Swimming Crossword Printable

Print a criss-cross swimming crossword of strokes, kicks, pool words, gear and race terms, with its answer key.

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Swimming Crossword

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Answer key: Swimming Crossword

1FLI2PO3BUDDYLR4NOODLE5CAO6SWI7MSUITAUEHCRD8REA9CHFAR10LANEAWL

Across 1 FLIP · 3 BUDDY · 4 NOODLE · 6 SWIMSUIT · 8 REACH · 10 LANE

Down 2 POLO · 3 BREATHE · 5 COACH · 6 SURF · 7 MEDAL · 9 CRAWL

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Strokes and Kicks 27

  • Backstroke Only racing stroke that starts in the water instead of from above it
  • Bilateral Word for breathing to both the left and the right
  • Breaststroke Slowest of the racing strokes, with a wide, snapping kick
  • Breathe Take in air between strokes
  • Butterfly Stroke in which both hands swing forward over the water at the same time
  • Catch Moment at the front of a stroke when the hand first takes hold of the water
  • Crawl Front ___: the fastest stroke, swum face down with one arm reaching, then the other
  • Dolphin ___ kick: both feet move up and down together like a tail
  • Entry Instant when fingertips, or a whole diver, break the top of the water
  • Exhale Let air out, as a swimmer does with the face in the water
  • Float Lie on the water and let it hold you up
  • Flutter ___ kick: small, fast kicks, one leg up as the other goes down
  • Freestyle Name of the races in which swimmers may pick their stroke
  • Glide Slide through the water with the body stretched long and nothing moving
  • Medley Race swum in all the racing strokes, one after another
  • Paddle Dog ___: a simple stroke on the chest with the head up, often learned first
  • Pull Part of a stroke in which the hand and arm press back against the water
  • Reach Stretch one hand far ahead at the front of a stroke
  • Recovery Part of a stroke in which the arm travels forward again to begin the next one
  • Rotate Roll the body from one side to the other with each arm stroke
  • Scissors ___ kick: one leg goes forward and one back, then they snap shut like shears
  • Scull Small sweeping hand movement that holds or moves the body in the water
  • Sidestroke Stroke swum lying on one side, with a scissor kick
  • Streamline Tight arrow shape: hand over hand, arms overhead, upper arms close to the ears
  • Tempo How quickly the strokes follow each other
  • Tread ___ water: stay upright in one spot with the head above the water
  • Whip ___ kick: the heels draw up, then the feet snap out and around, as in breast

At the Pool 28

  • Blocks Starting ___: raised stands that racers leave from
  • Bulkhead Movable wall that divides a big pool into shorter ones
  • Chlorine Chemical added to pool water to kill germs
  • Course Long ___ is a 50-meter pool and short ___ is a 25-meter one
  • Deck Poolside floor, all the way around
  • Deep ___ end: the part of the pool where no one can stand
  • Depth How far it is from the top of the water to the bottom
  • Drain Opening at the lowest point of the pool floor, covered by a grate
  • Fifty Meters from end to end in the longer of the two standard racing pools
  • Filter Part of the pool system that strains dirt out of the water
  • Flags Strung over the pool 5 meters from each end so backstrokers know the wall is near
  • Gutter Channel at a pool's edge that takes in the water that washes over
  • Ladder Rungs for climbing out of the pool
  • Lane Strip of the pool, one swimmer wide in a race
  • Lap One trip down the pool; to some swimmers, down and back
  • Lifeguard Trained watcher on duty at a pool or beach
  • Locker Small cabinet with a door where a swimmer leaves clothes
  • Natatorium Latin-rooted name for a building with a pool inside
  • Rope Row of floating discs stretched down the pool to divide it and calm the waves
  • Shallow Word for the end of the pool where a swimmer can stand
  • Shower Quick rinse taken before and after a swim
  • Splash Burst of flying water when someone jumps in
  • Steps Stairs that lead down into the low end of a pool
  • Surface Top of the water, where a swimmer comes up for air
  • Tile Smooth square that lines many pool walls and floors
  • Touchpad Timing plate at the end of a racing pool that senses a swimmer's hand
  • Wave Moving ridge of water
  • Whistle Shrill signal blown to get swimmers' attention

