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
lion zebra giraffe elephant cheetah rhino hippo monkey hyena gazelle antelope buffalo jackal warthog meerkat baboon leopard impala crocodile gnu
Animals of the African grasslands, including the lion, zebra, giraffe and elephant, plus a few less common ones such as the impala and gnu. There are 20 words and 125 letters to find. The longest word is "crocodile", at 9 letters. No word on the list uses Q, S, V and X.
The words by length
| Length | How many | Words |
|---|---|---|
| 3 letters | 1 | gnu |
| 4 letters | 1 | lion |
| 5 letters | 4 | zebra rhino hippo hyena |
| 6 letters | 4 | monkey jackal baboon impala |
| 7 letters | 7 | giraffe cheetah gazelle buffalo warthog meerkat leopard |
| 8 letters | 2 | elephant antelope |
| 9 letters | 1 | crocodile |
A shorter puzzle of ten
Choose "10 short words" beside the heading for a smaller grid with these ten: lion, zebra, rhino, hippo, monkey, hyena, jackal, baboon, impala and gnu. 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. Crocodile, elephant and antelope take up the most room, so they are the easiest to spot.
- 3 words start with G. When you find a G, check it for giraffe, gazelle and gnu.
- Look for doubled letters. Two of the same letter side by side stand out in a grid: giraffe, cheetah, hippo, gazelle, buffalo, meerkat and baboon.
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.
Bring it out after a zoo visit or during a week about Africa. Give each found animal a pattern mark, stripes, spots or plain, and tally which pattern wins.
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
Zoo animals · Farm animals · Pets · Dogs · Cats · Birds · Bugs · Butterflies · Dinosaurs · Ocean animals · Jungle animals · Arctic animals · Forest animals · Desert animals · Pond life · Reptiles · Baby animals · Horses · Bears · Animal homes · Animal sounds · All word searches · Word search maker
Questions
What words are in the safari animals word search?
Lion, zebra, giraffe, elephant, cheetah, rhino, hippo, monkey, hyena, gazelle, antelope, buffalo, jackal, warthog, meerkat, baboon, leopard, impala, crocodile and gnu.
Is there an easier safari animals word search?
Yes. Choose "10 short words" for a smaller puzzle with lion, zebra, rhino, hippo, monkey, hyena, jackal, baboon, impala and gnu. 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 safari animals word search free?
Yes. There are no ads and nothing to sign up for.