Hard Christmas Word Search in Large Print
PFEFFERNUSSE, BOWLFULOFJELLY, CHINESECHECKERS — long Christmas words hidden every which way, still in big, clear type.
5 puzzles · 110 words · 18 × 18 grids · Free to print and photocopy, with every answer key included as page two of its PDF.
Puzzle 1 — Decking the halls
Peek at the answer key
Puzzle 2 — The holiday spread
Peek at the answer key
Puzzle 3 — The Night Before Christmas
Peek at the answer key
Puzzle 4 — Cards in the mail
Peek at the answer key
Puzzle 5 — Toys under the tree
Peek at the answer key
Make one with your own words. Grandchildren's names, this week's menu, the streets of a hometown: the free word search maker prints them in the same big letters, with an answer key.
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A proper Christmas challenge, still in large print
Every grid here is 18×18 with 22 words, the same settings as our hard large print word search: words hide in all eight directions, including backwards and diagonally up, and most of them are long — CHRISTMASVILLAGE, PARKERHOUSEROLLS, FAMILYNEWSLETTER and SEASONSGREETINGS are sixteen letters each. The letters still print at about 14-point in Atkinson Hyperlegible, larger and clearer than a newspaper puzzle.
If the 18×18 type is too small for you, the Christmas word search for adults uses the same all-eight-directions rule in 15×15 grids, which print at about 20-point.
Five lists with a story in them
Decking the halls is the house, from the TREETOPPER to the BUBBLELIGHTS. The holiday spread is the baking and the table — PFEFFERNUSSE, DIVINITY, a CHEESEBALL and the PRIMERIB. The Night Before Christmas is the 1823 poem usually credited to Clement Clarke Moore, with all eight reindeer as most people know them today. Cards in the mail is the annual job of the ADDRESSBOOK and the POSTAGESTAMPS, and Toys under the tree is the ELECTRICTRAIN, the VIEWMASTER and the RADIOFLYER.
The last two are the ones that get people talking. Ask who still sends cards, or what was under the tree the year they were eight. A hard puzzle does not have to be a quiet one.
Planning puzzles for a care home or senior center? The memory care activities page lays the whole year out as a printable monthly calendar, and activities for nursing home residents covers what works for a mixed group.
Which size should you print?
Every puzzle on this page fills one US Letter sheet. What changes is how many letters share it — fewer letters means each one prints larger. The gentler grid is the one to reach for if reading the page is the hard part; the tougher grid is for solvers who want a long hunt and find the standard size too quick.
Want a whole page at one size instead? The extra large print puzzles use 10×10 grids with our biggest letters, the jumbo and easy pages use 12×12, and the giant and hard pages pack 22–24 words into an 18×18 grid.
Frequently asked questions
How do I print these hard christmas word searches?
Click "Download PDF" under any puzzle for a print-ready US Letter file (the answer key is included as page two), or click "Print" to send it straight to your printer. Both print well on A4 too. Print at 100% scale — avoid "fit to page", which can shrink the grid.
How large is the print in these puzzles?
Each 18 × 18 grid fills a full US Letter page, so the letters print in about 14-point type, just over an eighth of an inch tall. That is smaller than our other grids; if reading the letters is the hard part, the 12×12 and 10×10 pages print much larger. Everything uses the Atkinson Hyperlegible typeface, designed by the Braille Institute for low-vision readers.
How hard are these puzzles?
Words hide in all eight directions, including backwards and diagonal. There are 110 words to find across 5 puzzles, and every answer key is free with the PDFs.
Can I photocopy these puzzles for a group?
Yes — print and photocopy them freely for your family, classroom, library, activity group or care home. That is exactly what they are for.
How hard are these Christmas word searches?
The hardest on the site: five 18×18 grids, 22 words in each (110 in all), hidden in all eight directions including backwards. Most words are ten letters or longer, and several are sixteen.
What is the difference between this page and the Christmas word search for adults?
Grid size. The Christmas word search for adults is mostly 15×15, so its letters print larger, at about 20-point. Everything here is 18×18 with 22 words, for solvers who want the longest hunt and are comfortable with 14-point type.
Are the backwards words really backwards?
Yes. A word can run right to left, bottom to top, or along any diagonal in either direction. The answer key on page two of each PDF highlights every word, so nobody is left stuck.