yellow wildflower of late summer fields.
Groundhog Whistle-pig that naps underground all winter; one in Punxsutawney is famous.
Lanternfly Spotted invader from Asia found in Berks County that harms vines and trees.
Newt Small salamander whose young wander the forest floor as bright orange efts.
Peregrine Fast-diving falcon that nests on city ledges and bridges.
Porcupine Quill-covered climber of the northern woods.
Raptor Hunting bird with a hooked beak and talons, such as a hawk, eagle or falcon.
Red Oak Hardwood with pointed leaf lobes.
Shad Silvery fish that swims up the Delaware from the sea each spring to spawn.
Skunk Cabbage Swamp plant that pushes up through snow and smells bad when bruised.
Tanager The scarlet kind is a red bird with black wings of the summer treetops.
Witch Hazel Shrub that blooms yellow in late fall.
Wood Frog Masked amphibian of woodland pools that can survive freezing.
Wood Thrush Forest songbird with a flute-like call.
Wood Turtle River and meadow reptile with a sculpted shell.

Pennsylvania Folk Life 21

Amish Community of Lancaster County that farms with horses and travels by buggy.
Barn Raising Gathering at which neighbors build a farm building in a day.
Boathouse Row Line of rowing clubs on the river in Philadelphia, outlined in lights at night.
Buggy Gray horse-drawn carriage of Lancaster County roads.
City Hall Philadelphia landmark topped by a statue of the founder.
Dutch Here it means Pennsylvania German, from the settlers' word for their own language.
Fallingwater House by Frank Lloyd Wright built over a waterfall in the Laurel Highlands.
Fraktur Pennsylvania German folk art of decorated lettering.
Gumband Western Pennsylvania word for a rubber band.
Hex Sign Colorful star or flower design painted on a barn.
Jawn Philadelphia word that can stand for almost any thing.
Mennonite Member of a church related to the Amish.
Mummers Costumed clubs that strut through Philadelphia on New Year's Day.
Mural Outdoor artwork that covers the side of a building; Philadelphia is known for them.
Nebby Western Pennsylvania word for nosy.
Polka Bouncy dance music loved in the coal towns.
Redd Up Western Pennsylvania phrase for tidying.
Row House Home that shares side walls with its neighbors, typical of Philadelphia.
Three Rivers Nickname for the meeting of waters at Pittsburgh.
Trolley Electric streetcar.
Yinz Pittsburgh way of saying you all.

How this list was compiled: Own work. Words and names about the state of Pennsylvania, chosen and described for children: eight themed lists (cities and towns, mountains and rivers, state symbols, history, mines, mills and farms, food, wildlife and trees, folk life), Pennsylvania 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 Wilkes-Barre is hidden as WILKESBARRE and Mason-Dixon Line as MASONDIXONLINE. Entries have 3 to 14 letters once spaces and hyphens 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, 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 Pennsylvania, its list of Pennsylvania state symbols and the article for each entry (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsylvania, license CC BY-SA 4.0). The largest city, the highest point, the mushroom crop and the years 1681, 1776 and 1787 were checked the same day in a second work, Store norske leksikon (https://snl.no/Pennsylvania). Where no second work gave a figure or a record, the clue leaves it out. Unofficial and not affiliated with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; an educational puzzle, so check the official source before you rely on a fact. Licence: own work

How it works

This Pennsylvania word search opens with Harrisburg, Pittsburgh, William Penn, Gettysburg and 12 more favorites. Start from a list has eight themed lists: cities, mountains and rivers, state symbols, history, mines and farms, food, wildlife and folk life.

Read the full guide

Hard spellings worth the hunt

Punxsutawney, Youghiogheny, Susquehanna, Monongahela, Wallenpaupack and Susquehannock are all in the lists, and each fits under the limit of 14 letters. Pick Hard Pennsylvania to draw from every word of 8 letters or more, then press Hard to let them run backwards and on the diagonal.

What Pittsburgh and Philadelphia say

Pennsylvania Folk Life has Yinz, Redd Up, Gumband and Nebby from the west and Jawn from Philadelphia, beside Amish, Mennonite, Hex Sign, Fraktur and Mummers. Pennsylvania Food pairs with it: Pretzel, Cheesesteak, Hoagie, Pierogi, Shoofly Pie and Water Ice.

Easy Pennsylvania has the short words: Erie, York, Plow, Ship, Shad, Newt, Fern, Yinz and Jawn.
Wilkes-Barre and Mason-Dixon Line lose their hyphens in the grid: WILKESBARRE and MASONDIXONLINE.

Questions and answers

Which Pennsylvania state symbols are in the puzzle?

Ruffed Grouse (state game bird), Mountain Laurel (state flower), Hemlock (state tree), Brook Trout (state fish), Great Dane (state dog), Firefly (state insect), Hellbender (state amphibian) and Trilobite (state fossil), with Keystone and the motto words Virtue, Liberty and Independence.

Is the Liberty Bell in the Pennsylvania word search?

Yes. Pennsylvania History has Liberty Bell, Declaration, Franklin, Betsy Ross, Valley Forge and Gettysburg. It also has William Penn, the Quaker who received the land in 1681, and the Lenape, the Native people of the Delaware Valley.

Is Keystone in the puzzle, and why is Pennsylvania called the Keystone State?

Yes, in Pennsylvania State Symbols. A keystone is the wedge at the top of an arch that locks the other stones; the nickname points to the central place of Pennsylvania among the 13 original states.

How do I print the puzzle and its key?

Press Print or save as PDF. The puzzle and its word list print with a Name and Date line, and the answer key comes out as a separate page.

All 172 words

Pennsylvania Cities and Towns 24

Pennsylvania Cities and Towns, continued

Pennsylvania Mountains and Rivers 26

Pennsylvania State Symbols 20

Pennsylvania History 21

Pennsylvania Mines, Mills and Farms 20

Pennsylvania Food 20

Pennsylvania Wildlife and Trees 20

Pennsylvania Folk Life 21

How it works

Hard spellings worth the hunt

What Pittsburgh and Philadelphia say

Questions and answers

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