{"id":69990,"date":"2026-11-09T07:12:03","date_gmt":"2026-11-09T01:42:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/games\/thanksgiving-word-search\/"},"modified":"2026-11-09T07:12:03","modified_gmt":"2026-11-09T01:42:03","slug":"thanksgiving-word-search","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/games\/thanksgiving-word-search\/","title":{"rendered":"Thanksgiving Word Search: Free Online and Printable"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Play a free <strong>Thanksgiving word search<\/strong> online or print it for the kids&#8217; table. Choose a theme, from turkey and stuffing to autumn leaves and giving thanks, pick a level, and find every hidden word. A new puzzle is made every time, and the print button gives you a clean printable page.<\/p>\n<div class=\"qt-tool\" id=\"qt-ws\"><p class=\"qt-label\" style=\"font-size:1.15em;margin:0 0 10px\"><strong>Step 1:<\/strong> Choose a theme and level<\/p><div class=\"qt-grid\"><div class=\"qt-field\"><label for=\"qt-ws-theme\">Theme<\/label><select id=\"qt-ws-theme\"><option value=\"feast\" selected>Thanksgiving feast<\/option><option value=\"autumn\">Autumn harvest<\/option><option value=\"thankful\">Giving thanks<\/option><option value=\"kitchen\">In the kitchen<\/option><\/select><\/div><div class=\"qt-field\"><label for=\"qt-ws-lvl\">Level<\/label><select id=\"qt-ws-lvl\"><option value=\"easy\">Easy (8 &times; 8, across and down)<\/option><option value=\"medium\" selected>Medium (11 &times; 11, with diagonals)<\/option><option value=\"hard\">Hard (14 &times; 14, backwards too)<\/option><\/select><\/div><\/div><p class=\"qt-label\" style=\"font-size:1.15em;margin:18px 0 10px\"><strong>Step 2:<\/strong> Find the words (press New puzzle for another)<\/p><div class=\"qt-stats\"><div class=\"qt-stat\"><span class=\"qt-num\" id=\"qt-ws-found\">0<\/span><span class=\"qt-lab\">Words found<\/span><\/div><div class=\"qt-stat\"><span class=\"qt-num\" id=\"qt-ws-time\">0:00<\/span><span class=\"qt-lab\">Time<\/span><\/div><\/div><div class=\"qt-board\" id=\"qt-ws-b\" style=\"gap:2px\"><\/div><div id=\"qt-ws-list\" style=\"display:flex;flex-wrap:wrap;gap:6px 14px;justify-content:center;margin-top:12px;font-weight:600\"><\/div><div class=\"qt-result\" id=\"qt-ws-msg\" aria-live=\"polite\" style=\"min-height:0;font-size:20px\"><\/div><div class=\"qt-row\" style=\"justify-content:center\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"qt-btn qt-btn-big\" id=\"qt-ws-new\">New puzzle<\/button><button type=\"button\" class=\"qt-btn qt-btn-ghost\" id=\"qt-ws-show\">Show answers<\/button><button type=\"button\" class=\"qt-btn qt-btn-ghost\" id=\"qt-ws-print\">Print this puzzle<\/button><\/div><p class=\"qt-status\" id=\"qt-ws-pst\" aria-live=\"polite\" style=\"text-align:center\"><\/p><p class=\"qt-note\"><strong>Private by design:<\/strong> puzzles are made in your own browser. Nothing is sent to QuickOnlineTips or stored.<\/p><\/div>\n<script>(function () { function qtReady(fn) { if (document.readyState === 'loading') { document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', fn); } else { fn(); } } function qtRand32() { var c = window.crypto || window.msCrypto; if (c) { if (c.getRandomValues) { var a = new Uint32Array(1); c.getRandomValues(a); return a[0]; } } return Math.floor(Math.random() * 4294967296); } function qtRandInt(range) { var limit = Math.floor(4294967296 \/ range) * range; var x = qtRand32(); while (x >= limit) { x = qtRand32(); } return x % range; } qtReady(function () { var B = document.getElementById('qt-ws-b'); if (!B) { return; } function $(id) { return document.getElementById(id); } var TH = { feast: 'TURKEY STUFFING GRAVY CRANBERRY PUMPKIN PIE POTATOES CORNBREAD YAMS ROLLS SQUASH CASSEROLE BUTTER FEAST DINNER PECAN', autumn: 'AUTUMN LEAVES ACORN HARVEST SCARECROW HAYRIDE ORCHARD APPLES MAPLE SWEATER CIDER GOURD PINECONE NOVEMBER BREEZE OAK', thankful: 'THANKFUL GRATEFUL FAMILY FRIENDS BLESSINGS SHARING TOGETHER KINDNESS GIVING HOME TABLE