Swimming Word Search Printable

Find 16 swimming words, from Backstroke to Goggles, then press New puzzle or print the sheet with its answer key.

Name Date

Swimming Word Search

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

0 of 16 words found

CERWOOFSLTNOKZY

NMNKEELSRODDIBU

FSMCMRHCTOSFCWR

SHBOOGPZLANWKMD

SCAPWOLRWGZLBNM

WZCTSGFSDFSZOGE

IHKARGLIFEGUARD

MTSSBLOCKSDDRSA

SZTHPEQCFSDADXL

UFREESTYLERRTML

INOAPGOFINSOPTC

TIKTIDWLHLELFMW

GRELAYEOIEKHUMP

RIEPEVLANEFABBS

ESCNLBETVMLAPRA

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.

FreestyleFREESTYLE
BackstrokeBACKSTROKE
FloatFLOAT
LaneLANE
BlocksBLOCKS
LifeguardLIFEGUARD
LapLAP
GogglesGOGGLES
CapCAP
SwimsuitSWIMSUIT
TowelTOWEL
KickboardKICKBOARD
FinsFINS
HeatHEAT
RelayRELAY
MedalMEDAL

16 of 24 words from the Favorite Swimming Words list.

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Answer key: Swimming Word Search

CERWOOFSLTNOKZY

NMNKEELSRODDIBU

FSMCMRHCTOSFCWR

SHBOOGPZLANWKMD

SCAPWOLRWGZLBNM

WZCTSGFSDFSZOGE

IHKARGLIFEGUARD

MTSSBLOCKSDDRSA

SZTHPEQCFSDADXL

UFREESTYLERRTML

INOAPGOFINSOPTC

TIKTIDWLHLELFMW

GRELAYEOIEKHUMP

RIEPEVLANEFABBS

ESCNLBETVMLAPRA

FREESTYLE, BACKSTROKE, FLOAT, LANE, BLOCKS, LIFEGUARD, LAP, GOGGLES, CAP, SWIMSUIT, TOWEL, KICKBOARD, FINS, HEAT, RELAY, MEDAL

Next step Hide your own swim team's first names Print the summer word search

All 101 words

Strokes and Kicks 20

Backstroke The one racing style on the back, begun in the water instead of with a dive.
Breaststroke A style in which both arms sweep together under the surface and the legs snap like a frog's.
Breathing Taking in air in time with the arms, to the side or to the front.
Butterfly A style in which both arms fly forward over the water together while the legs beat as one.
Catch The moment the hand grips the water at the front of an arm cycle.
Crawl Face down, arms taking turns, legs fluttering: the fastest way across the surface.
Dog paddle The beginner's way: on the chest, hands and legs pawing in turn below the surface.
Dolphin kick Both legs whipping up and down together in a wave.
Float To lie still, face up or face down, and let the water hold you.
Flutter kick Small, fast, up-and-down leg beats, one leg and then the other.
Freestyle The name on the program for the event almost always raced with the crawl.
Glide To coast along, body long and still, after a push.
Medley A race that uses all four racing styles, one after another.

Show all 101 words (88 more)

Strokes and Kicks, continued

Propulsion The forward push that comes from the arms and legs.
Recovery The part of an arm cycle when the arm returns to the front, usually through the air.
Scull To sweep the hands back and forth like small oars to stay up or move gently.
Sidestroke A restful style done lying on one side, with a scissors action of the legs.
Streamline Arms squeezed over the ears, one hand on the other, body as narrow as an arrow.
Tread To stay upright in deep water, head out, by moving the hands and legs.
Whip kick Heels drawn up, then feet snapped around and together, as a frog does it.

The Pool 21

Blocks Raised platforms at the end of each lane, for diving in at the signal.
Chlorine The chemical, with a smell everyone knows, that most pools add to their water.
Deck The flat walking area around the pool.
Deep end The part where most people cannot stand.
Drain The grated opening at the bottom of the pool where water leaves.
Flags Pennants strung overhead near each wall to warn backstrokers that the end is close.
Gutter The channel along the edge of the pool that swallows waves so they do not bounce back.
Ladder The steps bolted to the pool wall, with a handrail on each side.
Lane The path between two floating ropes that a racer stays in.
Lap A trip from end to end; some swimmers count one only when they are back again.
Length One trip from wall to wall.
Lifeguard The trained watcher in the tall chair.
Long course Racing in the bigger of the two standard pool sizes.
Natatorium A separate building that houses an indoor pool.
Pool A man-made basin of water for laps, lessons and play.
Shallow Describes the end of the pool where feet can touch the bottom.
Short course Racing in the smaller of the two standard pool sizes.
Splash Water thrown up by a jump or a beating leg.
Springboard A bouncy plank fixed over the pool for jumping from.
Touchpad A panel on the wall that stops the clock when a hand hits it.
Wall The end of every length, where you turn or finish.

Swim Gear 21

Cap A tight stretchy covering that keeps hair out of the way.
Earplugs Soft stoppers that keep water out of the ears.
Fins Rubber flippers for the feet, used in practice but never in a race.
Flip-flops Rubber sandals for the walk across the deck.
Flotation Staying at the surface instead of sinking; foam is good at it.
Goggles Sealed eye cups on a strap that let you see where you are going down there.
Jammers Snug racing shorts that reach to just above the knee.
Kickboard A foam slab that holds up the arms while the legs do the work.
Life jacket A vest made to float, worn in boats and on open water.
Mesh bag A sack full of holes, so wet equipment can drip dry.
Noodle A long foam tube to float on or play with.
Nose clip A small clamp that pinches the nose shut in the pool.
Paddles Plastic plates strapped to the palms to build arm strength.
Parka A long hooded jacket for keeping warm when you are out of the water.
Pull buoy A foam float held between the thighs so that only the arms work.
Robe A wrap of toweling for staying warm on deck.
Snorkel A curved tube for taking in air with the face kept down during drills.
Sunscreen Cream rubbed on before practice at an open-air pool.
Swimsuit A snug outfit of quick-drying fabric made for the water.
Towel The first thing you reach for when you climb out.
Trunks Loose shorts made for the water.

