About this puzzle
Much of this list belongs to the story of 1621: the Mayflower, Plymouth, the Wampanoag people, their leader Massasoit, who came to the colonists' harvest celebration with about ninety men, and Tisquantum, who helped the newcomers plant corn. A few names, like Sarah Hale and Lincoln, explain how the day became a national holiday in 1863. The rest belongs to the table and the living room, with Gravy, Stuffing, Casserole, the Macy's parade, and the afternoon football game.
That split makes this Thanksgiving word search useful in a few places. Teachers can pair it with a unit on Plymouth Colony, since each word comes with a short, accurate note. Families can set the easy version, with 12 familiar words like Turkey, Gravy, and Gobble, on the kids' table while the turkey rests. And anyone who wants more of a challenge can switch to the hard level and race the clock against a cousin.
The 34 words in this puzzle
Every word, with a short note. Handy for teaching the vocabulary before or after solving.
In every version (12)
- Cranberry
- Cranberries are native to North America. Growers often flood the bogs at harvest time, and the berries float to the surface because of tiny air pockets inside.
- Family
- For many people Thanksgiving is the biggest family get-together of the year, and the days around it are some of the busiest travel days in the United States.
- Feast
- A big, special meal shared by many people. Edward Winslow wrote that about 90 Wampanoag men joined the roughly 50 English colonists at the 1621 harvest feast.
- Football
- The Detroit Lions have played a home game on Thanksgiving almost every year since 1934, a tradition that made football part of the holiday for many families.
- Gobble
- Only male turkeys, called toms or gobblers, make the loud gobble call, and they can be heard far away. Female turkeys, called hens, cluck and yelp instead.
- Gravy
- Turkey gravy is made from the pan drippings left after roasting, thickened with flour or cornstarch and stirred until smooth.
- Harvest
- The 1621 gathering was a harvest celebration that lasted about three days, according to a letter written by colonist Edward Winslow.
- Mayflower
- The Mayflower left Plymouth, England, in September 1620 with about 102 passengers and reached Cape Cod in November after more than two months at sea.
- Pilgrim
- William Bradford described the Separatist settlers as "pilgrimes," but calling the whole group the Pilgrims did not become common until the early 1800s.
- Pumpkin Pie
- American Cookery, published in 1796 and considered the first American cookbook, includes a recipe for "pompkin" baked in a crust.
- Stuffing
- Stuffing birds with bread and herbs is ancient; a Roman cookbook called Apicius has recipes. Many Southerners call it dressing, especially when baked in a separate dish.
- Turkey
- Wild turkeys may have been served in 1621, but the only meat Winslow named was venison: five deer brought by the Wampanoag, plus unspecified wild fowl.
Added in Medium and Hard (8)
- Cornucopia
- The name comes from the Latin "cornu copiae," meaning horn of plenty. In Greek myth, it was a goat's horn that overflowed with food.
- Gratitude
- Gratitude is the feeling of being thankful. Many families go around the table on Thanksgiving so each person can name one thing they are grateful for.
- Leftovers
- Food safety experts recommend refrigerating leftover turkey within two hours of cooking and eating it within three to four days.
- Parade
- The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade began in New York City in 1924. Its famous giant balloons first floated down the route in 1927.
- Plymouth
- Plymouth Colony was founded in December 1620. Roughly half of the Mayflower passengers died during that first winter from disease and harsh conditions.
- Sweet Potato
- Sweet potatoes are often called yams in U.S. stores, but true yams are a different plant. The marshmallow-topped casserole dates to the early 1900s.
- Wampanoag
- The Wampanoag, whose name means People of the First Light, have lived in what is now southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island for thousands of years and still do today.
- Wishbone
- The wishbone is a turkey's furcula, a forked bone formed from two fused collarbones. Two people pull it apart, and whoever gets the bigger piece makes a wish.
Added in Hard (14)
- Apple Cider
- In the United States, apple cider usually means fresh, unfiltered apple juice pressed in the fall. Many families serve it warm with a cinnamon stick on Thanksgiving.
- Balloon
- Giant character balloons joined the Macy's parade in 1927, starting with Felix the Cat. Today's balloons are filled with helium and steered by teams of handlers holding ropes.
- Bradford
- William Bradford served as governor of Plymouth Colony for about 30 years. His history, Of Plymouth Plantation, is one of the main sources on the colony's early years.
- Casserole
- Green bean casserole was created in 1955 by Dorcas Reilly, a home economist in Campbell's test kitchen, and became a Thanksgiving staple.
- Drumstick
- The drumstick is the turkey's lower leg. Its meat is darker than the breast because leg muscles work hard and hold more myoglobin, a protein that stores oxygen.
- Lincoln
- In October 1863, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of Thanksgiving for the last Thursday of November, beginning a yearly tradition.
- Massasoit
- Massasoit was a title meaning great sachem; his personal name was Ousamequin. He made an alliance with Plymouth Colony in 1621 that lasted for decades.
