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
circus clown tent juggle acrobat swing ring tightrope popcorn balloon unicycle stilts tumble flip parade drum ticket cheer costume spotlight
Big top words like clown, tent, juggle and acrobat, with a tightrope, a unicycle and stilts. There are 20 words and 121 letters to find. The longest words are "tightrope" and "spotlight", at 9 letters. No word on the list uses Q, V, X and Z.
The words by length
| Length | How many | Words |
|---|---|---|
| 4 letters | 4 | tent ring flip drum |
| 5 letters | 3 | clown swing cheer |
| 6 letters | 6 | circus juggle stilts tumble parade ticket |
| 7 letters | 4 | acrobat popcorn balloon costume |
| 8 letters | 1 | unicycle |
| 9 letters | 2 | tightrope spotlight |
A shorter puzzle of ten
Choose "10 short words" beside the heading for a smaller grid with these ten: circus, clown, tent, juggle, swing, ring, stilts, flip, drum and cheer. 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. Tightrope, spotlight and unicycle 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 circus, clown, cheer and costume.
- 4 words start with T. When you find a T, check it for tent, tightrope, tumble and ticket.
- Look for doubled letters. Two of the same letter side by side stand out in a grid: juggle, balloon and cheer.
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 before a trip to the circus or on a day of backyard tumbling and juggling scarves. Shade the performers in red and the things they use in yellow, then design a poster for your own show.
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
Pirates · Princesses · Knights · Dragons · Unicorns · Mermaids · Fairies · Magic · Superheroes · Robots · Fair · Games · Dance · Movie night · Fairy tales · All word searches · Word search maker
Questions
What words are in the circus word search?
Circus, clown, tent, juggle, acrobat, swing, ring, tightrope, popcorn, balloon, unicycle, stilts, tumble, flip, parade, drum, ticket, cheer, costume and spotlight.
Is there an easier circus word search?
Yes. Choose "10 short words" for a smaller puzzle with circus, clown, tent, juggle, swing, ring, stilts, flip, drum and cheer. 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 circus word search free?
Yes. There are no ads and nothing to sign up for.