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
december winter holiday gift giving candle lights family cookies cocoa snowman sled mittens bells ribbon card sing joy sparkle peppermint
A broad December list of winter and giving: gift, candle, lights, cookies, cocoa and bells, with no single holiday named. There are 20 words and 118 letters to find. The longest word is "peppermint", at 10 letters. No word on the list uses Q, U, X and Z.
The words by length
| Length | How many | Words |
|---|---|---|
| 3 letters | 1 | joy |
| 4 letters | 4 | gift sled card sing |
| 5 letters | 2 | cocoa bells |
| 6 letters | 6 | winter giving candle lights family ribbon |
| 7 letters | 5 | holiday cookies snowman mittens sparkle |
| 8 letters | 1 | december |
| 10 letters | 1 | peppermint |
A shorter puzzle of ten
Choose "10 short words" beside the heading for a smaller grid with these ten: winter, gift, giving, candle, cocoa, sled, bells, card, sing and joy. 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. Peppermint, december and holiday 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 candle, cookies, cocoa and card.
- 4 words start with S. When you find an S, check it for snowman, sled, sing and sparkle.
- Look for doubled letters. Two of the same letter side by side stand out in a grid: cookies, mittens, bells, ribbon and peppermint.
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 during the last busy week before the winter break, or on a cozy evening at home. Cut the solved grid into a card shape, decorate the edge with ribbon, and give it to a neighbor.
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
Spring · Summer · Fall · Winter · January · February · March · April · May · June · July · August · September · October · November · Days of the week · Months of the year · All word searches · Word search maker
Questions
What words are in the December word search?
December, winter, holiday, gift, giving, candle, lights, family, cookies, cocoa, snowman, sled, mittens, bells, ribbon, card, sing, joy, sparkle and peppermint.
Is there an easier December word search?
Yes. Choose "10 short words" for a smaller puzzle with winter, gift, giving, candle, cocoa, sled, bells, card, sing and joy. 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 December word search free?
Yes. There are no ads and nothing to sign up for.