Printable collection · 23 puzzles

Printable Literature Word Searches

Print one for yourself, or one sheet for two: race a brother or sister, a partner or a classmate to circle each word first.

Characters and places from the page fill these printable literature word searches: twenty-three sheets with Hamlet, Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet, Beowulf and The Odyssey, Animal Farm, Fahrenheit 451 and the Hunger Games. Classic Books names the authors and the forms they wrote in, and Fantasy and Science Fiction gather the words of their genres.

Most entries on Classic Books are surnames like Twain, Hugo and Keats, so it has the shortest words, about five and a half letters. Lord of the Flies and Of Mice and Men come next, with Piggy, Slim and Crooks. Fantasy is the longest sheet, over eight letters a word with no word of five letters or fewer, from Sorcery to Shadowlands. Hamlet reaches Guildenstern, and the Great Gatsby has seven two-word entries such as Green Light and West Egg.

A stack of printed word searches, the top one mid-game: two players' names, words circled in blue and red and crossed off the list, its answer key behind it

Literature Word Search Printables

All 23 sheets print as one-page PDFs on Letter or A4, each with its own answer key, at three levels. They are free, with no account or email. Pick a level and every sheet below switches to it.

Medium

12×12 grid
15 words
8 directions, a few backwards

Print all 23:

PDF Answer keys

Classic Books
Print this: PDF Answer key
Shakespeare
Print this: PDF Answer key
Romeo and Juliet
Print this: PDF Answer key
Hamlet
Print this: PDF Answer key
Macbeth
Print this: PDF Answer key
To Kill a Mockingbird
Print this: PDF Answer key
Great Gatsby
Print this: PDF Answer key
Of Mice and Men
Print this: PDF Answer key
Lord of the Flies
Print this: PDF Answer key
Animal Farm
Print this: PDF Answer key
Fahrenheit 451
Print this: PDF Answer key
The Outsiders
Print this: PDF Answer key
The Giver
Print this: PDF Answer key
Hunger Games
Print this: PDF Answer key
Frankenstein
Print this: PDF Answer key
Edgar Allan Poe
Print this: PDF Answer key
The Crucible
Print this: PDF Answer key
Beowulf
Print this: PDF Answer key
The Odyssey
Print this: PDF Answer key
Fantasy
Print this: PDF Answer key
Science Fiction
Print this: PDF Answer key
Lord of the Rings
Print this: PDF Answer key
Twilight
Print this: PDF Answer key

Want a fresh grid? Open a sheet and press Generate new puzzle: a new puzzle from the same words, as many times as you like.

Battle a Friend on Paper

Print one sheet and sit side by side, each with a different color pen. When you spot a word, circle it in the grid and cross it off the list in your color. A word belongs to whoever circles it first. When the list is done, count your color: the most words wins. Check any word you doubt against the answer key.