St. Patrick’s Day Word Search

Make a printable St. Patrick’s Day word search in a few clicks. Start from one of our 7 word lists, from short words for kids to lucky symbols, Ireland and Irish culture, parade day, Irish food and harder words for adults, or type your own. Pick a level, from across and down only to all eight directions with backwards words, and a shape: a shamrock, a top hat, a pot of gold or a plain rectangle. Every page can have one of 5 borders we drew ourselves, in colour or in black and white to colour in, and the PDF comes with an answer key that highlights every word and gives its row and column. For a class, type the names and each child gets a different puzzle with the same words, their name already on the sheet. US Letter or A4, plus a PNG. Free, with no sign-up, no email and no watermark.

Nothing to upload. Puzzles are made in your browser.

How to make a St. Patrick’s Day word search

1. Pick a word list, or choose Your own words and type them one per line.
2. Choose the level and the shape. The kids list starts on Easy; harder words start on Hard.
3. Pick a border and Colour or Black and white, then add a line under the title if you like.
4. Switch to Answer key to check it, or press New puzzle for a different grid.
5. Download the PDF (puzzle, then the answer key) and print at 100%. For a class, type the names and download the class set; for several lists, tick them and download the pack.

What you can use it for

• A quiet activity on the morning of March 17
• A class set before the St. Patrick’s Day party, one different puzzle per child
• Early finishers in March, with the kids list on Easy
• A harder puzzle for adults at a club or a care home
• Activity packs for libraries and after-school clubs

The 7 word lists

List	Words	Longest word (letters)	Starts on	Starts with
St. Patrick’s Day for kids	12	7	Easy	Green, Lucky, Gold, Rainbow
St. Patrick’s Day words	20	14	Medium	Saint Patrick, Shamrock, Leprechaun, Rainbow
Lucky symbols	14	14	Medium	Shamrock, Four leaf clover, Horseshoe, Rainbow
Ireland and Irish culture	16	11	Medium	Dublin, Galway, Cork, Kerry
Parade day	16	12	Medium	Parade, Marching band, Bagpipes, Drums
Irish food	16	10	Medium	Soda bread, Brown bread, Irish stew, Potatoes
Harder words for adults	20	12	Hard	Shillelagh, Leprechaun, Emerald, Celebration

114 words in all, chosen by us, with no brand, drink or team names. St. Patrick’s Day words is the list the tool opens with. Any list can be edited before you print, and any list works at any level.

Shapes

Shape	Grid for the St. Patrick’s Day words list	Squares with letters	Words placed
Rectangle	18 × 18	324	20
Shamrock	22 × 22	204	20
Top hat	17 × 17	157	20
Pot of gold	17 × 17	189	20

Worked out by the tool for the 20-word St. Patrick’s Day words list on Medium. Shapes use fewer squares than a rectangle of the same size, so the grid grows until every word fits. A light dashed line marks the shamrock’s three leaf veins, the hat band and the rim of the pot.

Borders and colour

Borders: Shamrocks and gold coins, rainbows and gold coins, horseshoes and four-leaf clovers, top hats and shamrocks and plain frame, or none. All are our own drawings, made of simple shapes so they print cleanly. Black and white prints them as outlines to colour in, with light grey highlights on the answer key.

Letters print in Helvetica, the PDF’s built-in typeface, sized to the squares. Large print makes the letters bigger where the page has room, and Light grid lines adds faint squares for younger children.

Levels and directions

Level	Directions words can run
Easy	Left to right and top to bottom
Medium	Adds diagonals, down-right and up-right
Hard	All 8 directions, including backwards and upwards

The tool spreads the words across the directions the level allows, so a Hard puzzle really has backwards words in it.

Class sets and packs

A class set uses the words you have on screen and makes a different grid for each name, up to 40 names, with the name printed on the Name line. A pack makes one puzzle from each list you tick, each at its own level unless you choose otherwise. Both put the answer keys at the back, so you can print the puzzles on their own.

More St. Patrick’s Day puzzles and printables

For any other topic, with up to 30 versions of one puzzle and an online play mode, use the Word Search Maker. Turn the same words into a crossword or bingo cards.

• A maze for early finishers: Maze Generator.
• Name tags for the class party: Name Tag Template.
• A certificate for the puzzle champion: Certificate Maker.

Frequently asked questions

Is this St. Patrick’s Day word search free?

Yes. There is no sign-up, no email and no watermark, and you can make as many puzzles as you like.

Is there an answer key?

Yes. The PDF has the puzzle first and the answer key after it, with every word highlighted and its row, column and direction listed. Packs and class sets put all the answer keys at the back.

When is St. Patrick’s Day?

St. Patrick’s Day is 17 March every year: Wednesday, March 17, 2027, and Friday, March 17, 2028. It is a bank holiday in Northern Ireland, where GOV.UK lists both dates.

Which level should I choose?

Easy hides words across and down only, which suits young children. Medium adds diagonals. Hard uses all eight directions, so words can run backwards and upwards too.

Is there a version for kids and one for adults?

Yes. St. Patrick’s Day for kids has short words like Gold and Harp and starts on Easy. Harder words for adults has long words like Shillelagh and Serendipity and starts on Hard. Any list works at any level.

Are there brand names in the lists?

No. The lists use plain words such as Shamrock, Rainbow and Soda bread, never the names of products, drinks or teams, so the puzzles suit any classroom.

Can I use my own words?

Yes. Choose Your own words and type or paste them, one per line, such as your class’s spelling words or the names of the children. Phrases like Pot of gold are fine: the spaces are left out in the grid.

Can the puzzle be shaped like a shamrock?

Yes. The tool opens on the shamrock; choose Top hat, Pot of gold or Rectangle under Shape. Letters only fill the shape, with its outline drawn round it. If a long word cannot fit inside a shape, the tool says which one, so nothing is dropped quietly.

How does the class set work?

Type the names, one per line, and press Class set PDF. Each child gets the same words in a different grid, with their name printed on the sheet, so neighbours cannot copy. The answer keys follow, one per name.

Will every word really be in the grid?

Yes. After the empty squares are filled with random letters, every word is checked to appear exactly once, and the filler is changed where it made a second copy. The answer key is drawn from the same grid.

Can children colour the border?

Yes. Choose Black and white, to colour in: the shamrocks, clovers, coins, rainbows, horseshoes and hats print as black outlines on white.

How do I make the same puzzle again?

Note the puzzle code under the preview (it is also on the answer key). Type it back into Puzzle code with the same words and settings to get the same grid.

Can I use the puzzles in class or sell them?

Yes. The designs are our own drawings: you may use them and anything you make with them, including things you sell, with no credit needed.

Are my words and names uploaded?

No. The puzzle and the PDF are made in your browser and nothing is saved.