World War 1 Word Search Puzzle, from Sarajevo to the Armistice

Put the vocabulary of 1914 to 1918 into a grid, with an answer key and a clue behind every word.

Name Date

World War 1 Word Search

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

0 of 16 words found

NEHNOIVSARAJEVO

IWIXOHHAHAHNNZS

IRYITOSARCHDUKE

RDTIIQOWRCRDWID

HMRSARMISTICEMG

NOODULMNXNSIPDZ

PMEWQNEUTRALRBA

SWRWESTERNFRONT

VITODACTNPOPPYR

ELTREATYNOBOAAE

RSNLALLIANCEGLN

DOUGHBOYVIARALC

UNITRZEPPELINIH

NFXPSRRGROOODEO

QSLLICDOOTHFASP

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.

AllianceALLIANCE
ArchdukeARCHDUKE
SarajevoSARAJEVO
NeutralNEUTRAL
AlliesALLIES
WilsonWILSON
TrenchTRENCH
DoughboyDOUGHBOY
Western FrontWESTERN FRONT
SommeSOMME
VerdunVERDUN
ZeppelinZEPPELIN
PropagandaPROPAGANDA
ArmisticeARMISTICE
TreatyTREATY
PoppyPOPPY

16 of 24 words from the World War 1 Favorites list.

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Word list

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Answer key: World War 1 Word Search

NEHNOIVSARAJEVO

IWIXOHHAHAHNNZS

IRYITOSARCHDUKE

RDTIIQOWRCRDWID

HMRSARMISTICEMG

NOODULMNXNSIPDZ

PMEWQNEUTRALRBA

SWRWESTERNFRONT

VITODACTNPOPPYR

ELTREATYNOBOAAE

RSNLALLIANCEGLN

DOUGHBOYVIARALC

UNITRZEPPELINIH

NFXPSRRGROOODEO

QSLLICDOOTHFASP

ALLIANCE, ARCHDUKE, SARAJEVO, NEUTRAL, ALLIES, WILSON, TRENCH, DOUGHBOY, WESTERN FRONT, SOMME, VERDUN, ZEPPELIN, PROPAGANDA, ARMISTICE, TREATY, POPPY

Next step Make a puzzle from your own unit's word list Scramble the same 1914 to 1918 vocabulary

All 149 words

Causes of the War 19

Alliance A promise between countries to defend each other. In 1914 such promises pulled nation after nation into the fight.
Archduke Title of Franz Ferdinand, heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, who was shot on 28 June 1914.
Arms Race A contest between great powers to build more ships and guns than each other. Historians list it among the causes.
Balkans Mountainous corner of southeastern Europe that holds Bosnia and its neighbors, where the 1914 crisis began.
Belgium Small kingdom between France and Germany. German armies invaded it in August 1914 on their way to France.
Bosnia Balkan land that Austria-Hungary took over in 1908. The crisis of 1914 began in its main city.
Empire Many lands and peoples under one ruler. The Russian, German, Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman ones all collapsed.
Entente The Triple one was the set of understandings that linked France, Russia and Great Britain before 1914.
Heir The person next in line for a throne. Franz Ferdinand held that place in Austria-Hungary.
Imperialism Taking colonies overseas to grow richer and stronger. Quarrels over colonies raised tension before 1914.
Militarism Building up big armies and navies and trusting force to settle arguments between countries.

Show all 149 words (138 more)

Causes of the War, continued

Mobilize To call up a country's soldiers and get them ready to move. Russia did so to defend its Balkan ally.
Nationalism Deep pride in your own people, and the wish of peoples living inside empires to rule themselves.
Neutral Taking no side. Belgium had this status in 1914, which is the reason Britain gave for entering on 4 August.
Powder Keg Nickname for southeastern Europe before 1914: a barrel of explosive waiting for one spark.
Sarajevo City in Bosnia where the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne was shot on 28 June 1914.
Schlieffen Surname of the German field marshal whose name was later given to his country's opening plan of attack.
Serbia Balkan kingdom handed a list of demands by Austria-Hungary on 23 July 1914. War was declared on it five days later.
Ultimatum A final list of demands with a deadline. Austria-Hungary sent one on 23 July 1914.

