Public Speaking Word Search

A speech class vocabulary puzzle with its answer key, from Podium and Pause to Ethos and Rebuttal.

Name Date

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

0 of 16 words found

SDATAFDAGQAVFPR

PENTDOTWJGOOIEC

ETDELIVERYPIVSS

ESPMIAUDIENCEEA

CZERWTOPICFEWOP

HAPPLAUSEOUURUO

SKGESTURENFNMTD

PAERNTEWHFABSLI

OIDSWOHBAIONDIU

SLDURNAXZDPNRNM

TKLAREREHEARSED

UNRDAODNZNUMARS

RTLEAGWNICSKMCQ

EIPRACTICEEKNNA

AFIGUFMYJSPTJRA

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.

AudienceAUDIENCE
GestureGESTURE
PausePAUSE
PodiumPODIUM
OutlineOUTLINE
ToneTONE
SpeechSPEECH
TopicTOPIC
VoiceVOICE
RehearseREHEARSE
PersuadePERSUADE
DeliveryDELIVERY
PosturePOSTURE
PracticePRACTICE
ApplauseAPPLAUSE
ConfidenceCONFIDENCE

16 of 20 words from the Public Speaking Key Terms list.

Start from a list

Easy: words go across and down.

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Show clues, not words

Word list

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

The puzzle changes as you go. See the puzzle

Answer key: Public Speaking Word Search

SDATAFDAGQAVFPR

PENTDOTWJGOOIEC

ETDELIVERYPIVSS

ESPMIAUDIENCEEA

CZERWTOPICFEWOP

HAPPLAUSEOUURUO

SKGESTURENFNMTD

PAERNTEWHFABSLI

OIDSWOHBAIONDIU

SLDURNAXZDPNRNM

TKLAREREHEARSED

UNRDAODNZNUMARS

RTLEAGWNICSKMCQ

EIPRACTICEEKNNA

AFIGUFMYJSPTJRA

AUDIENCE, GESTURE, PAUSE, PODIUM, OUTLINE, TONE, SPEECH, TOPIC, VOICE, REHEARSE, PERSUADE, DELIVERY, POSTURE, PRACTICE, APPLAUSE, CONFIDENCE

Next step Type in the terms from your own speech unit Time a speech with green, yellow and red signals

All 162 words

Kinds of Speeches 27

Acceptance The act of taking something offered, such as an award or a nomination.
Address A formal talk to an audience.
Announcement A short spoken notice that tells people some news.
Briefing A short talk that gives people the facts they need.
Ceremonial Given to mark a special occasion.
Commencement A graduation ceremony, where a guest often speaks to the graduates.
Debate A formal contest in which two sides argue for and against a statement.
Demonstration A talk that shows how to do or make something, step by step.
Eulogy A talk that praises someone who has died.
Extemporaneous Prepared ahead of time but delivered without a written text.
Farewell Words said on saying goodbye.
Forum A meeting where people speak about a matter of public interest.
Impromptu Given with little or no preparation.
Informative Meant to teach listeners about a subject.
Keynote An opening talk that sets out the main theme of a meeting.
Lecture A talk that teaches a subject to a class or audience.
Monologue A long talk by one person, as in a play.
Oration A formal talk given on a special occasion.
Panel Several speakers who discuss one subject in front of an audience.
Persuasive Meant to change what listeners believe or do.
Presentation A talk that shows or explains something, often with slides.
Rebuttal A reply that argues against what the other side has said.
Recitation Saying a poem or passage aloud from memory.
Sermon A talk on a religious or moral subject, often given in a service.
Speech A talk given to an audience.
Toast A few words said before everyone raises a glass in someone's honor.
Tribute Words that show respect or thanks for a person.

