Use the arrow keys to move between letters. Press Enter or Space on the first letter of a word, then again on the last letter. Press Escape to cancel.
A few of the words
- PORTCULLIS
- The portcullis was a latticed iron or oak gate that could be dropped in seconds, some castles kept two in sequence, so an enemy who broke through the first was trapped between them.Find this word in the grid to read its note.
- BARBICAN
- A barbican was an outer gatehouse that projected beyond the main walls, forcing attackers into a narrow killing ground before they ever reached the drawbridge.Find this word in the grid to read its note.
- MERLON
- The solid upright sections of a battlement are merlons; the open gaps between them are crenels, archers sheltered behind a merlon, then stepped into the crenel to shoot.Find this word in the grid to read its note.
- DUNGEON
- Despite its grim reputation, the word dungeon comes from the Old French donjon, meaning the castle's great tower, the keep, rather than a basement cell.Find this word in the grid to read its note.
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castle defenses word search · free, large-print, no sign-up · moat drawbridge portcullis
The Moat & Drawbridge: a free large-print word search
Castle defenses word search, free and large-print, where dark water rings the walls and iron teeth hang ready in the gate.
About The Moat & Drawbridge
A medieval castle's outer defenses were its first and fiercest argument against any would-be attacker. The moat, still water reflecting stone towers, slowed siege equipment and denied easy footing to scaling parties; a raised drawbridge sealed the gap entirely, its heavy chains groaning through iron rings. Beyond it, the portcullis dropped like a jaw, and sentries walked the rampart between each merlon and crenel, watching the road for anything that moved in the dark.
How to play
- 1Find a word.Tap its first letter, then tap along to its last — the trail fills in and finishes itself when it spells a word. Or press the first letter and drag.
- 2Words run in straight lines.Across and down, and on the harder difficulties diagonally and backwards.
- 3It marks itself.Each word you find takes on its own soft colour on the grid and is crossed off the list.
- 4Choose a difficulty.Relaxed, Classic or Challenging set those directions and how much the word list helps — never the grid size. Tap the A buttons at the top to enlarge the letters, or pinch the grid.
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