- Pardon
- Each year the president pardons a turkey at the White House, sparing it from the dinner table. President George H. W. Bush made the pardon an official part of the event in 1989.
- Pecan Pie
- Pecan trees are native to the southern United States and Mexico, and pecan pie is a Southern favorite. Its gooey filling of eggs, sugar, and syrup bakes around the nuts.
- Sarah Hale
- Sarah Josepha Hale was a magazine editor who wrote to presidents and politicians for years asking for a national Thanksgiving. Her 1863 letter to Abraham Lincoln helped bring one about.
- Squash
- Squash, corn, and beans were the Three Sisters planted together by many Native nations. The English word comes from the Narragansett word "askutasquash."
- Three Sisters
- Corn, beans, and squash planted together by many Native nations. The corn stalks give the beans a pole to climb, the beans enrich the soil, and squash leaves shade out weeds.
- Tisquantum
- Tisquantum, often called Squanto, was a Patuxet man who had learned English after being taken to Europe. In 1621 he showed the colonists how to plant corn and acted as an interpreter.
- Venison
- Venison is deer meat. Edward Winslow wrote that the Wampanoag brought five deer to the 1621 celebration, which makes venison one of the few foods we know was served.
A few facts to share while you solve
- Sarah Josepha Hale, the author of "Mary Had a Little Lamb," wrote letters for about 17 years urging a national Thanksgiving, and Abraham Lincoln proclaimed one in 1863.
- In 1939 Franklin D. Roosevelt moved Thanksgiving a week earlier to lengthen the holiday shopping season, and in 1941 Congress fixed it on the fourth Thursday of November.
- The Butterball Turkey Talk-Line has been answering holiday cooking questions since 1981.
Four versions of this puzzle
Pick a version with the buttons above the grid. Each one has its own grid and answer key, and your progress on each is saved separately in this browser.
| Version | Words | Grid | Directions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Easy | 12 | 12 × 12 | The 12 most familiar words, reading forward across and down. |
| Medium | 20 | 15 × 15 | Twenty words across, down and diagonally. No backwards words. |
| Hard | 34 | 19 × 19 | Every word, in all eight directions including backwards, with look-alike filler letters. |
| Large print | 12 | 11 × 11 | The 12 most familiar words on a small grid with big letters. No backwards words. |
Hard and large print versions
Hard thanksgiving word search: all 34 words on a 19 × 19 grid, hidden forward, backward, up, down and along both diagonals, with filler letters borrowed from the word list. Print it without the word list for an extra challenge. Play the hard version, or see all hard word searches.
Large print thanksgiving word search: the 12 most familiar words on a 11 × 11 grid, printed with big letters and a big word list, and no backwards words. Play the large print version, or see all large print word searches.
Printing this word search
Press Print / PDF above the puzzle. You get a clean one-page sheet with the title, the grid, a word list with tick boxes, and optional name and date lines. The answer key prints on a second page. Prefer a file? Download it as a PDF or an image to print later or drop into a worksheet. Whatever version is showing on screen is the one that prints, and the large print version prints with bigger letters.
How to play online
- Find a word from the list in the grid. Scanning for its first letter is the quickest way.
- Drag across the word from its first letter to its last. On a phone, you can also tap the first letter, then the last.
- Found words get highlighted and crossed off. Stuck? Hint circles the first letter of a word you haven’t found.
Read the full guide to solving word searches, with tips that make big grids much faster.
Questions and answers
Is this Thanksgiving word search good for teaching the history of 1621?
It can open the lesson. Words like Wampanoag, Massasoit, Plymouth, and Mayflower are paired with short notes based on primary sources such as Edward Winslow's letter. The notes avoid common myths, like the idea that turkey was definitely on the menu, so students start with accurate facts.
What grade level is this Thanksgiving puzzle?
Easy mode works for second and third graders who can sound out longer words. Medium fits upper elementary and middle school. Some words, like Cornucopia and Wampanoag, are long and unfamiliar, which is part of the challenge and a good chance to practice spelling.
How many words are in the Thanksgiving word search?
It depends on the version. Easy and Large print use 12 familiar words like Turkey, Gravy, and Pumpkin Pie, Medium uses 20, and Hard uses all 34, adding history such as Tisquantum, Three Sisters, Sarah Hale, and Lincoln alongside traditions like the parade balloons and the turkey pardon.
Is there an answer key for this thanksgiving word search?
Yes. Choose Print / PDF above the puzzle and keep “Add an answer key page” ticked. The key prints on its own page, with every word highlighted. While playing online, Show answers outlines any words you haven’t found yet.
Can I print copies for my class or group?
Yes. Every puzzle on BetterWordSearch is free to print for personal, classroom, library and homeschool use. Print as many copies as you need. To change the words or make several different versions of the grid, use the word search maker.
What changes between Easy, Medium, Hard and Large print?
Easy hides the 12 most familiar words, reading left to right and top to bottom. Medium uses 20 words and adds diagonals. Hard hides all 34 words in every direction, including backwards, with look-alike filler letters. Large print uses the same words as Easy on a small grid and prints with big letters.
