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Hanukkah word search

Sixteen words for the Festival of Lights: the menorah and the shamash candle, the dreidel and gelt, latkes with applesauce or sour cream, and sufganiyot, the jelly doughnuts fried in oil.

Words read across, down and diagonally, left to right. The leftover letters spell the phrase behind the four letters on a dreidel.

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Solving tips

Look for the rare letters first: a Z, Q, J, X or K is easy to spot in big print. Then circle the long words, which cross more of the grid. Every letter belongs to a word or to the hidden saying, so the uncircled letters left at the end are the saying, in order.

In this grid, 5 words read across, 3 words down and 8 words diagonally, and none read backward. The longest is Eight nights and the shortest is Gelt, which hides best: look for it last.

About the words

Hanukkah follows the Hebrew calendar, which is based on the moon, so it lands on a different date in December or late November each year. The story is told in the books of the Maccabees and in the Talmud, and families retell it each night as the candles are lit.

Applesauce: Applesauce is the traditional sweet partner to latkes, spooned on top or beside them. Some families make it themselves, chunky or smooth, with a touch of cinnamon.
Blessing: Families recite blessings before lighting the candles. Two are said on each night, and a third, thanking God for reaching the season, is added on the first night.
Candles: On the first night, one candle is lit, and one more is added each night. Candles are set in from right to left, and the newest one, on the left, is lit first.
Dreidel: The dreidel is a four-sided spinning top marked with Hebrew letters. Children spin it in a game that is traditionally played for coins, nuts or chocolate.
Eight nights: The holiday lasts eight nights. Counting the helper candle, a family using one menorah lights 44 candles in all across the eight evenings.
Festival: Hanukkah is often called the Festival of Lights because of the candles. Though lively and popular, it is considered a minor holiday in Jewish law, and work is permitted.
Gelt: Gelt is the Yiddish word for money. Giving children coins at Hanukkah is an old custom, and today the gift is often chocolate coins wrapped in gold foil.
Hanukkah: Hanukkah means “dedication” in Hebrew. It marks the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem in 164 BCE. It begins on the 25th day of the month of Kislev and lasts eight days.
Latkes: Latkes are pancakes of grated potato and onion, fried in oil. The oil recalls the miracle of the Temple lamp, and they are especially associated with Ashkenazi Jewish families.
Maccabees: The Maccabees were a family of Jewish fighters led by Judah Maccabee. In the 160s BCE, they rose against the Seleucid king Antiochus IV and retook the Temple in Jerusalem.
Menorah: A Hanukkah menorah, also called a hanukkiah, holds nine lights: one for each of the eight nights, plus the helper candle. The seven-branched menorah belonged to the ancient Temple.
Olive oil: Olive oil fueled lamps in the ancient Temple. In the story, one small jar of pure oil, enough for a single day, burned for eight, and olive oil is still preferred for lighting a menorah.
Shamash: Shamash is Hebrew for “attendant” or “helper.” This ninth candle sits apart from the other eight and is used to light them, since the others are not meant for practical use.
Sour cream: Sour cream is another classic topping for latkes, served cool against the hot, crisp potato. Some families choose it over applesauce, and others serve both.
Sufganiyot: Sufganiyot are jelly-filled doughnuts, fried in oil and dusted with powdered sugar. They are a hallmark of Hanukkah in Israel, where bakeries sell them for weeks beforehand.
Temple: The Second Temple stood in Jerusalem. Antiochus IV had it defiled, and the Maccabees cleansed and rededicated it, an event that Hanukkah commemorates.

The hidden saying (no peeking until you have found every word): Four Hebrew letters appear on a dreidel: nun, gimel, hey and shin. They stand for the words Nes Gadol Hayah Sham, “A great miracle happened there.” In Israel, dreidels carry a pey instead of shin, for “here.”

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Hanukkah word search