Character Traits word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

Build vocabulary for describing character traits through three word puzzles. Students work with trait adjectives in a crossword, word scramble, and word search.
Grades
Grades 4–6
Pages
6
File type
PDF
Answer key
Included

Updated Jun 05, 2026

Subject
ELA, Vocabulary
Topic
Character traits, Trait adjectives
Resource types
Worksheets, Word Searches, Crosswords Puzzles
Answer key
Included
Standards
L.4.6

Product description

From the author

I made this character-traits puzzle set for vocabulary work during reading lessons. A word search, scramble and crossword use fifteen traits: brave, kind, honest, loyal, greedy, selfish, courageous, arrogant, humble, jealous, patient, rude, polite, curious and lazy.

Each puzzle is a separate two-page PDF with an answer version, for six pages total. The scramble and crossword use short clues; the word search supplies a word list.

Try the crossword with partners or use a puzzle for early finishers. Afterwards, ask students to describe a book character using two traits and explain their choices.

In the classroom

Teaching tips & learning objectives

Learning objectives

  • Name fifteen adjectives that describe a person's character, from brave and honest through arrogant and lazy

  • Match a short paraphrase clue to the trait it names — "waits calmly" to patient, "only cares self" to selfish, "envious" to jealous

  • Spell each trait correctly when rebuilding it from scrambled letters such as OGRUOUSAEC and RNTRGOAA

Teaching tips

  • Start with the scramble: it prints the clue directly under every jumbled string and provides a blank line for each answer, which makes it the most supported of the three.

  • Use the printed word list as a ready-made trait bank afterwards: ask students to pick two of the fifteen and justify them against a character in whatever the class is reading.

  • Nine of the traits are positive and six are unflattering, which sets up a sorting discussion once the puzzles are done.

Skills covered

  • Character-trait vocabulary — students work through fifteen describing words: brave, kind, honest, loyal, greedy, selfish, courageous, arrogant, humble, jealous, patient, rude, polite, curious and lazy.

  • Synonym reasoning — every clue is a paraphrase rather than a definition, so "envious" has to be turned into jealous and "not polite" into rude.

  • Visual scanning — the fifteen answers sit inside a twenty-by-twenty grid with the word list printed below rather than alongside.

Good to know

Questions teachers ask about this resource

Which puzzle formats are included?

A crossword, word scramble, and word search use the same fifteen character-trait words.

Does the vocabulary include contrasting traits?

Yes. Words include kind, honest, patient, selfish, jealous, and rude, providing material for discussing different character behaviors.

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Curriculum

Standards, concepts & topics

Standards

  • L.4.6

Core concepts

  • Character traits

  • Vocabulary

  • Synonyms

  • Word puzzles

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