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Brain Teaser Puzzles

Level 2

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If you're up to the challenge, try these brain teaser puzzles! Each page of brain teasers features word play skills in spelling and vocabulary. These are fun to solve on your own, with a friend or even around the dinner table. This assortment is best for adults and upper grade students.

Brain teasers are especially good to use in the classroom. Why? Because they require students to use critical thinking skills that aren't always stretched in routine classroom exercises.

The teasers we've written require students to read directions carefully and then draw upon their knowledge of spelling and vocabulary. Just read the descriptions and choose where you'd like to begin!

NEW! Word Puzzles for Christmas - This is a fun and wacky puzzle, "Crazy Carols," that you're sure to enjoy! I've replaced each word or syllable of a well-known Christmas song with another one that rhymes. Can you figure out the correct song title for each one? Think: Fanta, Maybe...

Printable Christmas Brain Teaser Puzzles - 2 fun and interesting cryptograms. How long will it take you to solve them? I supply tips for how to solve cryptograms, along with a Christmas quotation and a list of fictional Christmas characters to decode.

Poet with quill pen and scroll, rubbing his chin and thinking

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!

First Two Letters - The first two letters to every answer in this list of brain teasers are either supplied or partially revealed. You only need to finish spelling the words. This should be easy -- right?

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

U.S. Presidents: Logical Letter Brain Teaser Choose the right letter in each of 9 clues to spell the answer to a trivia fact about U.S. Presidents. Sounds easy...right?

Adult brain teasers are tricky, but the name of this one is "An Impossible Brain Teaser!"

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! I've written an easier set of Magic Word Squares, too.

Visual Brain Teasers - How long will it take you to identify the common expression or idiom shown in each of our little pictures? Fun to solve with your friends or family!

Brain Teasers for Adults & Upper Grade Students - Two REALLY difficult letters with hidden messages. Good spelling skills are the key to uncovering them! Ms. Fox hired the brilliant Detective Sneak to investigate a worker in one of her factories. When she asked for a written report, the detective wrote the following letter. He included a secret message within the note. Can you uncover it?

Brain Teaser Questions and Answers - Quick word transformations, brainstorming and word play challenges

Travel Teaser - One of our most difficult logic brain teasers. Can you figure out who went where and when? If you enjoy solving logic brain teasers, you must try this one! You'll need to know the correct spellings of several tricky words, plus you'll need to read carefully, and -- of course -- use skills in logic and critical thinking.

Hidden Words - Put your logic skills to the test on this entertaining word brain teaser. How long will it take you to discover three hidden words?

Mysterious Spelling - These hard brain teasers are challenging puzzles that upper grades students and adults can usually solve in a relatively short amount of time. The trick is to read and understand each clue, then decide which one can be solved first, second and so on. If you solve them correctly, you'll spell two fun words. Printable version available.

You may also enjoy these fun brain games from Word-Game-World!

More Brain Teaser Puzzles

We have easier brain teasers, too, including:

Magic Word Squares - 7 printable word brain teasers, easier than magic squares linked to in the list earlier on this page.

Picture Puzzlers - 2 Printable brain teaser worksheets where knowing how to spell simple words is a must! For the first worksheet, students must know how to spell ten simple words to uncover the secret word. The second sheet is a bit more difficult.

Multiple-meaning jokes and riddles - Light-hearted word fun! A great way to practice language skills. Brain teasers and riddles are a great way to practice language skills. If students can see the humor in word play, it shows they have a good understanding of word meanings.

Are there other brain-stretching activities you'd like to see on the site? Please contact us and let us know. We're especially interested in ideas that help folks do better with Spelling Words Well!

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