Periodic Table Crossword, Solved With the Table

Press New puzzle for a periodic table vocabulary crossword: each element is clued by its symbol and atomic number.

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Periodic Table Crossword

Read each clue and write the answer in the squares that start at its number, one letter in each square.

This grid is wider than a phone screen, so it scrolls sideways. It prints whole.

Tap a square, and its clue shows here.

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Down

Type in a square and the next one takes over. Tap the same square again, or press Space, to switch between Across and Down. Arrow keys move around the grid, Enter goes to the next clue, and a clue takes you to its squares.

Print gives 2 pages on Letter or A4: the puzzle with its clues, then the answer key. The squares print 10 mm wide. For a PDF, choose Save as PDF in the print window.

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Answer key: Periodic Table Crossword

1O2AXLY3SULFURGM4CE5BIA6NEONN7LLR8NUIC9POTASSIUMTINTHU10BERYLLIUMOU11HYDROGENME12CHLORINE

Across 3 SULFUR · 6 NEON · 9 POTASSIUM · 10 BERYLLIUM · 11 HYDROGEN · 12 CHLORINE

Down 1 OXYGEN · 2 ALUMINUM · 4 CALCIUM · 5 BORON · 7 LITHIUM · 8 NITROGEN

Next step Drill the elements with flashcardsPrint the chemistry word search

All 60 clues

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The First 20 Elements 20

  • Aluminum Al, atomic number 13
  • Argon Ar, atomic number 18
  • Beryllium Be, atomic number 4
  • Boron B, atomic number 5
  • Calcium Ca, atomic number 20
  • Carbon C, atomic number 6
  • Chlorine Cl, atomic number 17
  • Fluorine F, atomic number 9
  • Helium He, atomic number 2
  • Hydrogen H, atomic number 1
  • Lithium Li, atomic number 3
  • Magnesium Mg, atomic number 12
  • Neon Ne, atomic number 10
  • Nitrogen N, atomic number 7
  • Oxygen O, atomic number 8
  • Phosphorus P, atomic number 15
  • Potassium K, atomic number 19
  • Silicon Si, atomic number 14
  • Sodium Na, atomic number 11
  • Sulfur S, atomic number 16

Well-Known Heavier Elements 20

  • Bismuth Bi, atomic number 83
  • Chromium Cr, atomic number 24
  • Cobalt Co, atomic number 27
  • Copper Cu, atomic number 29
  • Gold Au, atomic number 79
  • Iodine I, atomic number 53
  • Iron Fe, atomic number 26
  • Krypton Kr, atomic number 36
  • Lead Pb, atomic number 82
  • Mercury Hg, atomic number 80
  • Nickel Ni, atomic number 28
  • Platinum Pt, atomic number 78
  • Plutonium Pu, atomic number 94
  • Radon Rn, atomic number 86
  • Silver Ag, atomic number 47
  • Titanium Ti, atomic number 22
  • Tungsten W, atomic number 74
  • Uranium U, atomic number 92
  • Xenon Xe, atomic number 54
  • Zinc Zn, atomic number 30

Words About the Table 20

  • Actinide One of the series of metals from atomic number 89 onward
  • Alkali ___ metals, the column 1 members that react with water
  • Electron Negative particle found in shells around the center of an atom
  • Element Substance made of only one kind of atom
  • Group Vertical column of the table
  • Halogen Any member of column 17 of the table
  • Isotope Version of an atom with more or fewer neutrons than usual
  • Lanthanide One of the 15 metals with atomic numbers 57 to 71
  • Mendeleev Russian chemist who presented his table of the elements in 1869
  • Metalloid Substance partway between metals and nonmetals in its properties
  • Neutron Uncharged particle in the center of an atom
  • Noble gas Unreactive gas of column 18
  • Nonmetal Dull substance that is a poor conductor
  • Nucleus Center of an atom
  • Period Horizontal row of the table
  • Proton Positive particle; the count of them gives each atom its place on the table
  • Reactive Quick to combine with other substances
  • Symbol One- or two-letter code on the table, such as Fe
  • Transition ___ metals, the wide middle block of the table
  • Valence ___ electrons, the outer ones that take part in bonding

How this list was compiled: 60 clues written for this site, solved with a periodic table in hand: the first 20 elements and 20 well-known heavier ones, each clued by its symbol and atomic number, and 20 words about the table itself. Names, symbols and numbers follow IUPAC, with the American spellings Aluminum and Sulfur. No clue was copied from a published puzzle. Licence: own work

How it works

In this periodic table crossword each element is clued by its symbol and atomic number, as in Na, atomic number 11. Students solve it by reading a periodic table, so the word bank starts switched off.

Read the full guide

Three sets

The First 20 Elements runs from Hydrogen to Calcium. Well-Known Heavier Elements has Iron, Tungsten and Plutonium, whose symbols often do not match their names. Words About the Table has Period, Halogen, Lanthanide and Mendeleev.

A periodic table puzzle to print

Hand out a periodic table with the sheet. Print gives Letter or A4 with the answer key last.

  • Ask students to circle every symbol that comes from a Latin name, such as Fe, Au, Pb and Na.

Questions and answers

How do students solve a crossword puzzle on the periodic table?

They find the symbol or the atomic number on a periodic table and write the element's name in the grid. Only the table words, such as Isotope and Valence, need to be known without looking.

Which spellings do the element names use?

Names follow IUPAC with American spelling, so the grid wants Aluminum and Sulfur. Students who know Aluminium will find the grid one square short.

Is there an answer key?

Yes. Every print ends with the answer key on a sheet of its own, and Show all clues and answers, under the puzzle, lists all 60 clues with their answers.

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