US States Crossword Puzzle

Easy to start14 clues14×15 gridEasy, Medium and Hard clues

Clues
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Across

  1. 3Largest US state, home of grizzlies and glaciers (6)
  2. 5State shaped like a mitten (8)
  3. 10State with Hollywood and the Golden Gate Bridge (10)
  4. 11Long peninsula state in the southeast (7)
  5. 13Pacific state just north of California (6)
  6. 14State famous for New Orleans and jazz (9)

Down

  1. 1State made up of islands in the Pacific (6)
  2. 2New England state famous for maple syrup (7)
  3. 4State where Las Vegas is (6)
  4. 6Desert state where you can hike down into the Grand Canyon (7)
  5. 7Cold northern state known for its many thousands of lakes (9)
  6. 8Rocky Mountain state with Denver as its capital (8)
  7. 9Big Sky Country state (7)
  8. 12Huge southern state with one star on its flag (5)
Print puzzle (PDF) Large print PDF Answer key on the last page. Report a clue

The grid pulls states from all over the map: the Northeast, the Midwest, the South, the Rockies, the West Coast and both of the states outside the lower 48. Some are big and well known, others are small enough that people forget where they sit.

Expect a few spelling traps. Several state names have doubled letters or vowels in surprising places, and the crossing words help you catch them. If you get stuck, fill in the shorter entries first and let them give you letters for the long ones.

The Easy clues give a strong hint, such as a famous landmark. Medium and Hard turn to capitals, nicknames and where a name comes from, which suits trivia fans.

Using this puzzle

In a grade 4 or 5 classroom it makes a good review during a states and regions unit, and a handy sub plan. Families can print one for a long road trip and look out for license plates while solving.

Senior groups often enjoy this one because everyone has lived in, visited or has family in at least one state on the grid. Use the large-print PDF and let people share stories as each name goes in.

Every clue was written for this site and checked by a second editor. Spotted one that's wrong or unclear? Report a clue (or email hello@crosswordpuzzlelab.com). Prefer finding words to filling them in? Try the US States word search on WordsearchZen.

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