Halloween word games in one pack
Set out a word scramble, prepare a word search, race through the alphabet, decode a Halloween message and finish with hangman. The word cards above give you clues and caller words; the five game sheets below give players space to write and the host keys to check answers. Play in teams of two or three, or solve the puzzles together.
Print and prepare the games
The word search needs to be filled in before the party. The other games can be played from the cards, sheets and keys here. “Sheet 1” through “Sheet 5” identify the games; browser printing may use more than five pages. Keep the host keys separate from the player sheets.
- Print a proof copy with the print control or your browser’s Print command. Check the preview, including the grid and answer spaces, before making more copies.
- Fill the word-search grid and mark a separate host copy before copying it for players.
- Make one set per team of two or three, plus two spare sets if useful. Plain paper works; use card stock if you prefer.
- Keep the answer keys off player copies. Cover them, separate them after printing or select only the player pages in the print dialog when possible.
- Put out one pencil per player, a timer and a clipboard for the host keys.
You can try a proof set a week before, make copies three days before and separate the keys the day before. Try half-inch margins in print settings, then check your printer’s preview. For more preparation notes, see printable party games.
Pair children who are not reading yet with a reader, or offer Halloween picture bingo. The suggested ages are a starting point: choose clues and words to suit the children who are playing.
Sheet 1: Halloween word scramble
Give teams 8 minutes to unscramble as many words as they can. Each card above has a clue; the letter count is also shown here. Take turns writing and award one point per correct answer. BLACK CAT is two words, although its scramble leaves out the space.
Team: ____________________
| No. | Scramble | Letters | Your answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | OGHST | 5 | ____________________ |
| 2 | PIMKUPN | 7 | ____________________ |
| 3 | TWICH | 5 | ____________________ |
| 4 | PRIDES | 6 | ____________________ |
| 5 | TENKLOSE | 8 | ____________________ |
| 6 | SCOMUTE | 7 | ____________________ |
| 7 | IMPERVA | 7 | ____________________ |
| 8 | MYMUM | 5 | ____________________ |
| 9 | UNHATED | 7 | ____________________ |
| 10 | BAST | 4 | ____________________ |
| 11 | DANCY | 5 | ____________________ |
| 12 | ROTCOBE | 7 | ____________________ |
| 13 | CATLBACK | 8 | ____________________ |
| 14 | GIRTHF | 6 | ____________________ |
| 15 | DYERAVGRA | 9 | ____________________ |
| 16 | SNORETM | 7 | ____________________ |
| 17 | COLDRUNA | 8 | ____________________ |
| 18 | BOMOR | 5 | ____________________ |
| 19 | TATER | 5 | ____________________ |
| 20 | DIMTHING | 8 | ____________________ |
| 21 | RENTNAL | 7 | ____________________ |
| 22 | FEWERLOW | 8 | ____________________ |
Scramble answer key
Keep this part with the host.
- OGHST → GHOST
- PIMKUPN → PUMPKIN
- TWICH → WITCH
- PRIDES → SPIDER
- TENKLOSE → SKELETON
- SCOMUTE → COSTUME
- IMPERVA → VAMPIRE
- MYMUM → MUMMY
- UNHATED → HAUNTED
- BAST → BATS
- DANCY → CANDY
- ROTCOBE → OCTOBER
- CATLBACK → BLACK CAT
- GIRTHF → FRIGHT
- DYERAVGRA → GRAVEYARD
- SNORETM → MONSTER
- COLDRUNA → CAULDRON
- BOMOR → BROOM
- TATER → TREAT
- DIMTHING → MIDNIGHT
- RENTNAL → LANTERN
- FEWERLOW → WEREWOLF
Sheet 2: Make the word search
Hide the 14 words from the word-search bank above in this 12-by-12 grid: GOBLIN, PHANTOM, COBWEB, FANGS, HAYRIDE, SHADOW, CACKLE, BANSHEE, GARGOYLE, TOMBSTONE, SPOOKY, HOWL, MOONLIT and CAPE. Write one letter per square, across, down or diagonally. For younger players, use forward words only. Words may overlap on a matching letter; try two or three overlapping pairs if you like.
Place each word once and fill the remaining squares with random letters. Q, X and Z are optional fillers; none is needed to spell the bank words. Check that fillers have not accidentally repeated a bank word. Circle all 14 words on a separate host copy before copying the player grid. Allow about 15 minutes for preparation, then give players 10 minutes to search.