GATHER JOY PEACE HOPE HUGS', kitchen: 'OVEN ROAST BAKE RECIPE APRON PLATTER NAPKIN FORK SPOON CARVE BASTE LEFTOVERS DESSERT WHISK TIMER PLATES' }; var NAMES = { feast: 'Thanksgiving feast', autumn: 'Autumn harvest', thankful: 'Giving thanks', kitchen: 'In the kitchen' }; var CFG = { easy: [8, 7, [[0, 1], [1, 0]]], medium: [11, 10, [[0, 1], [1, 0], [1, 1], [-1, 1]]], hard: [14, 13, [[0, 1], [1, 0], [1, 1], [-1, 1], [0, -1], [-1, 0], [-1, -1], [1, -1]]] }; var N, grid, cells, placed, found, sel = null, t0, timer, colors = ['#FEEBC8', '#C6F6D5', '#FED7AA', '#E9D8FD', '#FED7E2', '#FEFCBF', '#B2F5EA']; function fmt(s) { return Math.floor(s \/ 60) + ':' + (s % 60 > 9 ? '' : '0') + (s % 60); } function build() { var cfg = CFG[$('qt-ws-lvl').value]; N = cfg[0]; var pool = TH[$('qt-ws-theme').value].split(' ').filter(function (w) { return N >= w.length; }); for (var i = pool.length - 1; i > 0; i--) { var j = qtRandInt(i + 1), x = pool[i]; pool[i] = pool[j]; pool[j] = x; } grid = []; for (var r = 0; N > r; r++) { grid.push(new Array(N).fill('')); } placed = []; pool.forEach(function (w) { if (placed.length >= cfg[1]) { return; } for (var tries = 0; 200 > tries; tries++) { var d = cfg[2][qtRandInt(cfg[2].length)], r0 = qtRandInt(N), c0 = qtRandInt(N), ok = true, k; for (k = 0; w.length > k; k++) { var rr = r0 + d[0] * k, cc = c0 + d[1] * k; if (0 > rr || rr >= N || 0 > cc || cc >= N) { ok = false; break; } if (grid[rr][cc]) { if (grid[rr][cc] !== w[k]) { ok = false; break; } } } if (!ok) { continue; } for (k = 0; w.length > k; k++) { grid[r0 + d[0] * k][c0 + d[1] * k] = w[k]; } placed.push({ w: w, r: r0, c: c0, d: d, found: false }); break; } }); var AB = 'ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPRSTUWY'; for (var a = 0; N > a; a++) { for (var b = 0; N > b; b++) { if (!grid[a][b]) { grid[a][b] = AB[qtRandInt(AB.length)]; } } } B.textContent = ''; B.style.gridTemplateColumns = 'repeat(' + N + ',1fr)'; B.style.width = 'min(' + (N * 40) + 'px,100%)'; cells = []; for (var y = 0; N > y; y++) { for (var x2 = 0; N > x2; x2++) { var c = document.createElement('div'); c.className = 'qt-cell'; c.textContent = grid[y][x2]; c.style.fontSize = 'clamp(12px,' + (60 \/ N) + 'vw,20px)'; c.style.borderRadius = '4px'; c.dataset.r = y; c.dataset.c = x2; B.appendChild(c); cells.push(c); } } var L = $('qt-ws-list'); L.textContent = ''; placed.sort(function (p, q) { return p.w > q.w ? 1 : -1; }).forEach(function (p) { var s = document.createElement('span'); s.textContent = p.w; p.el = s; L.appendChild(s); }); found = 0; $('qt-ws-found').textContent = '0 \/ ' + placed.length; $('qt-ws-msg').textContent = 'Drag across a word, or tap its first and last letter.'; $('qt-ws-pst').textContent = ''; clearInterval(timer); t0 = Date.now(); timer = setInterval(function () { $('qt-ws-time').textContent = fmt(Math.floor((Date.now() - t0) \/ 1000)); }, 500); $('qt-ws-time').textContent = '0:00'; } function cell(r, c) { return cells[r * N + c]; } function line(a, b) { var dr = b[0] - a[0], dc = b[1] - a[1]; if (dr !== 0) { if (dc !== 0) { if (Math.abs(dr) !== Math.abs(dc)) { return null; } } } var n = Math.max(Math.abs(dr), Math.abs(dc)), sr = Math.sign(dr), sc = Math.sign(dc), out = []; for (var k = 0; n >= k; k++) { out.push([a[0] + sr * k, a[1] + sc * k]); } return out; } function paint(pts) { cells.forEach(function (c) { c.classList.remove('qt-sel'); }); if (pts) { pts.forEach(function (p) { cell(p[0], p[1]).classList.add('qt-sel'); }); } } function check(pts) { if (!pts) { return; } if (2 > pts.length) { return; } var s = pts.map(function (p) { return grid[p[0]][p[1]]; }).join(''), rs = s.split('').reverse().join(''); var hit = false; placed.forEach(function (p) { if (p.found || hit) { return; } if (p.w !== s) { if (p.w !== rs) { return; } } if (pts.length !