20 words are hidden in the letters, or ten short ones for a first try. Tap the first letter of a word, then its last letter.
The 20 words
birthday cake candles balloons party presents wish games friends frosting sprinkles ribbon card hats sing surprise invite confetti treats gift
Party words from cake, candles and balloons to presents, frosting, sprinkles and a wish. There are 20 words and 123 letters to find. The longest word is "sprinkles", at 9 letters. No word on the list uses J, Q, X and Z.
The words by length
| Length | How many | Words |
|---|---|---|
| 4 letters | 6 | cake wish card hats sing gift |
| 5 letters | 2 | party games |
| 6 letters | 3 | ribbon invite treats |
| 7 letters | 2 | candles friends |
| 8 letters | 6 | birthday balloons presents frosting surprise confetti |
| 9 letters | 1 | sprinkles |
A shorter puzzle of ten
Choose "10 short words" beside the heading for a smaller grid with these ten: cake, party, wish, games, ribbon, card, hats, sing, invite and gift. None has more than 6 letters. On a phone the full puzzle takes twelve of the 20, so the letters stay big enough to tap.
Hints for this puzzle
- Start with the longest words. Sprinkles, birthday and balloons take up the most room, so they are the easiest to spot.
- 4 words start with C. When you find a C, check it for cake, candles, card and confetti.
- 3 words start with S. When you find an S, check it for sprinkles, sing and surprise.
- Look for doubled letters. Two of the same letter side by side stand out in a grid: balloons, ribbon and confetti.
Play it or print it
On the screen, tap the first letter of a word and then its last letter, and the word is crossed off the list. Easy hides words across and down, Medium adds corner to corner, and Hard adds backwards. Press Print for two pages, the puzzle and its answer key, and "New puzzle" for the same words in new places. The word search maker page explains how each grid is made and kept clean.
Use it as a table activity while guests arrive, or tuck copies into the party bags to take home. Draw a cake at the bottom and add one candle for each word found until the cake holds all twenty.
The same words on bingo cards and flash cards
The bingo card generator deals these words onto cards, each one a different mix, and the flash cards page prints them eight to a sheet.
More word searches
New Year · Easter · Earth Day · Mother's Day · Father's Day · Fourth of July · Groundhog Day · 100th day of school · Back to school · Snow day · Rainy day · All word searches · Word search maker
Questions
What words are in the birthday word search?
Birthday, cake, candles, balloons, party, presents, wish, games, friends, frosting, sprinkles, ribbon, card, hats, sing, surprise, invite, confetti, treats and gift.
Is there an easier birthday word search?
Yes. Choose "10 short words" for a smaller puzzle with cake, party, wish, games, ribbon, card, hats, sing, invite and gift. On Easy, words only run across and down.
Can I print it with an answer key?
Yes. Press Print for two pages: the puzzle and its answer key. Each press of "New puzzle" makes a different sheet.
Is the birthday word search free?
Yes. There are no ads and nothing to sign up for.