Show all 162 words (135 more)

Planning a Speech 24

Anecdote A short account of an interesting or funny incident.
Body The middle part, which holds the main points.
Citation A mention of where a fact came from.
Clincher A final remark that settles the matter.
Conclusion The closing part, which sums up and ends strongly.
Evidence Facts that back up a point.
Example A specific case that makes a point clear.
Hook An opening line that grabs attention.
Introduction The opening part, which gets attention and names the subject.
Mnemonic A memory trick, such as a rhyme or the first letters of a list.
Outline A plan that lists the main points in order.
Preview An advance look: a line that tells listeners what is coming.
Purpose The reason for giving a talk: to inform, to convince or to entertain.
Quotation The exact words of another person, repeated with credit.
Rehearse To run through a talk aloud before giving it.
Research Finding facts on a subject.
Sequence The order in which points follow one another.
Signpost A phrase that guides listeners, such as "my second point".
Source A book, site or person that the facts came from.
Statistic A fact given as a number.
Takeaway The one idea listeners should carry home.
Thesis The one main idea of a talk, stated in a sentence.
Topic The subject of a talk.
Transition A word or sentence that leads from one point to the next.

Voice and Delivery 26

Articulate To say each sound clearly.
Audible Loud enough to be heard.
Breath Air taken in to support the sound.
Cadence The rise and fall of the voice in speaking.
Clarity The quality of being easy to hear and understand.
Conversational Sounding natural, like talking with a friend.
Delivery The way a talk is spoken and presented.
Diaphragm The muscle under the lungs that powers deep breathing.
Diction The choice of words, and how clearly they are said.
Emphasis Extra force on a word to show it matters.
Enunciate To say words clearly and distinctly.
Expressive Full of feeling.
Filler A sound or word such as "um" that marks a pause to think.
Inflection A rise or fall in the speaker's sound.
Pace The speed at which a person speaks.
Pause A short silence that lets a point sink in.
Pitch How high or low a speaker sounds.
Projection Sending the sound out so the back row can hear.
Resonance The full, rich quality of a sound.
Rhythm The pattern of beats in spoken words.
Stress Extra weight on a syllable or word.
Tone A manner of speaking that shows a feeling, such as warm or serious.
Tongue twister A hard-to-say phrase used to train clear speaking.
Voice The sound a person makes when speaking.
Volume How loud or soft a speaker is.
Warm-up Exercises that get a speaker ready before a talk.

On the Stage 28

Attire The clothes a speaker wears.
Clicker A small remote that moves to the next screen.
Easel A stand that holds a large pad or board.
Eye contact Looking straight at listeners while speaking to them.
Flip chart A pad of large sheets on a stand, turned over one at a time.
Gesture A movement of the hands or arms that helps make a point.
Handout A printed sheet given to each listener.
Headset Headphones with a microphone attached.
Lectern A stand with a slanted top that holds a speaker's notes.
Microphone A device that picks up sound so it can be made louder.
Movement Walking or shifting position while speaking.
Notes Short written reminders.
Podium A raised platform for a speaker to stand on.
Pointer A stick or light used to show where to look.
Poise Calm, steady self-control in front of others.
Poster A large printed sheet put up for all to see.
Posture The way a speaker holds the body while standing or sitting.
Presence The quality that makes people watch a speaker and listen.
Projector A machine that throws pictures onto a wall or screen.
Prop An object a speaker holds up or uses.
Screen The flat surface on which pictures are shown.
Slide One screen of a talk shown with a projector.
Spotlight A lamp that throws a strong beam on one person.
Stage The raised floor at the front of a hall.
Stance The way a speaker places the feet and stands.
Timer A clock that counts the minutes left.
Venue The place where an event is held.
Visual aid A poster, model or video that shows listeners what the words describe.

The Audience and Nerves 27

Applause Clapping that shows listeners liked what they heard.
Audience The people who listen to a speaker.
Butterflies An uneasy, fluttery feeling brought on by something you dread.
Calm Quiet and steady, not upset.
Composure Calmness under pressure.
Confidence Belief in your own ability.
Courage The strength to do something that frightens you.
Critique A careful review of what went well and what to improve.
Emcee A master of ceremonies: the host of an event.
Engage To catch and hold the interest of listeners.
Feedback Comments that tell a speaker what worked and what to improve.
Heckler A person who interrupts a speaker with rude remarks.
Interest The wish to know more.
Jitters A jumpy, uneasy feeling.
Judge A person who scores a contest.
Laughter The sound that shows a joke has landed.
Listener A person who hears and pays attention.
Moderator The person who presides over a meeting, forum or debate.
Nerves A shaky, worried feeling before a big moment.
Ovation Eager applause that goes on for a long time.
Practice Doing something again and again to get better at it.
Prepare To get ready ahead of time.
Rapport A friendly bond of trust between a speaker and listeners.
Relax To loosen up and let tension go.
Silence A complete lack of sound.
Stage fright Strong nervousness about speaking or performing in front of people.
Timekeeper The person who keeps track of the minutes.

