Spelling Brain Teasers for Kids 
Mystery Words

These brain teasers for kids require students to read each clue very carefully and understand its meaning. Kids also need to follow directions and do a bit of critical thinking. They'll need some spelling skills, too. 

What could be a better way to practice all these important language skills than using a brain teaser or two?

Brain Teasers for Kids

Here are two fun Mystery Word puzzlers. Try to solve them here, or use the printable version of both puzzlers.

Here's a second puzzle that uses the same format. How long will it take you or your students to correctly solve this one?

More Brain Teasers for Kids

NEW! More Mystery Words - Students use spelling, phonics and logic skills to uncover two more mystery words on this fun worksheet! Careful reading skills are also a must in this worksheet, suitable for grades 2-3. 

We think you'll also like these light-hearted riddles and brain teasers:

NEW! - Fun Brain Teasers for Students  These fun brain teasers will check your students' spelling and vocabulary skills. They’ll also tickle their funny bones! 

Multiple-meaning jokes and riddles - Light-hearted word fun! What a great way to practice language skills!

 Hilarious Homonyms - More word play riddles featuring words that sound the same but have different spellings and meanings. Great practice for students!

Magic Word Squares - 7 printable word brain teasers. Kids will complete squares in which the same words are spelled in both directions.

Crossword Puzzles

Pig Jigs - If you know that "a dance for hog" is a Pig Jig, then you'll have no problem with this crossword. Solve over 40 more fun rhyming word pairs! 

A Long and Short Puzzle! Climb aboard the Crossword Express for this challenging vocabulary puzzler! You'll need to supply long synonyms for some clues and short synonyms for others. As you begin to fill in the grid, the letters you provide will give you clues to more and more words. 

Want Something More Challenging?

If you're looking for more challenging brain teasers, check out our Level 2 pages. Part of the key in successfully using brain teasers with any child is to choose puzzles that are at a suitable level of difficulty.

When students are given teasers in the classroom that are too easy, they quickly solve them and then become bored. On the other hand, when students are presented with brain teasers that are much too difficult, they become frustrated and give up.

With that in mind, always carefully read and solve any brain teasers first before assigning them to your students. If you think a particular puzzler is just a wee bit too hard, consider assigning students to work in pairs. If you're a parent, sit with your child as he begins to solve a puzzle. If he gets "stuck," allow him to think about things on his first, then offer small hints along the way.

Here are links to some of our most difficult brain teasers:

Rhymonyms TM -  Challenging new word play for upper grade students and adults. Think of a pair of rhyming words for each set of synonyms. Printable, free and fun!

Brain Teasers for Adults  & Upper Grade Students - Two REALLY difficult letters with hidden messages. Good spelling skills are the key to uncovering them!

Travel Teaser - One of our most difficult logic brain teasers. Can you figure out who went where and when? 

An Impossible Brain Teaser? - Sure, the directions are tricky, but adults and upper grade students can solve this the first time, right?

Difficult Magic Word Squares - If the standard magic word square is not challenging enough for you, we think you'll love the ones on this page!

Throughout our site, you'll find lots of fun spelling resources. So while you're here, be sure to try some of our spelling word games and spelling worksheets!

Ann Richmond Fisher is a longtime published educational writer, a former classroom teacher and a former homeschool teacher. Ann's spelling bee resources, graded spelling word lists, spelling games, worksheets, and other language arts resources have become respected around the globe since she launched Spelling-Words-Well in 2010.

Ann is also the creator of www.word-game-world.com.

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