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
camel lizard snake coyote tortoise roadrunner jackrabbit meerkat owl fox gecko iguana armadillo beetle bat hare scorpion toad quail falcon
Animals of hot dry places, such as the camel, coyote, tortoise and roadrunner, with small ones like the gecko and beetle. There are 20 words and 119 letters to find. The longest words are "roadrunner" and "jackrabbit", at 10 letters. No word on the list uses V.
The words by length
| Length | How many | Words |
|---|---|---|
| 3 letters | 3 | owl fox bat |
| 4 letters | 2 | hare toad |
| 5 letters | 4 | camel snake gecko quail |
| 6 letters | 5 | lizard coyote iguana beetle falcon |
| 7 letters | 1 | meerkat |
| 8 letters | 2 | tortoise scorpion |
| 9 letters | 1 | armadillo |
| 10 letters | 2 | roadrunner jackrabbit |
A shorter puzzle of ten
Choose "10 short words" beside the heading for a smaller grid with these ten: camel, lizard, snake, owl, fox, gecko, bat, hare, toad and quail. 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. Roadrunner, jackrabbit and armadillo take up the most room, so they are the easiest to spot.
- Look for doubled letters. Two of the same letter side by side stand out in a grid: roadrunner, jackrabbit, meerkat, armadillo and beetle.
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.
Try it on a hot summer afternoon in the shade or during a week on deserts. Draw a sun over the grid and a rock beneath it, then write under the rock the animals that hide from the heat.
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
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Questions
What words are in the desert animals word search?
Camel, lizard, snake, coyote, tortoise, roadrunner, jackrabbit, meerkat, owl, fox, gecko, iguana, armadillo, beetle, bat, hare, scorpion, toad, quail and falcon.
Is there an easier desert animals word search?
Yes. Choose "10 short words" for a smaller puzzle with camel, lizard, snake, owl, fox, gecko, bat, hare, toad and quail. 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 desert animals word search free?
Yes. There are no ads and nothing to sign up for.