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Science Hangman Words
Science hangman words drawn from elementary and middle school units: the scientific method, matter, energy, life science and earth science.
Read the word list
Most science vocabulary lists are written for a unit test. This one is written to be played, so it spreads across the strands students meet from third grade through middle school: the scientific method, forces and energy, matter, living things, and earth and space. Short words such as cell, mass and force keep early rounds quick. Longer ones such as photosynthesis, condensation and thermometer reward players who already know the spelling pattern.
Difficulty comes from letters as much as length. Words like hypothesis and friction are not especially long, but the y, the double letters and the less common consonants make them slower to find than a word like energy. The phrases, including water cycle and natural selection, are useful on a whiteboard because the gaps show how many words are hiding and give a class something to reason about before anyone guesses a letter.
74 entries. Our solver needed 1.9 wrong guesses on average: 36 easy, 29 medium and 9 hard. The toughest is lab report (10 misses), the quickest experiment (0).
- experiment Easy · 0
- hypothesis Easy · 0
- variable Easy · 1
- microscope Easy · 0
- gravity Medium · 3
- friction Medium · 2
- energy Easy · 0
- magnet Hard · 6
- molecule Medium · 2
- atom Medium · 2
- cell Hard · 5
- organism Easy · 1
- habitat Medium · 2
- ecosystem Easy · 1
- evaporation Easy · 0
- condensation Easy · 0
- precipitation Easy · 0
- photosynthesis Easy · 0
- erosion Medium · 2
- fossil Medium · 3
- mineral Easy · 0
- volcano Medium · 3
- planet Medium · 3
- orbit Medium · 2
- galaxy Hard · 5
- telescope Easy · 0
- thermometer Easy · 1
- laboratory Medium · 2
- observation Easy · 0
- conclusion Easy · 1
- evidence Easy · 0
- prediction Easy · 0
- density Easy · 0
- mass Medium · 2
- volume Medium · 2
- solution Medium · 2
- mixture Easy · 1
- reaction Easy · 0
- nucleus Medium · 2
- bacteria Easy · 1
- species Medium · 2
- adaptation Easy · 1
- predator Easy · 1
- climate Easy · 1
- circuit Medium · 2
- battery Medium · 2
- electron Easy · 1
- velocity Medium · 2
- momentum Medium · 2
- geology Medium · 2
- biology Medium · 2
- physics Medium · 2
- magnetism Easy · 1
- vibration Medium · 2
- force Medium · 3
- matter Easy · 1
- weathering Easy · 0
- sediment Easy · 0
- tectonic Easy · 0
- inherit Easy · 1
- scientific method Medium · 2
- food chain Hard · 6
- water cycle Medium · 3
- solar system Easy · 1
- life cycle Hard · 6
- natural selection Easy · 0
- states of matter Hard · 5
- black hole Hard · 5
- simple machine Easy · 0
- renewable energy Easy · 0
- food web Hard · 9
- lab report Hard · 10
- safety goggles Medium · 3
- rock cycle Medium · 4
Words worth a closer look
- hypothesisFrom Greek roots meaning roughly 'placed under': a supposition that sits underneath an experiment. Students often mix it up with thesis, and the plural is hypotheses, which changes the last letters.
- photosynthesisBuilt from Greek photo, light, and synthesis, putting together. Fourteen letters with three s's and a y, so it is a good closer for a class that already knows its plant unit.
- microscopeFrom Greek mikros, small, and skopein, to look. The same scope ending turns up in telescope, which makes these two a natural pair on a spelling list.
- atomComes from Greek atomos, meaning uncuttable, a name chosen long before anyone could split one. Only four letters, but two of them are vowels players guess first, so it falls quickly.
- gravityFrom the Latin gravitas, weight. The y at the end is the letter most players leave until late, so it often decides the round.
- fossilFrom Latin fossilis, dug up, because fossils are found by digging. The double s in the middle is the spot to check in the answer key.
- frictionLinked to the Latin verb fricare, to rub. The ct before ion is a pattern shared with reaction, prediction and conclusion, all on this list.
Using this list in class
Pick the words that match your current unit and play a vocabulary review in the ten minutes before a test. A fifth grade teacher finishing a unit on matter might use mass, volume, density, mixture and solution, then add the phrase states of matter as a final round for the whole class.
The scientific method words, experiment, hypothesis, variable, observation, evidence and conclusion, make a strong set for lab-report week. Ask students to give a one sentence definition after each solved word, so the game checks understanding as well as spelling. Parents can print the sheet for car rides or homework breaks and use the answer key to check spelling without looking anything up.
Print a Science 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.
Keep going
- Space Hangman WordsSpace hangman words covering planets, stars, orbits and astronomy. Play online with this list or print a sheet with an answer key for class.
- Chemistry Hangman WordsChemistry hangman words: element names, lab equipment and reaction vocabulary for middle school and high school science classes, with printable sheets.
- Human Body Hangman WordsHuman body hangman words covering bones, organs, muscles, senses and body systems, built for health and life science units in elementary and middle school.
- Weather Hangman WordsWeather hangman words from rain and fog to cumulus, barometer and precipitation. Play online with this list or print a sheet with an answer key.
- Plants Hangman WordsPlant hangman words covering parts, growth and garden favorites, from root and stem to photosynthesis. Play online or print with an answer key.
- Math Hangman WordsMath hangman words for elementary and middle school: fractions, geometry, operations and data, with a printable sheet and answer key for the classroom.