Team: ____________________
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ |
| ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ |
| ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ |
| ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ |
| ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ |
| ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ |
| ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ |
| ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ |
| ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ |
| ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ |
| ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ |
| ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ |
If teams make different grids themselves, let them swap completed grids and word banks for another round. Swapping identical grids will not give them a new puzzle. For guests who prefer finding pictures, consider the Halloween picture-search pack; read its preparation steps before setting it out.
Sheet 3: A-to-Z race
Set a five-minute timer. Call a letter from the race cards above and read its clue if needed; each team writes a Halloween word or phrase beginning with it. The first team with an accepted answer earns one point. Give tied teams a point each. Accept other answers if the table agrees that they fit Halloween and begin with the called letter.
Each team may skip one difficult letter and ask for an unused one. Keep three uncalled letters aside if you use that rule. Stop when five minutes are up or all available letters have been called. X-RAY COSTUME is an example for X; if you want a speed bonus, agree before play that the first accepted X answer earns two points.
Team: ____________________ Time limit: __________ Score: __________
| Letter | Your answer | Second answer, if needed |
|---|---|---|
| A | ____________________ | ____________________ |
| B | ____________________ | ____________________ |
| C | ____________________ | ____________________ |
| D | ____________________ | ____________________ |
| E | ____________________ | ____________________ |
| F | ____________________ | ____________________ |
| G | ____________________ | ____________________ |
| H | ____________________ | ____________________ |
| I | ____________________ | ____________________ |
| J | ____________________ | ____________________ |
| K | ____________________ | ____________________ |
| L | ____________________ | ____________________ |
| M | ____________________ | ____________________ |
| N | ____________________ | ____________________ |
| O | ____________________ | ____________________ |
| P | ____________________ | ____________________ |
| Q | ____________________ | ____________________ |
| R | ____________________ | ____________________ |
| S | ____________________ | ____________________ |
| T | ____________________ | ____________________ |
| U | ____________________ | ____________________ |
| V | ____________________ | ____________________ |
| W | ____________________ | ____________________ |
| X | ____________________ | ____________________ |
| Y | ____________________ | ____________________ |
| Z | ____________________ | ____________________ |
Race answer examples
These are examples for the host, not the only acceptable answers.
- A: apple bobbing or afraid.
- B: bats, black cat, boo, or broom.
- C: candy, costume, cobweb, or cauldron.
- D: dracula, decorations, or dread.
- E: eerie, eyeball candy, or eight legs.
- F: full moon, fangs, fog, or fright.
- G: ghost, goblin, graveyard, or gargoyle.
- H: haunted house, halloween, or howl.
- I: itch from a costume tag or icky candy.
- J: jack-o-lantern or jitters.
- K: kernel of candy corn or a king cape.
- L: lantern, lurk, or loot.
- M: mummy, midnight, monster, or moon.
- N: nightmare, nibble, or nobody home.
- O: october, ooze, or outdoors.
- P: pumpkin, phantom, party, or potion.
- Q: quiet creak or quick scare.
- R: rattle, rip the wrapper, or reveal.
- S: spider, scream, skeleton, spooky, or scarecrow.
- T: trick, treat, tombstone, or twilight.
- U: under the bed or unwrap.
- V: vampire or vanishing act.
- W: witch, werewolf, web, wig, or wail.
- X: x-ray costume.
- Y: yowl or yarn-wrapped mummy.
- Z: zombie or a zigzag pumpkin grin.
After the race, guests could try Halloween lacing cards if you have prepared them, or another seated game from quiet party games.
Sheet 4: Decode the Halloween message
Each plain letter has a matching code letter. Find a letter from the puzzle in the code row, then write the plain letter above it. For example, code L means plain E. Give players the full key to begin with; for an extra challenge, let confident solvers try without it for two minutes. You can reveal the N–Z half first as a hint, then show the rest when needed.
