Day of the Dead Word Search

Words in the Day of the Dead word search

Every word used across the three levels, with a quick note on what it means.

candle

Flame lit on altars to guide returning spirits home

altar

Table set with photos, food and flowers for the dead

family

Relatives who gather to cook, clean graves and remember

marigold

Bright orange flower whose scent is said to guide souls

music

Live songs, often mariachi, played at homes and graveyards

memory

What families share aloud about the person who died

photo

Portrait of the departed placed at the center of the altar

bread

Pan de muerto, a sweet loaf shaped with bone designs

mexico

Country where the holiday took its modern form

sugar skull

Decorated candy skull often marked with a person's name

skeleton

Cheerful bone figures used in art, toys and parades

cemetery

Graves are swept, repainted and decorated before the holiday

november

The holiday falls on the first and second of this month

ofrenda

Spanish word for the offering table built at home

incense

Smoke burned to purify the space around an altar

calavera

Spanish for skull, also a short comic verse about death

catrina

Elegant skeleton woman from a famous Posada engraving

tamale

Corn dough steamed in a husk, a common offering

copal

Tree resin burned as traditional incense

papel picado

Paper banners cut into lacy patterns and strung overhead

More November word searches

Holidays month by month