Swim Gear 24

  • Bag Sack with holes that lets damp gear drip dry
  • Bottle Holder for a drink, left at the end of the pool
  • Buoy Foam shape held between the thighs so that only the upper body works
  • Cap Snug rubbery cover for the hair
  • Earplugs Pair worn by swimmers who do not like water in their ears
  • Fins Rubber flippers worn on the feet
  • Fog Mist that clouds the inside of swim lenses
  • Goggles Pair of small sealed lenses that let a swimmer see with eyes open
  • Jammers Tight racing suit for boys and men that ends above the knee
  • Kickboard Foam board held in front so that only the kick does the work
  • Life jacket Padded vest worn on boats and by people learning the water
  • Noodle Bendy foam cylinder, named for a kind of pasta
  • Nose clip Small padded wire that pinches the nostrils shut
  • Paddles Flat plastic plates worn on the hands to make each stroke hold more water
  • Parka Long hooded jacket that keeps a wet swimmer out of the wind
  • Robe Loose wrap put on after a swim
  • Sandals Shoes with straps, for walking on poolside floors
  • Snorkel Breathing tube; the swim training kind sits in front of the face
  • Stopwatch Handheld clock started and stopped with a thumb
  • Strap Stretchy band behind the head that holds swim eyewear in place
  • Swimsuit What a person wears in the water
  • Towel What a dripping swimmer wraps up in
  • Trunks Loose swim shorts
  • Wetsuit Snug rubber suit that keeps a swimmer warm in cold lakes and seas

Starts, Turns and Races 24

  • Anchor Swimmer who goes last when a squad races as one
  • Beep Short electronic sound that sends the swimmers off
  • Distance Word for the long races, such as the 800 and the 1500
  • Dive Go into the water hands and head first
  • Exchange Moment when one squad member touches the wall and the next leaves
  • False ___ start: leaving before the signal
  • Fifteen Farthest, in meters, that a swimmer may stay under after a start or turn in free, back and fly
  • Final Race for the fastest qualifiers, which settles the places
  • Finish End of a race
  • Flip ___ turn: a forward roll at the wall, then a shove off with the feet
  • Heat One of several races of the same kind, held when there are too many entries for one
  • Marks 'Take your ___': the command given just before a race begins
  • Order Fly, back, breast, free: the ___ of the strokes when one swimmer does all of them
  • Pace Steady speed held through a long swim
  • Pullout One arm stroke back to the legs and a single fly kick, allowed under the water after a breast start or turn
  • Push Shove off the wall with both feet
  • Relay Race in which each member of a squad swims one part
  • Seed ___ time: the time a swimmer signs up with, used to place them among the others
  • Somersault Tight roll in which the feet pass over the head
  • Split Time for one piece of a longer swim, such as each 50
  • Sprint Shortest, fastest kind of race, such as the 50
  • Touch What both hands must do to the wall at the same time in fly and breast
  • Tuck Curl up with the knees pulled to the chest
  • Underwater Below the top of the pool, where a swimmer kicks after every turn

Swim Team and Meet 25

  • Bob Dip under and come straight back up, again and again
  • Bubbles What beginners blow to learn to let air out with the face in the water
  • Buddy Friend who stays close by in the water
  • Captain Swimmer chosen to lead the others
  • Cheer Shout to urge a friend on
  • Coach Person who plans the training and guides the swimmers
  • Cooldown Easy swimming after a hard race
  • Disqualify Rule a swim out because a rule was broken
  • Drill Exercise that works on one small part of a stroke
  • Dryland Training done out of the water
  • Instructor Teacher of a swim class
  • Interval Time given for each swim in training, rest included
  • Judge ___ of Stroke: official who watches that each stroke is swum by the rules
  • Lesson Class in which a beginner learns to swim
  • Medal Round metal award on a ribbon
  • Meet Swimming competition made up of many races
  • Podium Stepped stand where the top three receive their awards
  • Record Fastest time ever swum in a race of its kind
  • Referee Official in charge of all the others at a competition
  • Roster List of the members of a squad
  • Season Months of the year when a sport holds its practices and competitions
  • Starter Official whose signal lets the swimmers go
  • Taper Cut in training that rests the body just ahead of an important race
  • Timer Person with a watch who clocks one swimmer
  • Warmup Easy swimming before a race to get the muscles ready

