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
boat ship sail anchor oar deck mast captain canoe kayak raft ferry port dock paddle rudder crew wave rope lighthouse
This list floats through boat words like sail, anchor, oar, canoe, kayak, captain and lighthouse. There are 20 words and 97 letters to find. The longest word is "lighthouse", at 10 letters. No word on the list uses J, Q, X and Z.
The words by length
| Length | How many | Words |
|---|---|---|
| 3 letters | 1 | oar |
| 4 letters | 11 | boat ship sail deck mast raft port dock crew wave rope |
| 5 letters | 3 | canoe kayak ferry |
| 6 letters | 3 | anchor paddle rudder |
| 7 letters | 1 | captain |
| 10 letters | 1 | lighthouse |
A shorter puzzle of ten
Choose "10 short words" beside the heading for a smaller grid with these ten: boat, ship, sail, oar, deck, mast, raft, port, dock and crew. None has more than 4 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. Lighthouse, captain and anchor take up the most room, so they are the easiest to spot.
- 3 words start with C. When you find a C, check it for captain, canoe and crew.
- 3 words start with R. When you find an R, check it for raft, rudder and rope.
- Look for doubled letters. Two of the same letter side by side stand out in a grid: ferry, paddle and rudder.
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.
It suits a day at the lake or a week of stories about the sea. Color every found word blue, then draw waves under the grid with a little boat on top.
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
Community helpers · Family · Kindness · Transportation · Cars and trucks · Trains · Airplanes · Construction · Firefighters · City · House · Clothes · Toys · My body · Five senses · Teeth · Bedtime · Grocery store · Mail · All word searches · Word search maker
Questions
What words are in the boats word search?
Boat, ship, sail, anchor, oar, deck, mast, captain, canoe, kayak, raft, ferry, port, dock, paddle, rudder, crew, wave, rope and lighthouse.
Is there an easier boats word search?
Yes. Choose "10 short words" for a smaller puzzle with boat, ship, sail, oar, deck, mast, raft, port, dock and crew. 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 boats word search free?
Yes. There are no ads and nothing to sign up for.