== p.w.length) { return; } p.found = true; hit = true; found++; var col = colors[found % colors.length]; pts.forEach(function (q) { var c = cell(q[0], q[1]); c.style.background = col; c.style.borderColor = '#A0AEC0'; }); p.el.style.textDecoration = 'line-through'; p.el.style.opacity = '.55'; $('qt-ws-found').textContent = found + ' \/ ' + placed.length; if (found === placed.length) { clearInterval(timer); $('qt-ws-msg').textContent = 'Puzzle complete in ' + fmt(Math.floor((Date.now() - t0) \/ 1000)) + '! Happy Thanksgiving \ud83e\udd83'; } }); } function rc(e) { var t = document.elementFromPoint(e.clientX, e.clientY); if (!t) { return null; } if (!t.dataset) { return null; } if (t.dataset.r === undefined) { return null; } return [+t.dataset.r, +t.dataset.c]; } var dragging = false, start = null, moved = false; B.addEventListener('pointerdown', function (e) { var p = rc(e); if (!p) { return; } e.preventDefault(); if (sel) { var pts = line(sel, p); paint(null); check(pts); sel = null; return; } dragging = true; moved = false; start = p; paint([p]); }); B.addEventListener('pointermove', function (e) { if (!dragging) { return; } var p = rc(e); if (!p) { return; } if (p[0] !== start[0] || p[1] !== start[1]) { moved = true; } paint(line(start, p)); }); document.addEventListener('pointerup', function (e) { if (!dragging) { return; } dragging = false; var p = rc(e) || start; if (moved) { paint(null); check(line(start, p)); } else { sel = start; paint([start]); } }); $('qt-ws-new').addEventListener('click', build); $('qt-ws-show').addEventListener('click', function () { placed.forEach(function (p) { if (p.found) { return; } for (var k = 0; p.w.length > k; k++) { var c = cell(p.r + p.d[0] * k, p.c + p.d[1] * k); c.style.outline = '2px solid #E53E3E'; } }); clearInterval(timer); $('qt-ws-msg').textContent = 'Answers shown in red outline. Press New puzzle to play again.'; }); $('qt-ws-print').addEventListener('click', function () { var w = window.open('', '_blank'); if (!w) { $('qt-ws-pst').textContent = 'Your browser blocked the print window. Allow pop-ups for this site and press Print again.'; return; } var d = w.document; d.title = 'Thanksgiving Word Search'; var st = d.createElement('style'); st.textContent = 'body{font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;margin:24px;color:#111}h1{font-size:28px;margin:0 0 4px}p{margin:0 0 14px;color:#444}table{border-collapse:collapse;margin:0 auto 18px}td{width:' + Math.floor(560 \/ N) + 'px;height:' + Math.floor(560 \/ N) + 'px;text-align:center;font-size:' + Math.max(14, Math.floor(300 \/ N)) + 'px;font-weight:700;border:1px solid #bbb}ul{columns:3;font-size:17px;font-weight:700;padding-left:18px}li{margin:0 0 6px}.f{margin-top:22px;font-size:12px;color:#666}'; d.head.appendChild(st); var h = d.createElement('h1'); h.textContent = 'Thanksgiving Word Search'; d.body.appendChild(h); var p = d.createElement('p'); p.textContent = NAMES[$('qt-ws-theme').value] + ', ' + N + ' x ' + N + '. Find and circle every word.'; d.body.appendChild(p); var tb = d.createElement('table'); for (var r = 0; N > r; r++) { var tr = d.createElement('tr'); for (var c = 0; N > c; c++) { var td = d.createElement('td'); td.textContent = grid[r][c]; tr.appendChild(td); } tb.appendChild(tr); } d.body.appendChild(tb); var ul = d.createElement('ul'); placed.forEach(function (q) { var li = d.createElement('li'); li.textContent = q.w; ul.appendChild(li); }); d.body.appendChild(ul); var f = d.createElement('p'); f.className = 'f'; f.textContent = 'Free printable word search from quickonlinetips.com'; d.body.appendChild(f); setTimeout(function () { w.focus(); w.print(); }, 250); $('qt-ws-pst').textContent = 'Print window opened. Choose your printer or Save as PDF.'; }); ['qt-ws-theme', 'qt-ws-lvl'].forEach(function (id) { $(id).addEventListener('change', build); }); build(); }); })();<\/script>\n<div class=\"qt-next\"><p class=\"qt-next-h\">Play next<\/p><div class=\"qt-next-g\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/games\/christmas-word-search\/\">Christmas Word Search<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/games\/word-search\/\">Word Search<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/games\/halloween-word-search\/\">Halloween Word Search<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/games\/hangman\/\">Hangman<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/games\/word-scramble\/\">Word Scramble<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/tools\/days-until-christmas\/\">Days Until Christmas<\/a><\/div><\/div>\n<p><strong>Quick answer:<\/strong> Choose a Thanksgiving theme and a level, then find the listed words by dragging from the first letter to the last, or by tapping the first and last letters. Press <strong>Print this puzzle<\/strong> to print it or save it as a PDF.