The noises animals make
Animal sounds are one of the very first things babies and toddlers learn, and this word search gathers them. You'll be finding the farmyard favourites — MOO, BAA, OINK and QUACK — plus a dog's WOOF, a cat's MEOW and a lion's ROAR.
Each puzzle pulls a fresh selection from the list, so the chorus changes every time you play — gentle on Easy, and a noisier round once the diagonals and backwards words appear on Hard.
Who makes which noise?
The grid is a whole farmyard and zoo of noises. There are the farm sounds — the cow's MOO, the sheep's BAA, the pig's OINK, the duck's QUACK, the hen's CLUCK and the horse's NEIGH — and the pets: a dog's WOOF or BARK, a cat's MEOW, PURR or HISS. Then the wilder ones: a lion's ROAR, a wolf's HOWL, a bear's GROWL or SNORT, a bee's BUZZ, a bird's TWEET, an owl's HOOT, a frog's CROAK and a mouse's SQUEAK.
Sounds that sound like the thing
Animal-sound words are a child's first taste of a clever language trick: words that imitate the noise they describe. Grown-ups call this 'onomatopoeia' — a big word for the simple idea that BUZZ really does sound buzzy and HISS sounds hissy. Spotting and saying these words tunes a child's ear to the sounds inside words, which is one of the very first steps towards reading.
Here's a funny fact, too: animals make roughly the same noises everywhere, but people write them down differently in different languages! An English dog says WOOF, but in Spanish it's 'guau', in French 'ouaf', and in Japanese 'wan-wan'. A cockerel says 'cock-a-doodle-doo' in English but 'kikeriki' in German. That's a lovely thing to chat about — and the best part of this topic is making the noises out loud: find CLUCK, then cluck like a hen, which makes it perfect for the very youngest learners.
Great for the youngest learners
The short, fun words are ideal for the youngest learners, and made for saying out loud — Easy mode uses a small grid with no diagonals or reverse words. Play online, print a PDF pack, or use Make Your Own to build a grid from your own animal sounds.
Frequently asked questions
Which animal sounds are in the word search?
All the noises animals make — moo, baa, woof, meow and oink, plus quack, cluck, neigh, roar, buzz, tweet and more. Each puzzle uses a fresh selection.
Which animal sounds can you find?
Farmyard favourites like MOO, BAA, OINK and QUACK, plus a dog's WOOF, a cat's MEOW, a lion's ROAR, and BUZZ, HISS, HOOT and PURR.
Is it good for the youngest learners?
Perfectly — the short, fun words are ideal for the youngest learners. Easy mode uses a small grid with no diagonals or reverse words.