Free word search maker and printables

Black History Month Word Search

Names and words from Black history hidden in a grid, to print with an answer key or play online.

This free Black History Month word search maker builds printable puzzles from a list of 55 words about people, events and ideas in Black history. It runs in your web browser, with no sign-up and no download needed.

Each new puzzle picks 18 of the 55 words at random for the default 15×15 grid, so every copy is different. You can change the grid size, difficulty and number of words, or type your own list. Every print includes an answer key, and you can also solve the puzzle on screen with hints and a timer. The list suits classrooms, libraries and church groups in February.

The puzzles are yours to use in class, at community events or in products you sell, such as Teachers Pay Teachers packs.

Black history month word search example
  1. Check that the Topic is Black History Month, which holds 55 words. The grid starts at 15×15 and Medium.
  2. Choose a Grid size. Use 12×12 or smaller for younger players, or 15×15 and up for older ones.
  3. Set Number of words. The tool starts at a good number for the size, such as 18 for 15×15. Each new puzzle picks that many words from the topic.
  4. Pick a Difficulty level: Easy, Medium, Hard or Expert. The hint line under the levels explains the directions for each one.
  5. Open the Print panel. Set Copies (1 to 20), choose Paper size (Letter or A4), and choose Answer keys (Four per page, One per page, or One per page with word positions).
  6. Click Print puzzles + answer keys. To save a PDF, choose Save as PDF in the print window.

To solve on screen, click or tap the first letter of a word, then its last letter. With a mouse you can also drag across the letters. Use Hint to flash the first letter of an unfound word, or Show answers to outline every word. Select Next puzzle for a new grid with the same settings. Use Copy link to share the exact puzzle with a class or friend. Your game stays saved in this browser, so reloading the page continues it.

The topic has 55 entries: 33 people and 22 words. Each new puzzle picks 18 of them at random on the default 15×15 grid, so a class can print several different puzzles. Some people appear by surname only, to keep the words short enough for the grid:

  • Leaders and activists: Harriet Tubman, Douglass (Frederick Douglass, abolitionist and writer), Sojourner Truth, Rosa Parks, Dr. King (Martin Luther King Jr.), Malcolm X, Medgar Evers, John Lewis, Ida B. Wells, Dorothy Height, Bethune (Mary McLeod Bethune), Du Bois (W. E. B. Du Bois), Ruby Bridges.
  • Government and law: Marshall (Thurgood Marshall, the first Black Supreme Court justice), Shirley Chisholm, Barack Obama.
  • Science, invention and business: Carver (George Washington Carver), Banneker (Benjamin Banneker), Garrett Morgan, Madam C.J. Walker, Mae Jemison (the first Black woman in space, 1992), Bessie Coleman.
  • Writers: Phillis Wheatley, Langston Hughes, Hurston (Zora Neale Hurston), Maya Angelou, Woodson (Carter G. Woodson, who started Negro History Week in 1926; it grew into Black History Month).
  • Music and sport: Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Jackie Robinson, Jesse Owens, Muhammad Ali.

The 22 words: Civil rights, Freedom, Equality, Justice, Juneteenth, Underground (as in the Underground Railroad), Abolition, Emancipation, Voting rights, Bus boycott, Freedom Riders, Sit-in, Selma, Montgomery, Harlem, Jazz, Heritage, Legacy, Pioneer, Courage, February, Dream.

The level sets the directions: Easy uses only left to right and top to bottom, and words never cross; Medium adds the two forward diagonals; Hard and Expert use all eight directions, backwards too. Every hidden word appears exactly once.

Why does a black history month word find hide names like Dr. King as DRKING?

Names are written without spaces or punctuation in the grid. Dr. King becomes DRKING, Ida B. Wells becomes IDABWELLS, Malcolm X becomes MALCOLMX and Sit-in becomes SITIN. The word list still shows each name as written, so solvers see the familiar spelling but must find the joined letters in the grid.

The same rule applies to your own words. Spaces, hyphens and apostrophes stay in the list but not in the grid, so ice cream is hidden as ICECREAM. Accents are removed in the grid too, so café is hidden as CAFE. This keeps the letters clean while the list stays easy to read.

Frequently asked questions

When is Black History Month?

February in the United States and Canada, and October in the United Kingdom. It was first recognised by a US president in 1976, fifty years after Carter G. Woodson started Negro History Week.

Are the black history word search puzzles printable for younger students?

Yes. Choose Easy difficulty, which uses only left-to-right and top-to-bottom words that never cross. Use a 12×12 grid with fewer words, or choose My own words and type the names your class studied.

Can I add our own names or topics?

Yes. Choose My own words in the Topic menu and type your list. It replaces the topic’s words. Type a Title and up to 60 words in Your words, one per line or separated by commas or semicolons.

Is there an answer key?

Yes. Every print has one. Choose One per page with word positions under Answer keys to add the row, column and direction for each name.

Black history month word search answers: where do I find them?

Select Show answers on screen to outline every word. To print the answers, use Print puzzles + answer keys (the keys come after the puzzles) or Print answer keys only. For example, in the demo puzzle at /black-history-month-word-search/?seed=demo1, BUSBOYCOTT starts in row 1, column 10 and runs top to bottom.

Is there a black history word search printable with puzzles in a PDF?

Yes. Set your copies and paper size in the Print panel, then choose Save as PDF in the print window. Each puzzle prints on its own page with the title, size, level, Name and Date lines, and the word list.

Can I use Black History Month word searches in a product I sell?

Yes. What you make is royalty-free for personal, classroom and commercial use, including Teachers Pay Teachers, Etsy printables, KDP activity books and print-on-demand products. The word lists are our own and no credit is required. The only limit is copying the generator or site to run a competing service.