Nations and Leaders 24

Allies The side that included France, Britain, Russia, Italy, Japan and, from 1917, the United States.
Anzac Short name for the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. A day named for it is kept every 25 April.
Austria Partner of Hungary in the empire whose declaration against Serbia on 28 July 1914 opened the fighting.
Bolshevik Member of the party that overthrew Russia's Provisional Government in 1917 and soon made peace with Germany.
Britain Entered on 4 August 1914 after the invasion of Belgium. Its ordinary soldiers were nicknamed Tommies.
Bulgaria Balkan kingdom that joined Germany's side on 14 October 1915 and signed its own armistice on 29 September 1918.
Canada Dominion whose four divisions fought together for the first time at Vimy Ridge in April 1917.
Central Powers The side made up of Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire and, from 1915, Bulgaria.
Clemenceau Prime minister of France from 1917 to 1920, nicknamed the Tiger, and one of the Big Four at the Paris talks.
Foch French marshal named Supreme Allied Commander on 26 March 1918.
France Its northern fields held much of the Western Front. Georges Clemenceau led its government from 1917 to 1920.
Germany Led by Wilhelm II until 9 November 1918, two days before the fighting stopped.
Haig Field marshal who led the British Expeditionary Force on the Western Front from late 1915.
Italy Joined the Allies by declaring war on Austria-Hungary on 23 May 1915.
Japan Asian ally of Britain that gave Germany an ultimatum on 15 August 1914 and then declared war.
Kaiser German word for emperor. Wilhelm II, the last to hold the title in Germany, lost it on 9 November 1918.
Lenin Leader of the Bolsheviks, whose program promised Russians peace, land and bread.
Lloyd George The United Kingdom's prime minister from 1916 to 1922 and one of the Big Four in Paris.
Nicholas Name of the last Russian emperor, the second ruler to bear it. His reign ended on 15 March 1917.
Ottoman Name of the empire based in present-day Turkey, which entered on 29 October 1914 with a raid in the Black Sea.
Pershing General who commanded the American Expeditionary Forces from 1917.
Russia Fought in the east until a treaty signed on 3 March 1918 took it out of the conflict.
United States Stayed out until 6 April 1917. Its infantrymen were nicknamed doughboys.
Wilson The 28th US president, in office from 1913 to 1921, who set out his peace aims to Congress in January 1918.

Trench Life 24

Artillery An army's big guns, fired from far behind the trenches. Future president Harry Truman was a captain in this branch.
Barbed Wire Spiked metal strands strung on posts ahead of a trench to slow anyone trying to cross.
Cavalry Soldiers who ride horses. Trenches and wire left them little open ground.
Doughboy Nickname for an American infantryman. Nobody is certain where the name came from.
Duckboard A wooden slat walkway laid along a trench floor to keep boots out of the water.
Dugout An underground room cut into the side of a trench, used for rest and shelter.
Front Line The row of positions nearest the other side, with support and reserve positions behind it.
Hellfighters Nickname of the 369th Infantry from Harlem, an African American regiment assigned to the French Army.
Infantry Soldiers who fight on foot. Most of the men in the trenches belonged to it.
Mascot An animal a unit keeps for luck. A dog called Sergeant Stubby was the US 102nd Infantry Regiment's.
Mud Wet earth. After heavy rain it filled trench floors and made every step hard work.
No Man's Land The empty strip of ground between the two sides' opposing trenches.
Parados The raised bank along the back of a trench, behind the soldiers.
Parapet The raised front wall of a trench. A fire step behind it let a soldier stand up and look across.
Periscope A tube with mirrors that let a soldier see out of a trench without raising his head.
Pigeon A homing bird that carried messages. One named Cher Ami served the US Army Signal Corps in October 1918.
Poilu Nickname for a French infantryman. The word means hairy one.
Puttee A long cloth strip wound around the leg from ankle to knee. The name comes from a Hindi word for bandage.
Rations A soldier's fixed daily share of food.
Sandbag A cloth sack packed with earth and stacked to hold up and protect trench walls.
Stalemate When neither side can move forward. The big battles of 1916 and 1917 failed to break it.
Tommy Slang name for an ordinary British soldier. The full version adds the surname Atkins.
Trench A long, deep ditch dug for shelter. Lines of them ran from the North Sea to the Swiss border.
Truce A short stop in the fighting. Unofficial ones broke out along the Western Front around Christmas 1914.

