A bestiary of legends, in one grid
Every culture dreamed up its own monsters, and this word search rounds up the most famous. You'll be finding the giants of legend — the DRAGON, PHOENIX and KRAKEN — the part-animal beasts like the CENTAUR, MINOTAUR and GRIFFIN, and the creatures of folklore, from the TROLL to the GOBLIN.
Each puzzle pulls a fresh selection from the list, so the bestiary changes every time you play — gentle on Easy, and a longer-word challenge once the diagonals and backwards words appear on Hard.
Beasts and monsters in the grid
The grid is a whole menagerie of make-believe. There are the famous mash-up beasts — the lion-eagle GRIFFIN, the horse-man CENTAUR, the bull-man MINOTAUR and the multi-animal CHIMERA — and the dangerous ones: the fire-breathing DRAGON, the sea-monster KRAKEN, the many-headed HYDRA, the one-eyed CYCLOPS, the snake-haired GORGON and her cousin MEDUSA's kind, plus the petrifying BASILISK and three-headed CERBERUS. Gentler legends fill the rest — the UNICORN, MERMAID, FAIRY and GNOME — alongside the SPHINX, the reborn PHOENIX, and folklore's TROLL, GOBLIN, WEREWOLF, VAMPIRE, YETI and wailing BANSHEE.
Where do monsters come from?
Mythical creatures are often clever mash-ups of real animals, dreamed up to explain the unknown or to make a thrilling story. The GRIFFIN combines the king of beasts (a lion) with the king of birds (an eagle); the CENTAUR may have begun when people who'd never seen riders mistook a person on horseback for one creature. Sailors' tales gave us the giant KRAKEN, probably inspired by glimpses of real giant squid, and the MERMAID, sometimes thought to be distant sightings of seals or manatees.
The same monsters pop up across the world and across time, from ancient Greek myths to today's films, books and video games — which is exactly why children recognise so many of them. The DRAGON appears almost everywhere, fearsome and fire-breathing in Europe but wise and lucky in China, while the PHOENIX, reborn from its own ashes, became a symbol of hope. All that imagination makes mythical creatures brilliant fuel for creative writing, a myths-and-legends topic or a fantasy reading week.
Great for a story topic
It's a great fit for creative writing or a fantasy reading week — most names are short, and 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 favourite creatures.
Frequently asked questions
Which creatures are in the word search?
Beasts and monsters of legend — dragons, phoenixes, unicorns, griffins, the Kraken and more. Each puzzle uses a fresh selection.
Which creatures can you find?
Giants of legend like the DRAGON, PHOENIX and KRAKEN, part-animal beasts like the CENTAUR, MINOTAUR and GRIFFIN, the gentle UNICORN and MERMAID, plus folklore figures from the TROLL and GOBLIN to the BASILISK and CERBERUS.
Is it good for a story topic?
Great fit for creative writing or a fantasy reading week. Most names are short, and Easy mode uses a small grid with no diagonals or reverse words.