Printable Periodic Table Word Search

Print 16 common elements with an answer key, or swap in the transition metals, the noble gases or the lanthanides.

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Periodic Table Word Search

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0 of 16 words found

DAPDDONICKELGOU

IUTZAALXSILICON

PGHSCXCWUWHOEXB

EGRFASAIHELIUMT

GDEGEHRLNWOOSTV

TYATEHBDNNCDOEA

INLTOYODPEUIDTI

UOUNFDNETORNIIR

RCMDORIRONLEUBO

AEIEPOTASSIUMIG

NINBAGRNOADCQKO

IWUTIEOTXRQLHGL

UIMCHNGPRMRTCSD

MBCOPPERZKIOHON

ZHTITANIUMMHLRF

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.

SodiumSODIUM
PotassiumPOTASSIUM
TitaniumTITANIUM
IronIRON
NickelNICKEL
CopperCOPPER
GoldGOLD
AluminumALUMINUM
SiliconSILICON
HydrogenHYDROGEN
HeliumHELIUM
CarbonCARBON
NitrogenNITROGEN
NeonNEON
IodineIODINE
UraniumURANIUM

16 of 24 words from the Common Elements list.

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Answer key: Periodic Table Word Search

DAPDDONICKELGOU

IUTZAALXSILICON

PGHSCXCWUWHOEXB

EGRFASAIHELIUMT

GDEGEHRLNWOOSTV

TYATEHBDNNCDOEA

INLTOYODPEUIDTI

UOUNFDNETORNIIR

RCMDORIRONLEUBO

AEIEPOTASSIUMIG

NINBAGRNOADCQKO

IWUTIEOTXRQLHGL

UIMCHNGPRMRTCSD

MBCOPPERZKIOHON

ZHTITANIUMMHLRF

SODIUM, POTASSIUM, TITANIUM, IRON, NICKEL, COPPER, GOLD, ALUMINUM, SILICON, HYDROGEN, HELIUM, CARBON, NITROGEN, NEON, IODINE, URANIUM

Next step Drill the same symbols on flashcards Solve the elements as a crossword

All 118 words

Alkali and Alkaline Earth Metals 12

Barium Element 56, symbol Ba; an alkaline earth metal named from the Greek for heavy.
Beryllium Element 4, symbol Be; an alkaline earth metal named after beryl, a gemstone that contains it.
Calcium Element 20, symbol Ca; an alkaline earth metal named from calx, the Latin for lime.
Cesium Element 55, symbol Cs; an alkali metal named from the Latin for sky blue, after its spectrum.
Francium Element 87, symbol Fr; an alkali metal named after the country where it was discovered.
Lithium Element 3, symbol Li; an alkali metal named from the Greek for stone.
Magnesium Element 12, symbol Mg; an alkaline earth metal named after Magnesia, a district in Greece.
Potassium Element 19, symbol K; an alkali metal; the symbol comes from kalium, its Latin name.
Radium Element 88, symbol Ra; an alkaline earth metal named from the Latin for ray.
Rubidium Element 37, symbol Rb; an alkali metal named from the Latin for deepest red, a line in its spectrum.
Sodium Element 11, symbol Na; an alkali metal; the symbol comes from natrium, its Neo-Latin name.
Strontium Element 38, symbol Sr; an alkaline earth metal named after Strontian, a town in Scotland.

Show all 118 words (106 more)

