Insect Word Search
An insect word search with 10 words, from beetle to moth, plus two fixed printable puzzles: eight short bug names for beginners and a 15 x 15 challenge of 16 more insects.
Two printable insect puzzles
These two puzzles are fixed: the grid is the same every time, so you can print identical sheets for a class or a party. Each has a word list, a Show answers button, a Print button and a printable answer key. Download both as a PDF (with answer keys)
Insect Word Search 1: Small Creatures
A 10 x 10 puzzle for beginners. Eight short words, hidden across, down and diagonally down to the right only.
Name: ____________________ Date: ______________
Insect Word Search 1: Small Creatures: answer key
- APHID: row 6, column 2, down
- CICADA: row 1, column 4, diagonally down and to the right
- FLEA: row 6, column 8, down
- FLY: row 2, column 8, across to the right
- GNAT: row 2, column 7, down
- HORNET: row 4, column 6, down
- LARVA: row 4, column 5, down
- LOUSE: row 10, column 4, across to the right
Insect Word Search 2: Insect Challenge
A 15 x 15 puzzle with sixteen longer words, hidden in every direction, including backwards and up.
Name: ____________________ Date: ______________
Insect Word Search 2: Insect Challenge: answer key
- BUMBLEBEE: row 15, column 14, across to the left
- CATERPILLAR: row 2, column 1, diagonally down and to the right
- CHRYSALIS: row 2, column 1, down
- COCKROACH: row 1, column 2, diagonally down and to the right
- DAMSELFLY: row 3, column 13, diagonally down and to the left
- EARWIG: row 2, column 14, across to the left
- FIREFLY: row 1, column 6, across to the right
- GRASSHOPPER: row 11, column 14, diagonally up and to the left
- HONEYBEE: row 2, column 15, down
- LACEWING: row 14, column 8, across to the left
- MAYFLY: row 8, column 12, down
- PRAYING MANTIS: row 1, column 13, diagonally down and to the left
- SILVERFISH: row 5, column 13, down
- STINK BUG: row 6, column 12, diagonally down and to the left
- TERMITE: row 13, column 8, diagonally up and to the left
- WEEVIL: row 9, column 6, diagonally down and to the right
About this insect word search
Insects are the biggest group of animals on Earth, and children are usually fascinated by them, which makes this a popular topic for a nature lesson. The default list has ten familiar insects: beetle, cricket, dragonfly, mosquito, ladybug, butterfly, ant, bee, wasp and moth. Beetles and butterflies change completely as they grow, passing through a pupa stage, while crickets and dragonflies grow in stages without one.
The easy puzzle uses eight short names: fly, flea, gnat, aphid, louse, cicada, hornet and larva. The challenge goes further, with grasshopper, caterpillar, cockroach, silverfish and weevil, and with a few that are good for a conversation: a praying mantis, a firefly and a stink bug. Note that a caterpillar and a larva are the young stage of an insect, not a separate kind of animal.
A simple fact to share is that insects have six legs and three body parts. Ask students to check the words against that rule: spiders, which are in a different group, would not be on the list. Use the puzzle as a lead-in to a bug hunt in the school yard, then build a new puzzle with the generator from the creatures you find.
Word notes
- Beetle: an insect whose front wings form hard cases that cover the wings used for flying.
- Cricket: an insect that makes a chirping sound by rubbing its wings together; also a sport.
- Dragonfly: a fast-flying insect with two pairs of long, transparent wings, often seen near water.
- Mosquito: a small flying insect; the females of many kinds bite to feed on blood.
- Ladybug: a small, round beetle, often red with black spots; called a ladybird in the UK.
- Butterfly: an insect with large, often colorful wings, which starts life as a caterpillar.
- Moth: an insect like a butterfly, but usually active at night.
Vocabulary tip
Insects are often confused with other small creatures. Spiders, centipedes and worms are not insects. A quick check is six legs and three body parts.
Difficulty guide
- Generator (default list). The 10 words run from 3 letters (ant and bee) to 9 letters (dragonfly and butterfly), 6.0 letters on average and 60 letters in all, which fills about 31% of the default 14 x 14 grid. On the default Medium setting, words can run in five directions. Choose Easy for across, down and diagonal-right only, or Hard to add backwards and upwards.
- Easy puzzle. 8 words of 3 to 6 letters in a 10 x 10 grid, with nothing hidden backwards or upwards.
- Challenge puzzle. 16 words of 6 to 13 letters in a 15 x 15 grid, with 8 of them hidden backwards or upwards. Two bees appear in the challenge as honeybee and bumblebee, which end in the same three letters, and firefly, damselfly and mayfly all end in -fly.
Ways to use it
- Ask students to count legs and body parts on a picture of each insect to confirm it is one.
- Go on a bug hunt, then make a puzzle from the creatures you found.
- To use your own list, edit the words in the box at the top of the page and press Generate puzzle, or press New layout, same words for a fresh grid. Print it with Show answers ticked to add a separate answer page.
- How many legs does an insect have?
- Six. Insects also have three body parts: head, thorax and abdomen. Spiders have eight legs and are not insects.
- Is a cricket an insect or a sport?
- Both. Here it is the insect, and it also appears as a sport on the sports page.
- What is the difference between a butterfly and a moth?
- Butterflies are usually active by day and have thin antennae with club-shaped tips. Moths are usually active at night and often have feathery antennae.
- Is a ladybug a bug?
- It is a beetle. A ladybug is called a ladybird in the UK.
FAQ
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