The Art of Persuasion 30

Alliteration The same first sound in words close together.
Analogy A comparison that explains something new by something familiar.
Anaphora Repeating the same word or phrase at the start of several clauses in a row.
Antithesis Two opposite ideas set side by side in one sentence.
Appeal A way of winning listeners over.
Argument A set of reasons given to support a position.
Claim A statement that a speaker says is true and sets out to prove.
Convince To make someone believe that something is true.
Credibility The quality of being believable and trusted.
Eloquence Fluent, graceful and moving use of words.
Emotion A strong feeling, such as joy, anger or pride.
Ethos An appeal that rests on the credibility of the speaker.
Fallacy A mistake in thinking that makes an argument weak.
Hyperbole Exaggeration for effect.
Imagery Words that paint a picture in the mind.
Irony Saying the opposite of what is meant.
Logic Careful, step-by-step thinking.
Logos An appeal to reason, made with facts and sound thinking.
Metaphor A comparison that says one thing is another.
Orator A skilled public speaker.
Parallelism Using the same pattern of words for ideas of equal weight.
Pathos An appeal to the feelings of the listeners.
Persuade To win someone over to a belief or an action.
Reason A statement that explains why something is so.
Refute To prove a statement wrong.
Repetition Saying a word or phrase again so that it sticks.
Rhetoric The art of speaking or writing to win people over.
Rule of three The habit of grouping words or ideas in trios, which listeners remember.
Simile A comparison that uses like or as.
Slogan A short, catchy phrase that is easy to remember.

How this list was compiled: Own work: the word list and every clue were written for this page. Spellings and meanings were checked on 2026-10-09 against The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, https://www.ahdictionary.com/. Speech terms were also checked on 2026-10-09 against English Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/, in the articles Modes of persuasion, Lectern, Podium, Impromptu speaking, Rule of three, Filler and Flip chart. Licence: own work

How it works

This public speaking word search opens on 16 key terms: Audience, Gesture, Pause, Podium, Outline and Tone among them. Every word has a one-line meaning, and six more lists follow a speech unit from the outline to the applause.

Read the full guide

From the outline to the stage

Under Start from a list, Kinds of Speeches has Toast, Eulogy, Keynote, Rebuttal and Impromptu. Planning a Speech has Thesis, Signpost, Anecdote and Clincher. Voice and Delivery has Pace, Projection, Enunciate and Filler. On the Stage has Eye contact, Lectern, Visual aid and Flip chart.

Nerves and persuasion

The Audience and Nerves has Stage fright, Butterflies, Composure and Ovation. The Art of Persuasion has Ethos, Pathos and Logos beside Anaphora, Antithesis and Rule of three.

Eye contact, Stage fright, Visual aid and Rule of three hide closed up: EYECONTACT.
Under More options, tick Show clues, not words and Pause prints as "A short silence that lets a point sink in."

Questions and answers

What are ethos, pathos and logos?

The three traditional rhetorical appeals, all found in Aristotle's Rhetoric. Ethos is an appeal to the speaker's credibility, pathos an appeal to the audience's emotions, and logos an appeal to reasoning or logic.

What is the difference between a podium and a lectern?

A podium is a raised platform that a speaker stands on. A lectern is a reading desk with a slanted top that holds the speaker's notes. In North American English, podium is increasingly said for the lectern too.

What is the difference between impromptu and extemporaneous speaking?

An impromptu speech is given without preparation. An extemporaneous speech is prepared in advance but delivered without notes or a written text, as the American Heritage Dictionary defines the word.

What is the rule of three in public speaking?

The idea that a trio of words, examples or points is more satisfying and easier to remember than any other number, because three is the fewest that can make a pattern. Many slogans are built on it.

All 162 words

Kinds of Speeches 27

Planning a Speech 24

Voice and Delivery 26

On the Stage 28

The Audience and Nerves 27

The Art of Persuasion 30

How it works

From the outline to the stage

Nerves and persuasion

Questions and answers

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