Battles and Fronts 20

Argonne Forest in France. With the Meuse River it names the American attack of 26 September to 11 November 1918.
Belleau Wood Forest near the Marne River where American troops fought from 1 to 26 June 1918.
Cambrai French town where 476 tanks went into action in the battle that opened on 20 November 1917.
Caporetto Battle on the Italian front from 24 October to 19 November 1917. The town is now Kobarid in Slovenia.
Dardanelles Narrow strait in northwestern Turkey that the Allies tried to open in 1915.
Eastern Front The battle zone on the far side of Europe from France, where Germany and Austria-Hungary faced Russia.
Flanders Low-lying region of Belgium. John McCrae's 1915 poem about its fields made the poppy a symbol.
Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey where Allied troops landed on 25 April 1915. The campaign ended on 9 January 1916.
Hundred Days Name for the final Allied push, begun near Amiens on 8 August 1918. It ended after 95, on 11 November.
Isonzo River where the Austro-Hungarian and Italian armies fought twelve battles.
Jutland Sea battle between the British and German fleets, fought in the North Sea near Denmark on 31 May and 1 June 1916.
Marne River east of Paris. The Allied stand here from 5 to 12 September 1914 was called a miracle.
Offensive A large planned attack meant to push the other side back.
Passchendaele Belgian village whose name is used for the Third Battle of Ypres, fought from 31 July to 10 November 1917.
Somme River in France that gave its name to the battle fought from 1 July to 18 November 1916.
Tannenberg German victory over Russia from 26 to 30 August 1914, fought in what is now Poland.
Verdun French city. The battle here, from 21 February to 18 December 1916, was the longest of the conflict.
Vimy Ridge High ground in northern France taken by the Canadian Corps between 9 and 12 April 1917.
Western Front The belt of trenches across Belgium and France, from the North Sea to the Swiss border.
Ypres Belgian town in Flanders that gave its name to several battles, the third of them in 1917.

Sea, Air and New Machines 21

Ace A pilot usually credited with five or more victories in the air. The idea dates from 1915.
Balloon Filled with gas and tied to a cable, it lifted an observer high enough to see far behind the trenches.
Biplane An aircraft with two sets of wings, one above the other.
Blockade Using warships to stop supplies reaching a country by sea, as Britain did to Germany.
Camouflage Paint, netting and patterns used to hide things from view. The French army developed it widely in 1915.
Choctaw Native American nation from Oklahoma whose soldiers pioneered sending army messages in their own language.
Cipher A system for scrambling a message. Room 40, the British Admiralty's code breakers, read German ones.
Code Words or numbers that stand in for a message so that outsiders cannot read it.
Convoy Merchant ships sailing in a group with warship escorts. Regular Atlantic sailings of this kind began in June 1917.
Curie Surname of Marie, the scientist who developed mobile radiography units for field hospitals.
Dazzle Bold contrasting shapes painted on a ship to make its range, speed and heading hard to judge.
Dogfight A twisting, close-range battle between aircraft.
Dreadnought A type of big-gun battleship named after the British ship that entered service in 1906.
Lusitania British ocean liner sunk by a German submarine off the coast of Ireland on 7 May 1915.
Tank Tracked armored vehicle first used on 15 September 1916. Its plain name was picked to keep the project secret.
Telegram A message sent by wire. A secret German one of January 1917 offered Mexico an alliance.
U-boat German submarine. The name shortens Unterseeboot, which means under-sea vessel.
Wristwatch Timepiece strapped to the arm. Soldiers wore one so that units could move at the same moment.
X-ray A picture that shows bones through skin. Mobile units carried the machines to field hospitals.
Zeppelin A rigid airship, named after the German inventor who pioneered the design at the start of the 1900s.
Zimmermann Surname of the German foreign affairs secretary who admitted on 3 March 1917 that his secret note to Mexico was real.

Home Front 19

Censor To cut out parts of letters or newspapers that might give away secrets.
Daylight Clocks were first moved forward nationwide to save it, in Germany and Austria-Hungary on 30 April 1916.
Draft Choosing people for required army service. The US Selective Service Act took effect on 18 May 1917.
Enlist To join the armed forces by choice.
Home Front Life and work in a country's towns and farms while its armies are away fighting.
Hoover Future president who ran the US Food Administration from August 1917.
Influenza Illness behind the pandemic of 1918 to 1920, often called the Spanish flu.
Liberty Bond A US government savings paper sold to the public to help pay for the fighting.
Morale The spirit and confidence of soldiers, or of the people waiting for them.
Munitions Military supplies made in factories, where many women took jobs while men were away.
Nurse A trained carer for the sick and wounded, at a hospital near the fighting or back in the soldier's own country.
Over There Title of George M. Cohan's 1917 song about American soldiers heading to Europe.
Poster A printed sheet pasted on walls. Governments used them to urge people to enlist, save food and buy bonds.
Propaganda Posters, films and news stories made to shape what people think and keep them behind the effort.
Rationing Limiting how much food or fuel each family may buy so there is enough to go around.
Spy A person who secretly gathers information for another country.
Suffrage The right to vote. American women won it nationwide when the 19th Amendment took effect on 18 August 1920.
Victory Garden A vegetable plot planted at a house or public park to add to the food supply.
Wheat Grain for bread. Americans were asked to go without it on Wednesdays so food could be saved.

