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Pi Day Word Search (free printable)

A free Pi Day word search with twenty-two words (circumference, diameter, radius, irrational, Archimedes, pie), a word bank and an answer key for March 14.

22 words. “Polar bear” becomes POLARBEAR. Add a clue after a colon (“snow: white flakes”) to put clues in the bank.
Grid size
Difficulty
Up to 40 letters. They fill the first leftover squares, so the letters nobody circles spell it. On the board it flies into place when the last word is found.
Sort and find: the look-alikes hide in the grid and the word bank too, so children decide which to circle.

Use this list in: bingo cards

Pi Day Word SearchPi Day Word SearchNameDateIDUYPCWIELGPICAOIECYICMGEEIRRCDGYIENEOCIOTRUIFIHRGFLRNYMEASRRTRCRILOCSETTTCASZLENNBECTRINUCRPEEIXYIURAOEMTHCHKTNLOWYCNEFICSHEYSSBUSWATEOOCQIRQITEAWLERNMBALMEVZEQLEVERPMATHEMATICIANRATIORADIUSNWRCRSEGDIAMETERMSEASLUINDMBSEAREAFIND THESE WORDSPICIRCLECIRCUMFERENCEDIAMETERRADIUSRATIOCONSTANTARCHIMEDESIRRATIONALGREEKINFINITYDIGITSAREAGEOMETRYMATHEMATICIANCOMPASSPIECRUSTSLICEFRACTIONEINSTEINSPHEREPuzzle 91113Free at teach.peabody.kids
Puzzle ·
Pi Day Word Search: answer keyPi Day Word Search: answer keyEvery word to find is circled.IDUYPCWIELGPICAOIECYICMGEEIRRCDGYIENEOCIOTRUIFIHRGFLRNYMEASRRTRCRILOCSETTTCASZLENNBECTRINUCRPEEIXYIURAOEMTHCHKTNLOWYCNEFICSHEYSSBUSWATEOOCQIRQITEAWLERNMBALMEVZEQLEVERPMATHEMATICIANRATIORADIUSNWRCRSEGDIAMETERMSEASLUINDMBSEAREAPuzzle 91113Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key ·

To save a PDF, choose Print, then “Save as PDF” as the printer. Only the sheets print.

All 22 words are in the grid, and each one appears once.

About this set

Twenty-two words for the math of a circle and the fun of March 14, in a 15 by 15 grid. The hidden words are the parts of a circle (circle, circumference, diameter, radius, area, round, sphere), the ideas behind pi (pi, ratio, constant, irrational, digits, fraction, infinity, Greek), the people (Archimedes, Einstein, mathematician) and the party (pie, crust, slice). Circumference and mathematician are thirteen letters and Archimedes is ten, so the puzzle is pitched at third through eighth grade. It is a way to bring the vocabulary of a geometry unit into the one day when everyone is looking at the number.

Grades: 3rd to 8th grade. Best in: March.

The words to find

Pi · Circle · Circumference · Diameter · Radius · Ratio · Constant · Archimedes · Irrational · Greek · Infinity · Digits · Area · Geometry · Mathematician · Compass · Pie · Crust · Slice · Fraction · Einstein · Sphere

How to use it: five ideas

  1. Define each part: students write a one-line meaning for circumference, diameter and radius in their own words, then draw the circle with all three marked.
  2. Pi connection: students find the three circle words, then measure a round object with string and a ruler to find how many diameters fit around it.
  3. Mathematician report: students pick Archimedes or Einstein and write three facts they can verify in a book.
  4. Irrational idea: students discuss in pairs why no decimal can ever equal pi exactly, and write a sentence about it.
  5. Party puzzle: leave the word search on the table with the pie so students can work on it while they eat.

Related

Questions

Why is Einstein in a Pi Day puzzle?

Albert Einstein was born on March 14, 1879, which is the date of Pi Day. Many schools mention this coincidence, so the name is in the puzzle. Delete it from the box if you prefer.

Can I add the first digits of pi?

Yes. Words in a word search are letters only, so digits are dropped. For digits, use the Pi Day bingo cards, which hold 3.14 and 3.14159 as squares.

Can I change the words or the difficulty?

Yes. Edit the 22 words in the box, choose Easy, Medium or Hard, pick a grid size from 8 to 25 and a shape, and add a secret message if you like. The puzzle rebuilds as you change it, and any word that cannot fit is listed.

Can we play it on the board?

Yes. Press “Play on the board”: the class finds words by dragging across them or tapping the first and last letters, each find plays a note, and H gives a hint. Press F to fill the projector.

How do I save it as a PDF?

Press Print and choose “Save as PDF” as the printer. The puzzle is page one and the answer key is page two.

How do I get a different layout?

Press “Make another”. The same words are placed in a new arrangement, which is handy when neighbors should not have the same puzzle.

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