<\/p>\n<h2>How to play the Thanksgiving word search<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>Pick a theme: Thanksgiving feast, autumn harvest, giving thanks or in the kitchen.<\/li>\n<li>Choose a level. Easy is an 8 by 8 grid with words across and down, good for young children. Hard is 14 by 14 with words in all eight directions.<\/li>\n<li>Find the words under the grid. Found words are coloured in and crossed off.<\/li>\n<li>Press <strong>Show answers<\/strong> if you get stuck, or <strong>New puzzle<\/strong> for another one.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2>Themes and sample words<\/h2>\n<table class=\"qt-ref\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Theme<\/th>\n<th>Sample words<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Thanksgiving feast<\/td>\n<td>Turkey, stuffing, gravy, cranberry, pumpkin pie<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Autumn harvest<\/td>\n<td>Leaves, acorn, scarecrow, hayride, cider<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Giving thanks<\/td>\n<td>Thankful, grateful, family, blessings, together<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>In the kitchen<\/td>\n<td>Oven, recipe, platter, carve, leftovers<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2>Printable Thanksgiving word search<\/h2>\n<p>Press <strong>Print this puzzle<\/strong> and a printer-friendly page opens with the grid and the word list, without the website around it. Choose your printer, or pick <strong>Save as PDF<\/strong> to keep a copy. Make one puzzle per child on different levels, so everyone gets a puzzle that suits them while the turkey cooks.<\/p>\n<p>More holiday fun: try the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/games\/christmas-word-search\/\">Christmas word search<\/a>, the classic <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/games\/word-search\/\">word search<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/games\/hangman\/\">hangman<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>FAQ<\/h2>\n<h3>Is the Thanksgiving word search free?<\/h3>\n<p>Yes. It is free with no sign-up and no download, on phones, tablets and computers, and printing is free too.<\/p>\n<h3>Is it good for kids?<\/h3>\n<p>Yes. The easy level only hides words across and down in a small grid, which suits early readers. Older kids and adults can try medium or hard.<\/p>\n<h3>Can I print the answers?<\/h3>\n<p>Press Show answers to see them on screen. The printed page has only the puzzle and word list, so it stays a challenge.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Play a free Thanksgiving word search online or print it for the kids&#8217; table. Choose a theme, from turkey and stuffing to autumn leaves and giving thanks, pick a level, and find every hidden word. A new puzzle is made every time, and the print button gives you a clean printable page. Quick answer: Choose&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"parent":66148,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-69990","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/69990","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=69990"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/69990\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/66148"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69990"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}