Halloween Word Search — 12 Free Printable Puzzles
Twelve Halloween word search puzzles to print, from picture puzzles for five-year-olds to 25-word grids that will keep an adult busy through a cup of tea. Every puzzle comes with its own answer key on page two, in US Letter and A4, and there is nothing to sign up for.
Jump to: Easy picture puzzles · Medium · Hard · All 12 in one PDF
Easy Halloween word search — picture puzzles
Four 10 × 10 grids with just eight words each, and every word has a picture beside it — so children who are still learning to read can match the shape and hunt for the letters. Words only run across and down.
Spooky Night
Easy · 10×10 · 8 words
Bat, Moon, Owl, Ghost, Tree, Spider…
Trick or Treat
Easy · 10×10 · 8 words
Candy, Lollipop, Pumpkin, Witch, Mummy, Cat…
Witch & Graveyard
Easy · 10×10 · 8 words
Coffin, Grave, Bones, Zombie, Hat, Potion…
Halloween Friends
Easy · 10×10 · 8 words
Ghost, Pumpkin, Bat, Cat, Witch, Moon…
Medium Halloween word search
Four 14 × 14 grids with 15 words each. Words run across, down and diagonally (never backwards), which suits most children from about eight upwards.
Monster Mash
Medium · 14×14 · 15 words
Monster, Zombie, Mummy, Vampire, Werewolf, Goblin…
Haunted House
Medium · 14×14 · 15 words
Haunted, Attic, Cobweb, Creak, Stairs, Candle…
Halloween Candy
Medium · 14×14 · 15 words
Lollipop, Caramel, Toffee, Gumdrop, Chocolate, Taffy…
Costume Party
Medium · 14×14 · 15 words
Pirate, Princess, Ninja, Wizard, Robot, Fairy…
Hard Halloween word search
Four 18 × 18 grids with 25 words each, hidden in all eight directions — backwards and diagonal-backwards included. These are for older kids, teens and adults.
Graveyard at Midnight
Hard · 18×18 · 25 words
Tombstone, Crypt, Coffin, Epitaph, Mausoleum, Lantern…
Creepy Crawlies
Hard · 18×18 · 25 words
Tarantula, Scorpion, Beetle, Centipede, Millipede, Cockroach…
Halloween Words
Hard · 18×18 · 25 words
Halloween, October, Costume, Pumpkin, Spooky, Haunted…
Harvest Moon Night
Hard · 18×18 · 25 words
Harvest, Scarecrow, Cornfield, Hayride, Bonfire, Cider…
All 12 puzzles in one PDF
Printing for a class or a party? This single file holds all twelve puzzles in order — easy, medium, then hard — followed by the twelve answer keys at the back, so you can print pages 1–12 for the children and keep 13–24 for yourself.
How to use these puzzles
- Pick a level. Easy puzzles have eight words with a picture for each and only run across and down. Medium adds diagonals. Hard hides 25 words in every direction, including backwards.
- Download and print page 1. Each PDF is two pages: the puzzle, then the answer key. Print at Actual size (100%) and choose page 1 only if you do not want the answers going round the table.
- Circle or highlight. A highlighter is easiest for small hands; a pencil loop works for everyone else. Tick the box beside each word as it is found.
- Check with the key. Page 2 shows every word ringed in orange, with the full word list underneath.
Make your own instead
Want this week’s spelling words, the names of everyone in the class, or a puzzle in another language? The word search maker hides any list you type in a grid of the size you choose, then prints it with an answer key — same Letter and A4 sizes as the puzzles above.
Questions people ask
Which puzzle suits which age?
The four easy picture puzzles work from about five, as long as someone reads the words aloud the first time — after that the pictures carry them. Medium grids suit roughly eight to eleven. The hard grids are aimed at teens and adults: 25 words in 18 × 18 letters, with backwards words mixed in.
Is each word hidden only once?
Yes. Every grid was checked by the program that built it so that each word appears exactly once, in any direction. No word in a list sits inside another one either, so every find is a real find.
Do I need a colour printer?
No. The titles are orange and purple on screen, but everything reads perfectly in black and white. The grids and word lists are pure black.
Can I use these in my classroom?
Please do. Print as many as you need. They make good early-finisher work in the last week of October, and the easy picture puzzles double as a word-recognition activity for early readers.
Letter or A4 — which should I download?
Every puzzle comes in both. US Letter is the standard in the US and Canada; A4 everywhere else. Pick the one that matches the paper in your printer and the grid will print square, with nothing cut off.
More Halloween puzzles and games
- Halloween crosswords — nine puzzles, from word-bank easy to tricky.
- Halloween mazes — pumpkin, ghost, skull and bat-shaped mazes.
- Halloween bingo cards — 30 picture cards plus calling cards, ready to print.
- Fall word search and Thanksgiving word search — twelve more puzzles each for autumn.
- Halloween coloring pages — pumpkins, witches and friendly ghosts to color in.
- Halloween mandala coloring pages — twelve detailed designs for older kids and adults.
- Scavenger hunt generator — a trick-or-treat hunt list in a minute.
- Maze generator — printable mazes at any size.
- Word scramble maker — mix up spooky words for older children.
See all free printable games →
