Candy Cane Word Search

Three candy cane puzzles, from easy to hard. Print one and start searching!

2 puzzles
US Letter & A4
100% free

Pick a puzzle!

Difficulty: Easy9 × 9 · 8 wordsWords go across and down.Letter PDF A4 PDFAnswer key
Difficulty: Medium12 × 12 · 12 wordsAcross, down and diagonal.Letter PDF A4 PDFAnswer key

The puzzles and their word lists

The same grids as the PDFs, to check a word or plan a lesson.

Easy puzzle Difficulty: Easy

Candy Cane Word Search, easy level: 9 by 9 letter grid
E	W	S	O	M	U	V	S	K
K	O	U	E	I	E	S	U	L
C	A	E	E	N	R	T	G	L
H	T	M	E	T	S	R	A	I
M	I	W	L	T	R	I	R	N
S	Y	H	O	O	K	P	S	U
R	O	I	S	W	E	E	T	H
M	A	T	M	C	R	P	H	B
T	R	E	A	T	R	E	D	R

Find these 8 words

HOOK
MINT
RED
STRIPE
SUGAR
SWEET
TREAT
WHITE

Show the answers

Medium puzzle Difficulty: Medium

Candy Cane Word Search, medium level: 12 by 12 letter grid
H	O	L	I	D	A	Y	O	T	T	O	T
T	E	M	R	T	S	T	I	C	K	Y	Y
S	T	O	C	K	I	N	G	A	T	N	H
P	E	P	P	E	R	M	I	N	T	C	U
O	A	D	B	Y	H	O	I	D	S	H	C
E	E	S	E	I	Y	M	N	Y	W	E	R
I	O	T	O	C	R	L	T	S	L	R	U
I	I	R	S	A	E	S	T	H	E	R	N
N	O	I	E	D	O	M	E	O	H	Y	C
Y	I	P	S	E	Y	E	B	P	N	G	H
T	S	E	W	R	A	P	P	E	R	A	Y
M	N	S	T	W	I	S	T	T	R	W	E

Find these 12 words

CANDY SHOP
CHERRY
CRUNCHY
DECEMBER
HOLIDAY
PEPPERMINT
SPEARMINT
STICKY
STOCKING
STRIPES
TWIST
WRAPPER

Show the answers

For parents & teachers

About these word searches

These candy cane word searches come in two levels: the easy one hides 8 short words such as Red, Hook and Mint in a 9 × 9 grid, reading only across and down and the medium one has 12 words in a 12 × 12 grid and adds diagonals.

Easy suits early readers (around ages 5–7) who are learning to spot letter patterns; medium and hard work well for ages 7–9 and up, as a quiet-time activity, a morning work sheet or a vocabulary warm-up before a theme lesson.

Every sheet prints on one page in US Letter or A4, with the word list under the grid and a matching answer key. Each grid is checked with a solver, so every word in the list is in it exactly once.

Start younger kids on easy and let them tick off each word as they find it.
Print the answer key on a separate sheet for self-checking.
Color in the pictures and the found words with crayons or highlighters.

E	W	S	O	M	U	V	S	K
K	O	U	E	I	E	S	U	L
C	A	E	E	N	R	T	G	L
H	T	M	E	T	S	R	A	I
M	I	W	L	T	R	I	R	N
S	Y	H	O	O	K	P	S	U
R	O	I	S	W	E	E	T	H
M	A	T	M	C	R	P	H	B
T	R	E	A	T	R	E	D	R

H	O	L	I	D	A	Y	O	T	T	O	T
T	E	M	R	T	S	T	I	C	K	Y	Y
S	T	O	C	K	I	N	G	A	T	N	H
P	E	P	P	E	R	M	I	N	T	C	U
O	A	D	B	Y	H	O	I	D	S	H	C
E	E	S	E	I	Y	M	N	Y	W	E	R
I	O	T	O	C	R	L	T	S	L	R	U
I	I	R	S	A	E	S	T	H	E	R	N
N	O	I	E	D	O	M	E	O	H	Y	C
Y	I	P	S	E	Y	E	B	P	N	G	H
T	S	E	W	R	A	P	P	E	R	A	Y
M	N	S	T	W	I	S	T	T	R	W	E

E	W	S	O	M	U	V	S	K
K	O	U	E	I	E	S	U	L
C	A	E	E	N	R	T	G	L
H	T	M	E	T	S	R	A	I
M	I	W	L	T	R	I	R	N
S	Y	H	O	O	K	P	S	U
R	O	I	S	W	E	E	T	H
M	A	T	M	C	R	P	H	B
T	R	E	A	T	R	E	D	R

H	O	L	I	D	A	Y	O	T	T	O	T
T	E	M	R	T	S	T	I	C	K	Y	Y
S	T	O	C	K	I	N	G	A	T	N	H
P	E	P	P	E	R	M	I	N	T	C	U
O	A	D	B	Y	H	O	I	D	S	H	C
E	E	S	E	I	Y	M	N	Y	W	E	R
I	O	T	O	C	R	L	T	S	L	R	U
I	I	R	S	A	E	S	T	H	E	R	N
N	O	I	E	D	O	M	E	O	H	Y	C
Y	I	P	S	E	Y	E	B	P	N	G	H
T	S	E	W	R	A	P	P	E	R	A	Y
M	N	S	T	W	I	S	T	T	R	W	E

Candy Cane Word Search

Pick a puzzle!

The puzzles and their word lists

Easy puzzle Difficulty: Easy

Find these 8 words

Medium puzzle Difficulty: Medium

Find these 12 words

About these word searches

More word search themes

E	W	S	O	M	U	V	S	K
K	O	U	E	I	E	S	U	L
C	A	E	E	N	R	T	G	L
H	T	M	E	T	S	R	A	I
M	I	W	L	T	R	I	R	N
S	Y	H	O	O	K	P	S	U
R	O	I	S	W	E	E	T	H
M	A	T	M	C	R	P	H	B
T	R	E	A	T	R	E	D	R

H	O	L	I	D	A	Y	O	T	T	O	T
T	E	M	R	T	S	T	I	C	K	Y	Y
S	T	O	C	K	I	N	G	A	T	N	H
P	E	P	P	E	R	M	I	N	T	C	U
O	A	D	B	Y	H	O	I	D	S	H	C
E	E	S	E	I	Y	M	N	Y	W	E	R
I	O	T	O	C	R	L	T	S	L	R	U
I	I	R	S	A	E	S	T	H	E	R	N
N	O	I	E	D	O	M	E	O	H	Y	C
Y	I	P	S	E	Y	E	B	P	N	G	H
T	S	E	W	R	A	P	P	E	R	A	Y
M	N	S	T	W	I	S	T	T	R	W	E