In the United States of America February 11th is marked as “National Inventors’ Day.” (Reference) It is held on February 11th to coincide with Thomas Edison’s birthday.
I have created this printable Inventors word search puzzle featuring the last names of 20 inventors. (21 people because Orville and Wilbur Wright were brothers with the same last name.)
Some of these inventors are famous and some may not be famous but their contributions to the world haven’t gone unnoticed.
Many of these inventors have been inducted into the US’s National Inventors Hall of Fame. And though this is an American institution, they also recognize some international inventors – like Guglielmo Marconi, Louis Pasteur and Joseph-Armand Bombardier – who hold American patents.
Who is this word search for?
This puzzle is intended for middle school and high school students, but it is also fun for both adults and older children (9+).
Younger children can definitely try it, but it does have some diagonal words and a large puzzle grid, so it may be too tricky. (But with patience they can complete it.)
What does this Inventors word search look like?
Below is a picture showing what the word search puzzle looks like.
If you click the picture below it will open up the printable PDF in a new browser window.
(For best results when printing click “Fit to Page” or a similar option.)
Is there an answer key?
Yes, the second page of the PDF features the solution, as well as a writing prompt, and a list showing the inventors first and last names.
Who are the inventors in this puzzle?
This puzzles features the last names of 20 inventors. (But it is actually 21 people because Orville and Wilbur Wright both have the same last name.)
Below is a list showing the inventors I’ve included in this puzzle.
I have included a link to their profile on the National Inventors Hall of Fame where applicable, or to other online sources, so you can learn more about these people and their contributions to science and the world.
- WHITNEY, Eli
- BENZ, Karl (sometimes spelled Carl Benz)
- WRIGHT, Orville and Wilbur
- BELL, Alexander Graham
- CARVER, George Washington
- HOFF, Ted
- LAMARR, Hedy
- EDISON, Thomas
- WOZNIAK, Steve
- TESLA, Nikola
- PASTEUR, Louis
- MARCONI, Guglielmo
- CROAK, Marian
- BOMBARDIER, Joseph-Armand
- FRANKLIN, Benjamin
- MORSE, Samuel
- JONES, Frederick McKinley
- CLARKE, Edith
- DAMADIAN, Raymond
- GUTENBERG, Johannes
How to get the puzzle?
You can click here to open the PDF in a new browser window or click the button below.
Note About the Inventors included on this List
Because my inspiration for this puzzle is primarily National Inventors’ Day – which is an American recognized day for inventors – this puzzle isn’t intended to be a comprehensive list of all worldwide inventors.
There have been many fantastic inventors from all over the globe, but most of the inventors on this list received US Patents for their inventions and are in the US National Inventors Hall of Fame.
If your favorite inventor is not on this list please don’t take that omission to imply I doubt their significance or impact.
And if I didn’t include your favorite inventor, I hope you can still enjoy the puzzle as is.
Thanks again for checking out the puzzle.
If you liked this one…
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