Islands around the globe
From tiny atolls to vast landmasses, this word search gathers islands the world over. You'll track down the tropical getaways — HAWAII, BALI, FIJI, TAHITI and the MALDIVES — alongside the great Mediterranean isles of SICILY, CRETE, CYPRUS and SARDINIA.
Each puzzle pulls a fresh selection from the list, so the map changes every time you play — gentle on Easy, and a Hard-mode voyage once the diagonals and backwards words appear.
From the Caribbean to the Pacific
The world's islands come in every shape. Visit the Caribbean's CUBA, JAMAICA and the BAHAMAS, the huge Pacific islands of BORNEO, JAVA and SUMATRA, and the chilly ICELAND and GREENLAND up north. We've hidden the island words too — the calm LAGOON, the ring-shaped ATOLL, and the TROPICAL warmth so many of them share.
How islands are born
An island is simply land surrounded by water, but they form in surprisingly different ways. Some, like HAWAII and ICELAND, are the tops of volcanoes that grew up from the sea floor. Others are pieces of a continent cut off by rising seas, and tropical ATOLLs are built over thousands of years by tiny coral creatures, leaving a ring around a sparkling LAGOON.
GREENLAND is the world's largest island (though icy, not tropical), while a country made of many islands — like Indonesia, home to JAVA, SUMATRA and part of BORNEO — is called an archipelago. That mix of fiery, frozen and far-flung makes islands a great topic for oceans and landforms.
Play, print or make your own
Play online, or print a PDF pack for a geography lesson. Want a grid of just one region's islands, or your dream holiday list? Use our Make Your Own tool to choose them and print matching copies for the class.
Frequently asked questions
Which islands are in the word search?
A world of isles — Hawaii, Bali, Fiji, Jamaica, Iceland and Madagascar — plus island words like lagoon, atoll and tropical. Each puzzle uses a fresh mix.
Are tropical and cold islands both included?
Both — sun-soaked HAWAII, BALI and FIJI share the grid with chilly ICELAND and GREENLAND, plus Mediterranean isles like SICILY and CRETE.
Does it include island words like atoll?
It does — alongside the named isles you'll find the calm LAGOON, the ring-shaped ATOLL and the TROPICAL warmth so many of them share.