Free Printable Black History Word Search (With Answer Key)
Two free Black History Month word searches you can print at home or in the classroom: an easy word find for kids and a harder word search for adults and teens with diagonal and backwards words. Each word comes with a one-line fact, so the puzzle doubles as a mini history lesson.
Want the answer keys? Enter your email below and they'll appear right on this page.
Easy Black History Word Search for Kids
12 words, hidden across and down only.
| A | E | N | S | L | U | T | K | E | Y | R | U |
| V | W | B | O | W | J | E | M | I | S | O | N |
| S | H | M | M | M | T | U | B | M | A | N | M |
| J | A | O | B | A | M | A | D | P | V | M | B |
| U | R | G | C | K | I | N | G | G | O | F | D |
| S | L | K | U | B | D | A | T | E | S | C | D |
| T | E | Q | U | A | L | I | T | Y | L | A | P |
| I | M | U | A | C | G | U | M | E | V | R | A |
| C | R | O | B | I | N | S | O | N | I | V | R |
| E | F | R | E | E | D | O | M | L | U | E | K |
| L | P | D | D | P | O | P | P | J | C | R | S |
| E | D | A | N | G | E | L | O | U | K | I | P |
Find these words
- TUBMAN – Harriet Tubman led enslaved people to freedom on the Underground Railroad.
- PARKS – Rosa Parks' 1955 arrest sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
- KING – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his "I Have a Dream" speech in 1963.
- OBAMA – Barack Obama became the first Black U.S. President in 2009.
- CARVER – George Washington Carver was a scientist famous for his peanut research.
- JEMISON – Mae Jemison became the first Black woman in space in 1992.
- ROBINSON – Jackie Robinson broke Major League Baseball's color line in 1947.
- ANGELOU – Maya Angelou wrote I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.
- HARLEM – The Harlem Renaissance was a 1920s boom in Black art, music and writing.
- FREEDOM
- JUSTICE
- EQUALITY
Free printable from Puzzled By Art · puzzledbyart.co
Hard Black History Word Search for Adults and Teens
20 words, hidden in all 8 directions: across, down, diagonal and backwards.
| D | H | D | M | B | N | O | S | I | M | E | J | U | N | O |
| O | D | T | G | E | B | L | R | E | H | U | G | H | E | S |
| U | D | R | N | L | L | O | E | W | N | O | U | I | V | T |
| G | W | D | E | E | N | R | M | L | O | H | S | I | H | C |
| L | L | R | O | V | E | E | A | J | E | H | M | P | D | R |
| A | J | R | N | O | R | T | U | H | L | I | O | I | U | N |
| S | W | T | O | Y | W | A | E | T | G | V | R | T | N | W |
| S | F | I | T | H | G | N | C | N | H | R | R | R | O | O |
| M | R | V | S | G | W | B | E | V | U | B | I | U | S | T |
| A | E | A | R | I | I | T | N | E | A | J | S | T | D | O |
| L | E | U | U | B | U | D | H | S | R | I | O | H | O | M |
| C | D | C | H | B | P | C | A | A | N | G | N | C | O | W |
| O | O | F | M | L | L | A | H | S | R | A | M | S | W | H |
| L | M | A | V | W | A | L | K | E | R | L | P | P | L | G |
| M | N | K | K | P | E | C | K | W | A | N | Z | A | A | D |
Find these words
- DOUGLASS – Frederick Douglass, abolitionist, writer and speaker.
- TUBMAN – Harriet Tubman, conductor on the Underground Railroad.
- CHISHOLM – Shirley Chisholm, first Black woman elected to Congress (1968).
- WOODSON – Carter G. Woodson founded Negro History Week in 1926.
- JUNETEENTH – June 19, 1865: news of emancipation reaches Galveston, Texas.
- GREENWOOD – The Tulsa district known as "Black Wall Street."
- MALCOLM – Malcolm X, minister and human rights leader.
- TRUTH – Sojourner Truth, abolitionist and women's rights speaker.
- HUGHES – Langston Hughes, poet of the Harlem Renaissance.
- HURSTON – Zora Neale Hurston wrote Their Eyes Were Watching God.
- MORRISON – Toni Morrison won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993.
- JEMISON – Mae Jemison, first Black woman in space.
- MARSHALL – Thurgood Marshall, first Black Supreme Court justice.
- CARVER – George Washington Carver, agricultural scientist.
- WALKER – Madam C.J. Walker built a hair care empire.
- NAACP – Civil rights organization founded in 1909.
- HARLEM – Home of the Harlem Renaissance.
- MOTOWN – Berry Gordy's Detroit record label.
- KWANZAA – Celebrated December 26 to January 1.
- FREEDOM
Free printable from Puzzled By Art · puzzledbyart.co
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Turn Your Word Search Into a Puzzle Night
Puzzled By Art is a Black woman-owned puzzle company. Our Black art jigsaw puzzles come in 500 and 1000 pieces and finish at 24 x 18 inches, and B.G.M is a 100-piece puzzle for kids that celebrates young Black girls. Bundle 2 or more puzzles and save up to 30%, applied automatically, with free US shipping on orders over $35.
Shop Black art puzzlesBlack History Word Search FAQ
Is this Black history word search free?
Yes. Both word searches are free to print for home, classroom, church or community use. The answer keys are free too; just enter your email above.
What ages is it for?
The easy word search (12 words, across and down) works well for elementary-age kids. The hard word search (20 words in all directions) is made for teens and adults.
How do I print it?
Click the print button under either puzzle. Only that puzzle prints, sized to fit a standard letter page.
Can teachers use it for Black History Month?
Absolutely. Every word comes with a short fact, so students can learn who each person is or what each word means while they search.