Columbus Day Word Search
Columbus Day falls on the second Monday of October and marks Christopher Columbus reaching the Caribbean in 1492. Many states and cities now observe the same date as Indigenous Peoples' Day.
Columbus Day word search (Easy)
Find these 10 words
10 words, across and down only
- anchor
- compass
- crew
- map
- ocean
- october
- sailor
- ship
- spain
- voyage
Columbus Day word search (Medium)
Find these 15 words
15 words, adds diagonals
- anchor
- atlantic
- caravel
- compass
- crew
- explore
- harbor
- italy
- map
- ocean
- october
- sailor
- ship
- spain
- voyage
Columbus Day word search (Hard)
Find these 20 words
20 words, any direction, backwards too
- anchor
- atlantic
- bahamas
- caravel
- compass
- crew
- explore
- harbor
- indigenous
- island
- italy
- map
- navigate
- ocean
- october
- sailor
- ship
- spain
- taino
- voyage
Free to print. Press Print for a clean sheet with just the puzzle and the word list. Turn on Large print for bigger letters, or Show answers to print the answer key.
Words in the Columbus Day word search
Every word used across the three levels, with a quick note on what it means.
- ship
- A large vessel that travels across open water.
- sailor
- A person who works aboard a ship.
- ocean
- A huge stretch of salt water between continents.
- voyage
- A long journey made by sea.
- map
- A drawing that shows land, water and routes.
- compass
- A tool with a needle pointing north for navigation.
- anchor
- A heavy hook that holds a ship in place.
- crew
- The group of people who run a ship together.
- october
- The month holding the holiday, on the second Monday.
- spain
- The country that paid for the 1492 voyage.
- explore
- To travel through a place to learn what is there.
- atlantic
- The ocean Columbus crossed from Europe.
- harbor
- A sheltered place where ships can dock safely.
- italy
- The country where Columbus was born, in Genoa.
- caravel
- A small, fast sailing ship used by explorers.
- navigate
- To steer a course using stars, maps and instruments.
- island
- Land with water all around it.
- taino
- Indigenous people who met Columbus in the Caribbean.
- bahamas
- The island group where Columbus first landed.
- indigenous
- Native to a place from the earliest known times.
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