Starts and Turns 20

Dive A headfirst leap into the water.
Entry The moment a body, or a hand, goes into the water.
Exhale To blow air out, usually as bubbles with the face down.
Fingertips The first part of the hand to slip into the water.
Finish The last reach for the wall; the clock stops on contact.
Flip turn A half somersault at the wall, feet planted, then away in the other direction.
Open turn A change of direction made by touching the wall with the hands and swinging the legs under.
Plunge To drop suddenly into the water.
Push-off The shove of both feet against the wall that begins each new length.
Reach To stretch a hand forward for the next handful of water.
Resistance The drag of water against a moving body.
Rhythm The steady, repeating pattern of arms, legs and air.
Rotate To roll the shoulders and hips from side to side with each arm pull.
Somersault The tumbling roll at the heart of a fast turn.
Surface The top of the water, and to come up to it.
Takeover The exchange in a relay, when one swimmer touches and the next dives in.
Tempo How quickly the arms turn over.
Tuck Knees pulled tight to the chest to spin faster.
Underwater Where a swimmer travels just after each start and turn, kicking like a dolphin.
Waterline Where the surface crosses the head or body.

At a Swim Meet 19

Anchor The final leg of a relay, or the swimmer who takes it.
Banner The long painted sign a team hangs behind its seats.
Bullpen A nickname for the clerk of course, who lines swimmers up before each event.
Cheer A team shout from the side before a race.
Clerk The official who gathers swimmers before each event and sorts them into heats.
Coach The adult on the side who writes the practice and watches every length.
Disqualify To rule a result out because a rule of the style or the turn was broken.
Dryland Team talk for exercise done out of the water.
Heat One group racing together when there are too many swimmers for a single race.
Medal The prize hung around the neck of a top finisher.
Meet A competition between teams, with many races in one session.
Referee The official in overall charge, who receives every report of a broken rule.
Relay A race for teams of four, each swimmer covering an equal share.
Split The clock reading for one piece of a longer swim.
Starter The official who sends each race off and calls back anyone who leaves early.
Swimmer Anyone moving through the water under their own power.
Taper Easing off practice in the days before a big competition.
Teammate Someone who wears the same cap as you.
Timer The person who clocks the swimmer in one assigned lane.

How this list was compiled: Swimming words chosen and defined for this site in five themed lists (strokes and kicks, the pool, swim gear, starts and turns, at a swim meet), with a favorites list, an easy list and a hard list. Strokes, gear and meet terms were checked on 2026-10-03 against the English Wikipedia articles Swimming (sport), Swimming stroke, Swimming pool, Backstroke, Breaststroke, Butterfly stroke, Front crawl, Freestyle swimming, Sidestroke, Medley swimming, Tumble turn, Streamline (swimming), Dolphin kick, Dog paddle, Jammer (swimwear), Noseclip, Earplug, Pool noodle and Cross-training, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swimming_(sport) (CC BY-SA 4.0), and spellings, with the meanings of Lap and Parka, against Wiktionary, https://en.wiktionary.org/. Every meaning is in our own words. The lists name things and give no water-safety or training advice. No meet, record holder, swimmer or brand is named, and pool lengths and race distances are left out. Licence: own work

How it works

This swimming word search printable opens on favorites such as Freestyle, Backstroke, Goggles, Kickboard and Relay. Five more lists cover strokes and kicks, the pool, swim gear, starts and turns, and a swim meet.

Read the full guide

A swim word search, printable for the whole team

Pick under Start from a list. Strokes and Kicks has Butterfly, Sidestroke and Dolphin kick. The Pool has Blocks, Gutter and Natatorium. Swim Gear has Kickboard, Pull buoy and Fins, Starts and Turns has Flip turn, Open turn and Push-off, and At a Swim Meet has Heat, Anchor and Taper.

Swimming word search: easy, printable for kids

Easy Swimming Words keeps to short ones such as Pool, Lap, Dive, Cap and Fins. Hard Swimming Words has Breaststroke, Natatorium, Streamline and Somersault.

Two-word terms lose the gap in the grid: Flip turn reads FLIPTURN, and Pull buoy reads PULLBUOY.
Backstroke flags are in The Pool list as Flags: pennants that tell face-up swimmers the wall is near.

Questions and answers

What are the four swimming strokes in the puzzle?

Freestyle, Backstroke, Breaststroke and Butterfly, the four raced in competition, are all in Strokes and Kicks. Medley, a race that uses all four, is there too, along with Sidestroke, Crawl and Dog paddle.

What order do the strokes go in a medley?

In an individual medley one swimmer goes butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, then freestyle. In a medley relay four swimmers go backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, then freestyle. Strokes and Kicks has all four stroke names and the word Medley.

Why are Kick and Swim missing from the lists?

Longer entries already spell them: KICK is in KICKBOARD and the three named kicks, and SWIM is in SWIMMER and SWIMSUIT. A solver would find each one twice. The word list takes both if you want them in.

What is a natatorium?

A natatorium is a separate building that houses a swimming pool. It is one of the long entries in The Pool list and in Hard Swimming Words.

All 101 words

Strokes and Kicks 20

Strokes and Kicks, continued

The Pool 21

Swim Gear 21

Starts and Turns 20

At a Swim Meet 19

How it works

A swim word search, printable for the whole team

Swimming word search: easy, printable for kids

Questions and answers

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