Animals and nature · hangman category
Insects Hangman Words
Insect hangman words covering bugs, body parts and life cycles, with spelling notes. Play online or print a sheet with an answer key for class or home.
Read the word list
Insects are the animals children see most often and know least about, which makes them a good topic for vocabulary. This list sticks to true insects, the animals with six legs and three body sections, and leaves out spiders, which are arachnids. It covers familiar names (ant, bee, beetle), the groups children find in a garden, and the body and life-cycle words used in science class.
The spread of difficulty is wide. Ant, bee and flea are done in a couple of guesses. Katydid, weevil and damselfly are less familiar and use letters that players do not try early, such as k, w and y. Proboscis and exoskeleton are at the top, with metamorphosis close behind. The phrases include monarch butterfly and praying mantis, which come with a clear picture in most children's minds and help younger players guess.
71 entries. Our solver needed 3.3 wrong guesses on average: 25 easy, 29 medium and 17 hard. The toughest is bee (13 misses), the quickest ant (0).
- ant Easy · 0
- bee Hard · 13
- wasp Medium · 4
- hornet Medium · 2
- beetle Easy · 0
- ladybug Hard · 5
- butterfly Easy · 1
- moth Hard · 8
- caterpillar Easy · 0
- dragonfly Medium · 2
- grasshopper Medium · 2
- cricket Medium · 3
- cicada Medium · 2
- katydid Medium · 2
- mantis Easy · 1
- firefly Medium · 3
- mosquito Medium · 3
- gnat Hard · 8
- flea Medium · 2
- termite Easy · 0
- aphid Medium · 2
- earwig Easy · 1
- weevil Easy · 1
- locust Medium · 4
- mayfly Medium · 4
- bumblebee Easy · 0
- honeybee Easy · 1
- antenna Easy · 1
- antennae Easy · 1
- thorax Easy · 1
- abdomen Medium · 2
- exoskeleton Easy · 1
- larva Medium · 3
- pupa Hard · 7
- chrysalis Easy · 1
- cocoon Medium · 2
- metamorphosis Easy · 0
- pollinate Easy · 0
- colony Medium · 3
- hive Hard · 6
- swarm Hard · 5
- wings Hard · 5
- insect Easy · 1
- entomologist Easy · 0
- nymph Hard · 5
- molt Hard · 8
- proboscis Medium · 2
- mandible Easy · 1
- segment Easy · 1
- stinger Easy · 1
- legs Medium · 4
- buzz Hard · 13
- crawl Hard · 6
- garden Easy · 1
- damselfly Medium · 2
- housefly Medium · 4
- lacewing Easy · 1
- honey bee Hard · 10
- praying mantis Medium · 4
- stag beetle Easy · 1
- army ant Medium · 4
- fruit fly Medium · 4
- life cycle Hard · 6
- compound eye Medium · 4
- bug hotel Hard · 8
- six legs Hard · 9
- monarch butterfly Medium · 2
- leaf cutter ant Medium · 3
- water strider Medium · 4
- tiger moth Medium · 4
- queen bee Hard · 12
Words worth a closer look
- ladybugA ladybug is a beetle, so strictly it is not a true bug at all. The word is a handy way to start a conversation about what makes an insect, a bug and a beetle.
- mosquitoSpanish and Portuguese for little fly. The q is followed by u, which makes it easy to spot in a blank grid once a player has tried that pair.
- katydidNamed for the sound of its call, which resembles the phrase katy did. Seven letters with the d appearing twice and a y in the middle, so it resists the usual vowel-first guesses.
- antennaeThe plural of antenna in science writing. Students are often asked to choose between antennas and antennae, and the ae ending is a good spelling point.
- metamorphosisFrom Greek words meaning change of form. Thirteen letters, with o, m and s each appearing twice, so it is one of the longest words in the list.
- thoraxThe middle section of an insect's body, where the legs and wings attach. Its rare x ending makes it harder than six letters suggest.
- antThree letters and one vowel. The shortest word on the list, and a good first round for a child who is just learning hangman.
Using this list in class
Use this list for a spring or summer science unit on life cycles. After studying a butterfly, run a round with larva, pupa, chrysalis and metamorphosis, then ask students to arrange them in order. Insect body parts make a natural drawing activity: each solved word, such as thorax or antenna, is added to a class diagram.
Younger students can play with the short names and sort the solved animals into flying and crawling. In a garden or schoolyard bug hunt, hand out the printed sheet, and ask students to find and tick off each insect they see. The answer key helps parents who are not sure of the spelling.
Print a Insects Hangman worksheet
Eight puzzles on one US Letter page, with a clue, letter blanks, an empty frame to draw in, an alphabet strip to cross off and circles to count misses. Page two is the answer key.
Need another sheet?
Draw eight different words from this list, right here. Same layout, new answer key.
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