Diving and Other Water Sports 20

  • Aquatics One word for the sports of the pool and open water together
  • Armstand One of the six groups of dives, used only from the fixed stage
  • Artistic ___ swimming: routines performed to music, once called synchronized swimming
  • Diving Sport of jumps, twists and flips into the water, scored by a panel
  • Duet Event for a pair in the sport once called synchronized swimming
  • Goal What a side scores by throwing the ball into the other side's net
  • Goalie Player who guards the net in the ball sport of the pool
  • Inward Group of dives in which the diver stands back to the water and rotates forward
  • Marathon ___ swimming: open-water racing over 10 kilometers or more
  • Pike Position in the air: bent at the hips with the knees straight
  • Platform Fixed, stiff stage for dives, as high as 10 meters above the water
  • Polo Water ___: sport of seven a side, played with a ball and two goals
  • Reverse Group of dives in which the diver faces forward and rotates backward
  • Rip Divers' word for going in with almost no spray
  • Routine Planned run of moves performed to music
  • Springboard Bouncy plank for dives, 1 or 3 meters above the water
  • Surf Foamy water where sea swells break near the shore
  • Tower Tall structure that carries the high stages for dives
  • Triathlon Three sports back to back, and the swim comes first
  • Twist Spin of the body in the air around its long line, head to toe

How this list was compiled: Clues written for this site for swim teams and swim lessons, in six sets: strokes and kicks, the pool, gear, starts and turns, the team and the meet, and diving and other water sports. Rules were read in the World Aquatics Competition Regulations in force from February 2026 (worldaquatics.com); other meanings were checked against English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0) in October 2026. No swimmer, team or brand is named, and no clue gives safety advice. Licence: own work

How it works

This swimming crossword, printable on Letter or A4, opens on the words of a first season: Crawl, Lane, Medal, Flip, Coach. It is a vocabulary crossword, with six more sets for swimmers who already know a split from a taper.

Read the full guide

Six sets and an easy one

Strokes and Kicks has Scull, Recovery and Streamline. At the Pool has Gutter, Bulkhead and Natatorium. Swim Gear has Kickboard, Jammers and Buoy. Starts, Turns and Races has Heat, Split and Pullout. Swim Team and Meet has Taper, Roster and Dryland. Diving and Other Water Sports has Pike, Polo and Rip.

Rules, read in the rulebook

Clues that state a rule follow the World Aquatics competition regulations: both hands touch together in butterfly and breaststroke, in freestyle, backstroke and butterfly a swimmer may stay under for 15 meters after a start or turn, and the backstroke flags hang 5 meters from each wall. The clues define words; none gives safety or training advice.

  • On a rainy practice day or at a team party, hand the youngest Easy Swimming Words and the seniors Starts, Turns and Races.

Questions and answers

Which swimming strokes are in the crossword?

Freestyle, Backstroke, Breaststroke, Butterfly, Crawl, Sidestroke and Medley are answers in Strokes and Kicks, with four kicks: Flutter, Dolphin, Whip and Scissors.

Is the swimming crossword easy enough for kids?

Easy Swimming Words is, with answers such as Float, Dive, Cap, Towel and Lap. It suits grades 2 to 4 in our judgement, which is not a published standard. The other sets suit swim team members and older children.

Does the swimming crossword print with an answer key?

Yes. The key prints last, on a sheet of its own, with every answer in its squares. It is free to print, with no sign-up.

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