Team: ____________________
| Plain | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Code | Z | Q | M | H | L | X | R | T | C | V | B | G | D |
| Plain | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Code | Y | K | W | F | N | P | S | A | E | J | U | I | O |
Puzzle: LZS STL MZYHI, PTZNL STL PMNLZD
| LZS |
|---|
| ___ ___ ___ |
| STL |
|---|
| ___ ___ ___ |
| MZYHI, |
|---|
| ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ |
| PTZNL |
|---|
| ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ |
| STL |
|---|
| ___ ___ ___ |
| PMNLZD |
|---|
| ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ |
Cryptogram answer key
EAT THE CANDY, SHARE THE SCREAM.
Sheet 5: Hangman
Use the caller words above or the complete lists below. The age tiers are suggestions, not a reading test. Start with a word the youngest guesser can try, and move to a harder tier if the group wants one.
- Tier 1, suggested ages 4–6: BAT, BOO, CAT, WEB, GHOST, MOON.
- Tier 2, suggested ages 7–9: PUMPKIN, SPIDER, VAMPIRE, HAUNTED, WEREWOLF, COSTUME.
- Tier 3, suggested ages 10+: JACK-O-LANTERN, HAUNTED HOUSE, TRICK OR TREAT, MONSTER MASH, BOO BASKET.
The caller chooses a word privately and draws one blank per letter. Show spaces and hyphens without counting them as letters. Players guess one letter at a time; fill every matching blank when they are right and record letters already tried. Agree on a limit of 10 letter guesses per word before starting. That is 10 total guesses, including correct ones; repeated guesses do not use another turn. Players can try to name the whole word on their turn too, with a wrong word attempt counting as one guess.
If players solve it, they choose the next caller. If not, the caller reveals it. The next caller can choose a word from an easier tier, or use Tier 1 again when there is no lower tier.
Team: ____________________ Caller: ____________________
| Round | Word blanks: add one per letter | Letters tried | Guesses used |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | ____________________________ | ____________________ | ___ / 10 |
| Tier 2 | ____________________________ | ____________________ | ___ / 10 |
| Tier 3 | ____________________________ | ____________________ | ___ / 10 |
Alphabet to cross off: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
An example 45-minute game session
This example includes 38 minutes of games and 7 minutes to explain rules, change sheets and check answers. Shorten or skip a round if guests are ready to do something else.
- 0:00–0:08 · Solve the scramble. Use the clues when a team gets stuck.
- 0:08–0:10 · Check answers and hand out the search. Keep the keys with the host.
- 0:10–0:20 · Find the word-search words. Check against your marked copy.
- 0:20–0:22 · Explain the race and put the search aside. Agree on acceptable phrases and any bonus.
- 0:22–0:27 · Play the A-to-Z race. Stop at the timer.
- 0:27–0:30 · Add scores and explain the cipher. Demonstrate L → E.
- 0:30–0:38 · Decode the message. Reveal the key as needed.
- 0:38–0:45 · Play hangman. Try a few words from the chosen tier.
For ideas to play before or after this seated session, see Halloween party games for kids.
More activities for the Halloween party
If guests want to leave the table, the Halloween hunt around the house has picture and riddle clues to prepare. For a craft instead of another puzzle, read the Halloween paper puppet kit and set out its supplies before play.
You can also use a word-game session at another holiday gathering: the Thanksgiving word games pack and Christmas word games pack have seasonal lists. For a Thanksgiving picture activity, see the Thanksgiving picture-search pack. Check each page’s preparation instructions rather than assuming it is a finished download.
Questions about the word games
What is included in the pack?
There are five games: a 22-word scramble, a 14-word search to prepare, a 26-letter race, a substitution cryptogram and hangman in three suggested age tiers. The page includes word cards, player answer spaces, scramble answers, race examples and the cipher solution. Your filled word-search grid needs its own marked host copy.
Will it print on exactly five pages?
No. The five sheet labels identify the games, but browser settings and paper size determine the printed page count. Check a proof copy and separate the host keys from player copies before play.
How much time should I allow?
The example above allows 45 minutes: 8 for the scramble, 10 for the search, 5 for the race, 8 for the cipher, 7 for hangman and 7 for changing games and checking answers. You can play just one or two games instead.
Do I need to make the word search myself?
Yes. Fill the blank 12-by-12 grid with the 14 bank words, add filler letters and mark a separate answer copy before duplicating it. Allow about 15 minutes to prepare and check it.
Can adults play too?
Yes. Adults can try the longer hangman phrases, solve the cipher without the key for two minutes or write their own race answers. In mixed-age teams, take turns writing and let a reader explain clues to a younger partner.