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
september school book bus backpack pencil crayon paper marker friend lunch apple desk recess autumn leaves football acorn ruler glue
Back to school words: backpack, pencil, crayon, desk and recess, with autumn, leaves and acorn for the change of season. There are 20 words and 113 letters to find. The longest word is "september", at 9 letters. No word on the list uses J, Q, W, X and Z.
The words by length
| Length | How many | Words |
|---|---|---|
| 3 letters | 1 | bus |
| 4 letters | 3 | book desk glue |
| 5 letters | 5 | paper lunch apple acorn ruler |
| 6 letters | 8 | school pencil crayon marker friend recess autumn leaves |
| 8 letters | 2 | backpack football |
| 9 letters | 1 | september |
A shorter puzzle of ten
Choose "10 short words" beside the heading for a smaller grid with these ten: school, book, bus, paper, lunch, apple, desk, acorn, ruler and glue. 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. September, backpack and football take up the most room, so they are the easiest to spot.
- 3 words start with A. When you find an A, check it for apple, autumn and acorn.
- 3 words start with B. When you find a B, check it for book, bus and backpack.
- Look for doubled letters. Two of the same letter side by side stand out in a grid: school, book, apple, recess and football.
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.
A friendly first week activity while a new class gets to know each other. Check off each word you can spot in your own room or bag, then share your count with a partner.
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 · October · November · December · Days of the week · Months of the year · All word searches · Word search maker
Questions
What words are in the September word search?
September, school, book, bus, backpack, pencil, crayon, paper, marker, friend, lunch, apple, desk, recess, autumn, leaves, football, acorn, ruler and glue.
Is there an easier September word search?
Yes. Choose "10 short words" for a smaller puzzle with school, book, bus, paper, lunch, apple, desk, acorn, ruler and glue. 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 September word search free?
Yes. There are no ads and nothing to sign up for.