Every living thing has a cycle
A life CYCLE is the journey from the start of life through to a grown-up that can make new life, and this word search gathers the STAGES. You'll be finding the classic insect cycle — the EGG, the LARVA, the PUPA in its COCOON or CHRYSALIS, and the ADULT BUTTERFLY that emerges.
Each puzzle pulls a fresh selection from the list, so the stages change every time you play — gentle on Easy, and a Hard-mode challenge once the diagonals and backwards words appear.
Frogs, plants and beyond
Different living things have different cycles, and the words are here. A frog starts as FROGSPAWN, then a TADPOLE, before it grows up; some insects pass through a NYMPH stage. Plants begin as a SEED that needs to GERMINATE and SPROUT into a SEEDLING. Eggs HATCH, young GROW and MATURE, and every adult will REPRODUCE to make OFFSPRING — sometimes starting as a tiny EMBRYO.
The amazing science of metamorphosis
The most dramatic life CYCLE belongs to the BUTTERFLY, and its big trick has a name: metamorphosis, meaning 'change of shape'. A caterpillar hatches from an EGG as a hungry LARVA, eats and eats until it has grown many times its size, then seals itself inside a CHRYSALIS. In there it does something almost unbelievable — it dissolves into a soupy mush and rebuilds itself completely, emerging as a winged ADULT that looks nothing like the crawler it was.
Frogs do their own version. FROGSPAWN hatches into a TADPOLE that breathes underwater with gills and has a tail but no legs; over weeks it grows legs, absorbs its tail and swaps gills for lungs so it can hop onto land. Not every creature transforms, though — many simply HATCH or are born as tiny versions of their parents and slowly GROW and MATURE. Either way, the goal is the same: survive long enough to REPRODUCE and start the CYCLE again with the next generation of OFFSPRING.
Great for a living-things topic
It pairs perfectly with a science lesson on growth and life cycles — 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 biology words.
Frequently asked questions
What's in the life cycles word search?
The stages of life — egg, larva, pupa and adult, plus the tadpole and frogspawn, and seeds that germinate and sprout. Each puzzle uses a fresh mix.
Which life cycles does it cover?
Several — the butterfly's EGG, LARVA, PUPA and ADULT, the frog's FROGSPAWN and TADPOLE, and a plant's SEED that GERMINATES and SPROUTS.
Is it good for a living-things topic?
Great fit — pair it with a science lesson on growth and life cycles. Easy mode keeps the grid small with no diagonals or reverse words.