The language of flags
Every flag tells a story, and this word search gathers the words behind them. You'll track down the famous designs — the STARS and STRIPES, the UNION JACK, the diagonal SALTIRE — and the symbols nations love, from the CRESCENT and CROSS to the Canadian MAPLE leaf.
Each puzzle pulls a fresh selection from the list, so the flags change every time you play — gentle on Easy, and a Hard-mode parade once the diagonals and backwards words appear.
How flags are made
There's a whole vocabulary to flags, and it's all here. Learn the parts — the HOIST side (nearest the pole), the CANTON corner, the COLOURS, the EMBLEM and the SHIELD. Spot the soaring EAGLE and the fierce DRAGON that adorn so many, and tell a flag from a BANNER, a PENNANT, an ENSIGN, a STANDARD or a string of party BUNTING.
What the symbols mean
The study of flags even has its own name — vexillology — and the designs are full of meaning. A three-striped TRICOLOR pattern was made famous by France and copied around the world; a CRESCENT moon appears on the flags of many Islamic countries; a CROSS features on Nordic and other European flags; and the USA's 'Stars and Stripes' uses one STAR for every state. The UK's UNION JACK is really three crosses layered into one.
Because flags pack so much history and symbolism into a simple design, this puzzle is a great companion to a topic on countries and their emblems — try it alongside our Countries puzzle.
Play, print or make your own
Play online, or print a PDF pack for a geography lesson. Want a grid built around your own country's flag and symbols? Use our Make Your Own tool to choose the words and print matching copies for the class.