Transition Metals 38

Bohrium Element 107, symbol Bh; named in honor of Niels Bohr, who studied the structure of the atom.
Cadmium Element 48, symbol Cd; a metal in group 12, named from the Latin for the mineral calamine.
Chromium Element 24, symbol Cr; named from the Greek for color, because its compounds have many colors.
Cobalt Element 27, symbol Co; named from Kobold, the German for goblin, by miners who found it troublesome.
Copernicium Element 112, symbol Cn; the last element of group 12, named in honor of Nicolaus Copernicus.
Copper Element 29, symbol Cu; the symbol comes from cuprum, its Latin name, which goes back to Cyprus.
Darmstadtium Element 110, symbol Ds; named after Darmstadt, the German city where it was discovered.
Dubnium Element 105, symbol Db; named after Dubna, the Russian town where it was discovered.
Gold Element 79, symbol Au; a transition metal; the symbol comes from aurum, its Latin name.
Hafnium Element 72, symbol Hf; a transition metal named from Hafnia, the Latin for Copenhagen.
Hassium Element 108, symbol Hs; named from the Latin for Hesse, the German state of its discovery.
Iridium Element 77, symbol Ir; named from iris, the Latin for rainbow, for its colorful salts.
Iron Element 26, symbol Fe; a transition metal; the symbol comes from ferrum, its Latin name.
Manganese Element 25, symbol Mn; like element 12, its name goes back to Magnesia in Greece.
Meitnerium Element 109, symbol Mt; named in honor of Lise Meitner, who shared the discovery of fission.
Mercury Element 80, symbol Hg; a metal that is liquid at room temperature, named after a Roman god.
Molybdenum Element 42, symbol Mo; named from the Greek for lead, because its ore was confused with lead ore.
Nickel Element 28, symbol Ni; its name comes from the Swedish kopparnickel, a copper-colored ore.
Niobium Element 41, symbol Nb; named after Niobe, the daughter of Tantalus in Greek myth.
Osmium Element 76, symbol Os; named from the Greek for a smell, after one of its foul-smelling compounds.
Palladium Element 46, symbol Pd; named in 1802 after Pallas, an asteroid discovered that same year.
Platinum Element 78, symbol Pt; its name comes from platina, the Spanish for little silver.
Rhenium Element 75, symbol Re; a transition metal named from Rhenus, the Latin for the river Rhine.
Rhodium Element 45, symbol Rh; a transition metal named from the Greek for rose.
Roentgenium Element 111, symbol Rg; named in honor of Wilhelm Röntgen, who discovered X-rays.
Ruthenium Element 44, symbol Ru; a transition metal named from Ruthenia, a Latin name for Russia.
Rutherfordium Element 104, symbol Rf; named in honor of the physicist Ernest Rutherford.
Scandium Element 21, symbol Sc; a transition metal named from the Latin for Scandinavia.
Seaborgium Element 106, symbol Sg; named in honor of Glenn T. Seaborg, who helped discover ten elements.
Silver Element 47, symbol Ag; a transition metal; the symbol comes from argentum, its Latin name.
Tantalum Element 73, symbol Ta; named after Tantalus of Greek myth, because so little reacts with it.
Technetium Element 43, symbol Tc; its name is Greek for artificial; the first element to be made artificially.
Titanium Element 22, symbol Ti; a transition metal named after the Titans of Greek myth.
Tungsten Element 74, symbol W; its name is Swedish for heavy stone; the symbol comes from wolfram.
Vanadium Element 23, symbol V; named after Vanadis, a Norse goddess, for its colorful compounds.
Yttrium Element 39, symbol Y; one of four elements named after Ytterby, a village in Sweden.
Zinc Element 30, symbol Zn; a metal in group 12; its name comes from the German Zink.
Zirconium Element 40, symbol Zr; named after zircon, a mineral whose Persian name means gold-like.

Metalloids and Other Metals 18

Aluminum Element 13, symbol Al; a metal in group 13, named from the Latin for alum.
Antimony Element 51, symbol Sb; a metalloid; the symbol comes from stibium, its Latin name.
Arsenic Element 33, symbol As; a metalloid whose name goes back to a Persian word for a yellow mineral.
Bismuth Element 83, symbol Bi; a metal in group 15; its name comes from the German Wismuth.
Boron Element 5, symbol B; a metalloid whose name comes from borax, a mineral.
Flerovium Element 114, symbol Fl; named in honor of the Soviet physicist Georgy Flyorov.
Gallium Element 31, symbol Ga; a metal in group 13, named from Gallia, the Latin for Gaul, now France.
Germanium Element 32, symbol Ge; a metalloid named from the Latin for Germany.
Indium Element 49, symbol In; a metal in group 13, named after the indigo line in its spectrum.
Lead Element 82, symbol Pb; a metal in group 14, directly under tin.
Livermorium Element 116, symbol Lv; its name honors California's Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
Moscovium Element 115, symbol Mc; named after the region of Moscow, where it was discovered.
Nihonium Element 113, symbol Nh; named after Nihon, a name for Japan, the country where it was discovered.
Polonium Element 84, symbol Po; named after Poland, the homeland of its discoverer, Marie Curie.
Silicon Element 14, symbol Si; a metalloid named from the Latin for flint.
Tellurium Element 52, symbol Te; a metalloid named from tellus, the Latin for Earth.
Thallium Element 81, symbol Tl; named from the Greek for a green shoot, for the green lines in its spectrum.
Tin Element 50, symbol Sn; a metal in group 14; the symbol comes from stannum, its Latin name.