Armistice and Peace 22

Alsace Border region, paired with Lorraine, that Germany annexed in 1871 and France regained through the 1919 peace.
Armistice An agreement to stop fighting. The one with Germany took effect at 11 a.m. on 11 November 1918.
Big Four Nickname for Lloyd George, Orlando, Clemenceau and Wilson at the Paris talks of 1919.
Brest-Litovsk Town that names the treaty of 3 March 1918, which took Russia out of the fighting.
Cenotaph Memorial whose Greek name means empty tomb. London's was unveiled on 11 November 1920.
Compiègne French forest where the agreement to stop fighting was signed in a railway carriage.
Czechoslovakia One of the new countries that appeared in central Europe when the old empires collapsed.
Disarm To give up weapons and shrink an army, as the 1919 peace terms required of Germany.
Eleventh The fighting stopped at this hour, on this day, of this month of 1918.
Fourteen Points President Wilson's list of aims for a fair peace, set out in a speech to Congress on 8 January 1918.
Great War What people called this conflict at the time, before anyone had reason to number it.
League First word of the world body of Nations founded on 10 January 1920. The United States never joined.
Paris French capital where the peace conference opened on 18 January 1919.
Poland Country that returned to the map of Europe after 123 years of being divided among its neighbors.
Poppy Red flower worn in remembrance, inspired by the poem In Flanders Fields.
Remembrance Keeping in mind those who served. Commonwealth countries give this name to 11 November.
Reparations Payments a defeated country makes for damage done. Germany owed them under the 1919 peace terms.
Silence Two minutes of it are kept at 11 a.m. on 11 November.
Treaty A written agreement between countries. The main one of 1919 was signed five years to the day after Sarajevo.
Unknown Soldier An unnamed serviceman laid in a tomb at Arlington on 11 November 1921 to stand for all who were never identified.
Versailles Palace near Paris that names the peace treaty with Germany, signed on 28 June 1919.
Yugoslavia Later name, from 1929, of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes created on 1 December 1918.

How this list was compiled: 149 World War 1 words in 7 themed lists, chosen and defined for this site. Every date, name and place in the clues was checked on 2026-09-19 against English Wikipedia, for example https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_I, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trench_warfare and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armistice_of_11_November_1918. The Convoy clue was rechecked on 2026-09-20 against https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convoys_in_World_War_I. Licence: own work

How it works

This World War 1 word search puzzle opens on 16 of 24 favorites, Trench, Alliance, Armistice and Western Front among them. Behind it sit 7 unit lists that run from Causes of the War to Armistice and Peace.

Read the full guide

Match the list to your place in the unit

The 149 words follow the order most units take: Causes of the War (19), Nations and Leaders (24), Trench Life (24), Battles and Fronts (20), Sea, Air and New Machines (21), Home Front (19), then Armistice and Peace (22). Choose one under Start from a list and only those words go in, so nobody hunts for Versailles in the week you teach Sarajevo.

Swap the word list for clues on review day

Tick Show clues, not words, in More options. The sheet then prints "The fighting stopped at this hour, on this day, of this month of 1918", and the student must come up with Eleventh before looking for it. About 16 clues fit one sheet, so keep the list at 16 words or fewer.

Easy World War 1 holds the 26 shortest words, Tank, Mud, Spy and Poppy among them.
Hard World War 1 holds the 73 words of 8 letters or more. Press Hard and Passchendaele may run backwards.
The grid drops spaces, hyphens, apostrophes and accents, so look for NOMANSLAND, UBOAT and COMPIEGNE.

Questions and answers

Is this puzzle suitable for younger students?

The lists stay with unit vocabulary: places, leaders, parts of a trench, new machines, life at home and the peace. No clue gives a casualty figure or describes an injury. The opening grid reads across and down, which suits about grade 5 and up.

Does the puzzle cover America's part in the war?

Yes, across several lists. Nations and Leaders has United States, Wilson and Pershing; Home Front has Liberty Bond, Draft, Victory Garden and Over There; Doughboy is a favorite. For the rest of the century, print the US history word search.

Can I use it for Veterans Day or Remembrance Day?

Armistice and Peace holds 22 words, among them Armistice, Eleventh, Poppy, Cenotaph and Silence. The day the guns stopped became Armistice Day, which the United States renamed Veterans Day in 1954. For the holiday itself, print the Veterans Day word search.

How were the dates in the clues checked?

Each date, name and word origin was read against the English Wikipedia article on that battle, person or treaty on 2026-09-19. Tanks first went into action on 15 September 1916; the armistice with Germany took effect at 11 a.m. on 11 November 1918.

All 149 words

Causes of the War 19

Causes of the War, continued

Nations and Leaders 24

Trench Life 24

Battles and Fronts 20

Sea, Air and New Machines 21

Home Front 19

Armistice and Peace 22

How it works

Match the list to your place in the unit

Swap the word list for clues on review day

Questions and answers

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