The sound of Jamaica
Reggae carried the spirit of JAMAICA around the world, and this word search gathers its essentials. You'll be finding the foundations — the deep BASSLINE, the choppy OFFBEAT SKANK on the guitar, and the RIDDIM that every singer rides.
Each puzzle pulls a fresh selection from the list, so the track changes every time you play — gentle on Easy, and a Hard-mode soundclash once the diagonals and backwards words appear.
Roots, dub and the dancehall
Reggae has a whole family of styles. Trace it back to SKA, branch into echoing DUB, and feel the ROOTS and RASTA spirit, capital KINGSTON at its heart. There's the art of TOASTING over a track, the smooth LOVERS rock, the SOUNDCLASH between rival systems, and that MELLOW, TROPICAL, CHILL VIBE with warm HORNS and plenty of ECHO.
A small island with a huge sound
Reggae is proof that a tiny place can change global music. It grew up in JAMAICA in the late 1960s out of earlier local styles like SKA, slowing the tempo right down and shifting the emphasis onto the OFFBEAT — that choppy guitar SKANK and deep, rolling BASSLINE are what make reggae instantly recognisable. Bob Marley carried it from KINGSTON to the rest of the planet, turning songs of ROOTS, faith and standing up for yourself into worldwide anthems.
Jamaica also more or less invented studio trickery that the whole music world now uses. With DUB, producers stripped a song back to its drums and bass and drenched it in ECHO and effects, creating brand-new 'versions' from existing tracks — an idea that fed directly into the SAMPLE-and-remix culture of hip-hop and dance music. DJs 'TOASTING' (talking and chanting over a RIDDIM) were rapping before rap had a name. That outsized influence makes reggae a great topic for a music lesson on world genres and rhythm.
Great for a world-music topic
It pairs perfectly with a lesson on world genres, rhythm and the offbeat — Easy mode keeps the grid small with no diagonals or reverse words. Play online, print a PDF pack, or use our Make Your Own tool to build a grid from your own reggae words.
Frequently asked questions
What's in the reggae word search?
The sound of Jamaica — bassline, riddim, the offbeat skank and dub, plus roots, dreadlocks and the dancehall soundclash. Each puzzle uses a fresh mix.
Where did reggae come from?
JAMAICA — and the grid hides its roots: the deep BASSLINE, the offbeat SKANK, the RIDDIM, plus DUB, SKA and the KINGSTON dancehall.
Is it good for a world-music topic?
Great fit — pair it with a lesson on world genres and rhythm. Easy mode keeps the grid small with no diagonals or reverse words.