About this puzzle
Veterans Day, on November 11, thanks everyone who has served in the U.S. armed forces, in wartime or in peace. This list keeps the focus on service and gratitude. It names all six branches, from the Army, founded in 1775, to the Space Force, created in 2019. It also covers the history of the day, including the Armistice that ended the fighting of World War I and President Eisenhower, who gave the holiday its name.
Teachers often pair this Veterans Day word search with a school assembly or a card-writing project for local veterans, and the notes under each word make good talking points for elementary and middle school students. Families can use it to start a conversation with a grandparent or neighbor who served. Thank You is on the list for a reason: it is the simplest way kids can mark the day.
The 31 words in this puzzle
Every word, with a short note. Handy for teaching the vocabulary before or after solving.
In every version (12)
- Air Force
- Military pilots were part of the Army until 1947, when the U.S. Air Force became its own separate branch.
- Army
- The U.S. Army is the oldest branch of the military. The Continental Congress created the Continental Army on June 14, 1775.
- Flag
- Many families and towns fly the American flag on Veterans Day. Folding a flag into a neat triangle, with only the blue field of stars showing, is a military tradition.
- Hero
- Many people call veterans heroes for their service. Plenty of veterans say the real reward was knowing they helped protect their families, neighbors, and country.
- Honor
- To honor someone means to show them great respect. Schools and towns honor veterans with assemblies, ceremonies, and moments of thanks.
- Marines
- The Marine Corps was founded on November 10, 1775, so Marines celebrate their birthday the day before Veterans Day.
- Medal
- Medals recognize bravery and service. The Medal of Honor is the highest military award in the United States, given for extraordinary courage.
- Navy
- The U.S. Navy traces its birthday to October 13, 1775, when the Continental Congress approved the first ships for the new country.
- Parade
- Towns across the country hold Veterans Day parades with marching bands, color guards, and veterans' groups. New York City's parade is one of the largest.
- Salute
- A salute is a sign of respect. Since 2008, federal law has allowed veterans who are not in uniform to give a hand salute during the national anthem.
- Thank You
- Writing thank-you cards for veterans is a popular Veterans Day project in schools, and many veterans keep the cards they receive from students.
- Veteran
- A veteran is anyone who has served in the armed forces. Veterans Day honors all of them, whether they served during a war or in peacetime.
Added in Medium and Hard (8)
- Coast Guard
- The Coast Guard got its name in 1915, but its roots go back to 1790, when Alexander Hamilton started a fleet of ships to enforce the country's laws at sea.
- Courage
- Courage means doing what is right or needed even when it is hard or frightening. It is one of the qualities veterans are most often honored for.
- Freedom
- Veterans Day speeches often thank service members for defending freedom, the rights Americans have to speak, worship, vote, and live as they choose.
- November
- Veterans Day is November 11 every year, whatever day of the week it lands on. When it falls on a weekend, federal workers get the nearest Friday or Monday off.
- Respect
- Showing respect on Veterans Day can be simple: standing for the national anthem, listening to a veteran's story, or flying the flag.
- Service
- Military service can mean many jobs, from pilot and medic to cook, mechanic, or engineer. Every role helps the whole team do its work.
- Space Force
- The U.S. Space Force was established on December 20, 2019. Its members are called Guardians, and they work with satellites and other space systems.
- Uniform
- Each branch has its own uniforms for dress occasions and for everyday work. Some veterans wear parts of their old uniforms in Veterans Day parades.
Added in Hard (11)
- Arlington
- Each Veterans Day, a national ceremony is held at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, where a wreath is placed at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
- Armistice
- An armistice is an agreement to stop fighting. The fighting of World War I stopped at 11 a.m. on November 11, 1918, which is why Veterans Day falls on November 11.
- Ceremony
- Communities hold Veterans Day ceremonies with speeches, music, and the raising of the flag. Many begin at 11 a.m., the hour the fighting of World War I ended.
- Duty
- Duty means doing what you are responsible for, even when it is hard. It is one of the Army's seven core values, along with loyalty, respect, and honor.
- Eisenhower
- Dwight D. Eisenhower led Allied forces in Europe during World War II. As president, in 1954, he signed the law that renamed Armistice Day as Veterans Day.
- Gratitude
- Gratitude means feeling and showing thanks. Veterans Day is a chance to show it with a card, a handshake, or simply by listening to a veteran's stories.
- Military
- The military is the country's armed forces, made up of six branches. About two million people serve in the active duty, Guard, and Reserve forces combined.
- Patriotism
- Patriotism is love for and loyalty to your country. Many veterans describe their service as a way of giving back to their communities and nation.
- Poppy
- Red poppies grew on World War I battlefields in Belgium and France and became a symbol of remembrance. Veterans groups hand out paper poppies to raise money for veterans.
- Taps
- Taps is a slow 24-note bugle call played at military funerals and memorial ceremonies, including the national Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery.
- Volunteer
- Since 1973 the U.S. military has been an all-volunteer force, which means everyone serving chose to join.
A few facts to share while you solve
- The official name is Veterans Day, with no apostrophe, because the day is not a day that belongs to veterans but a day for honoring all veterans.
- Raymond Weeks, a World War II veteran from Birmingham, Alabama, organized a National Veterans Day celebration in 1947 and is often called the father of Veterans Day.
- From 1971 to 1977, Veterans Day was moved to a Monday in October, but in 1978 it returned to November 11 because of the date's historical importance.
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 | 11 × 11 | The 12 most familiar words, reading forward across and down. |
| Medium | 20 | 14 × 14 | Twenty words across, down and diagonally. No backwards words. |
| Hard | 31 | 17 × 17 | Every word, in all eight directions including backwards, with look-alike filler letters. |
| Large print | 12 | 10 × 10 | The 12 most familiar words on a small grid with big letters. No backwards words. |
Hard and large print versions
Hard veterans day word search: all 31 words on a 17 × 17 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 veterans day word search: the 12 most familiar words on a 10 × 10 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
What is the difference between Veterans Day and Memorial Day?
Veterans Day, on November 11, thanks everyone who has served in the military, including the many veterans who are alive today. Memorial Day, on the last Monday in May, remembers the service members who died while serving. Both are about gratitude, but Veterans Day celebrates living veterans too.
Is this Veterans Day word search appropriate for young kids?
Yes. The words focus on service, respect, and gratitude rather than battles, and the notes stay factual and gentle. Kids around 7 and up can do the easy level, and words like Armistice, Eisenhower, and Patriotism give older students more of a challenge.
How can teachers use this puzzle for Veterans Day?
Use it as a warm-up before an assembly or a card-writing activity for local veterans. After solving, students can pick a branch of the military and read its note, or talk about why the holiday falls on November 11. It also pairs well with inviting a veteran to speak to the class.
Is there an answer key for this veterans day 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 31 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.
