Jobs word search

What do you want to be when you grow up? This puzzle has more than sixty answers, from firefighter, nurse and teacher to architect, pharmacist, zookeeper and astronaut. It covers jobs in health, building and repair, food, the arts, science, transportation and public service.

The list uses the job titles common in American English today, many of them gender-neutral: firefighter rather than fireman, mail carrier rather than mailman, police officer rather than policeman. Some titles hide old words. Astronaut comes from Greek words meaning "star sailor," and janitor goes back to the Latin word for door, ianua, because a janitor was first a doorkeeper.

Jobs is a favorite theme for career days and community-helper units in elementary school. After the puzzle, children can pick three words and explain what that person does, which tools they use or where they work.

Play tip: the longest titles, like PHOTOGRAPHER, RECEPTIONIST and POLICE OFFICER (13 letters without the space), need a big grid, so they show up mainly on hard and expert. On those levels, find them first: a long word crosses many rows and columns and leaves fewer places for the short ones to hide.