Nonmetals, Halogens and Noble Gases 20

Argon Element 18, symbol Ar; a noble gas whose name is Greek for inactive.
Astatine Element 85, symbol At; an element in group 17 whose name is Greek for unstable.
Bromine Element 35, symbol Br; a halogen, one of two elements that are liquid at room temperature.
Carbon Element 6, symbol C; a nonmetal whose name comes from the Latin for charcoal.
Chlorine Element 17, symbol Cl; a halogen gas named from the Greek for yellowish green, its color.
Fluorine Element 9, symbol F; a halogen gas named from the Latin for a flowing.
Helium Element 2, symbol He; a noble gas named for the Greek word for the Sun, where it was first detected.
Hydrogen Element 1, symbol H; a gas in group 1; its name is Greek for water-forming.
Iodine Element 53, symbol I; a solid halogen named from the Greek for violet, the color of its vapor.
Krypton Element 36, symbol Kr; a noble gas whose name is Greek for hidden.
Neon Element 10, symbol Ne; a noble gas whose name is Greek for new.
Nitrogen Element 7, symbol N; a gas at room temperature; its name means niter-forming.
Oganesson Element 118, symbol Og; the last element in the table, named after Yuri Oganessian.
Oxygen Element 8, symbol O; a gas at room temperature; its name means acid-forming.
Phosphorus Element 15, symbol P; its name is Greek for light-bearer; its white form glows faintly in air.
Radon Element 86, symbol Rn; a noble gas; its name is short for radium emanation.
Selenium Element 34, symbol Se; a nonmetal named from selene, the Greek for the Moon.
Sulfur Element 16, symbol S; a solid nonmetal under oxygen in group 16.
Tennessine Element 117, symbol Ts; an element in group 17 named for Tennessee, the US state.
Xenon Element 54, symbol Xe; a noble gas whose name is Greek for foreign or stranger.

Lanthanides and Actinides 27

Actinium Element 89, symbol Ac; the first actinide, named from the Greek for beam or ray.
Americium Element 95, symbol Am; an actinide named after the Americas, where it was discovered.
Berkelium Element 97, symbol Bk; an actinide named after the California city whose university discovered it.
Californium Element 98, symbol Cf; an actinide named after a US state and its university at Berkeley.
Cerium Element 58, symbol Ce; a lanthanide named after Ceres, now counted as a dwarf planet.
Curium Element 96, symbol Cm; an actinide named in honor of Marie and Pierre Curie.
Dysprosium Element 66, symbol Dy; a lanthanide whose name is Greek for hard to get at.
Einsteinium Element 99, symbol Es; an actinide named in honor of Albert Einstein.
Europium Element 63, symbol Eu; a lanthanide named after the continent where it was discovered.
Fermium Element 100, symbol Fm; its name honors Enrico Fermi, developer of the first nuclear reactor.
Gadolinium Element 64, symbol Gd; a lanthanide named in honor of the chemist Johan Gadolin.
Holmium Element 67, symbol Ho; a lanthanide named from Holmia, the Latin for Stockholm.
Lanthanum Element 57, symbol La; the first lanthanide; its name is Greek for I escape notice.
Lawrencium Element 103, symbol Lr; the last actinide, named in honor of the physicist Ernest Lawrence.
Lutetium Element 71, symbol Lu; the last lanthanide, named from Lutetia, the Latin name for Paris.
Mendelevium Element 101, symbol Md; an actinide named in honor of the chemist who formulated the periodic table.
Neodymium Element 60, symbol Nd; a lanthanide whose name is Greek for new twin.
Neptunium Element 93, symbol Np; an actinide named after the planet Neptune.
Nobelium Element 102, symbol No; an actinide named in honor of Alfred Nobel, founder of the prizes.
Plutonium Element 94, symbol Pu; an actinide named after Pluto, which was then counted as the ninth planet.
Praseodymium Element 59, symbol Pr; a lanthanide whose name is Greek for green twin.
Promethium Element 61, symbol Pm; a lanthanide named after Prometheus, who stole fire in Greek myth.
Samarium Element 62, symbol Sm; a lanthanide named after the mineral samarskite.
Terbium Element 65, symbol Tb; a lanthanide named after Ytterby, a village in Sweden.
Thorium Element 90, symbol Th; an actinide named for Thor, the Norse thunder god.
Thulium Element 69, symbol Tm; a lanthanide named after Thule, an old name for a land in the far north.
Uranium Element 92, symbol U; an actinide named after the planet Uranus, discovered eight years before it.

Elements Named After Places 1

Erbium Element 68, symbol Er; a lanthanide named, like three other elements, after Ytterby in Sweden.

Hard Periodic Table 2

Protactinium Element 91, symbol Pa; an actinide; its name joins the Greek for first to the name of element 89.
Ytterbium Element 70, symbol Yb; a lanthanide named after ytterbia, its oxide, and so after a Swedish village.

How this list was compiled: Own work: the lists and every clue were written for this page. Each element's atomic number, symbol, group and state at room temperature were checked on 2026-10-07 against English Wikipedia's list of chemical elements (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_chemical_elements), and each name origin against its list of element name origins (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_chemical_element_name_etymologies); the families follow its articles on the periodic table (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Periodic_table) and the metalloids (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metalloid). Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA 4.0. Spellings are American: Aluminum, Cesium, Sulfur. Licence: own work

How it works

This printable periodic table word search hides all 118 elements, sorted the way the table sorts them: alkali and alkaline earth metals, transition metals, metalloids, nonmetals with the halogens and noble gases, and the lanthanides and actinides.

Read the full guide

A list for each family of elements

Common Elements opens the page: 24 everyday names such as Iron, Gold, Oxygen and Calcium. Transition Metals holds 38, from Scandium to Copernicium. Nonmetals, Halogens and Noble Gases has 20, and Lanthanides and Actinides 27. Elements Named After Places collects 26, among them Polonium, Germanium, Californium and Nihonium.

Atomic numbers and symbols as clues

Every clue starts with the atomic number and the symbol. Tick Show clues, not words, and Tungsten prints as "Element 74, symbol W; its name is Swedish for heavy stone; the symbol comes from wolfram." Pupils then need the table itself to solve the sheet. Easy Periodic Table keeps to the 10 short names, such as Tin, Zinc and Neon.

Erbium reads inside Terbium, and Terbium inside Ytterbium, so the three sit in different lists.
Protactinium holds Actinium, so it waits in Hard Periodic Table with the other long names.
Spellings are American: Aluminum, Cesium and Sulfur.

Questions and answers

How many elements are on the periodic table?

118 have been identified and officially named, from Hydrogen, element 1, to Oganesson, element 118. Every one is hidden somewhere in these lists.

What are the groups of the periodic table?

The columns are called groups. Group 1 holds the alkali metals, group 2 the alkaline earth metals, groups 3 to 12 the transition metals, group 17 the halogens and group 18 the noble gases.

Which elements are named after places?

Forty-one have names tied to places, 32 of them on Earth: Europium, Francium, Germanium, Polonium, Americium and Californium among them. Yttrium, Terbium, Erbium and Ytterbium are all named after one Swedish village, Ytterby.

Does the periodic table word search have an answer key?

Yes. The key prints as page 2 on Letter or A4, every element ringed. For the first 20 elements as a list of their own, print the chemistry word search.

All 118 words

Alkali and Alkaline Earth Metals 12

Transition Metals 38

Metalloids and Other Metals 18

Nonmetals, Halogens and Noble Gases 20

Lanthanides and Actinides 27

Elements Named After Places 1

Hard Periodic Table 2

How it works

A list for each family of elements

Atomic numbers and symbols as clues

Questions and answers

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