Geography Hangman draws its secret words from landforms, bodies of water, map skills and a handful of countries. You will meet words like canyon, glacier, peninsula and latitude. It is a fun way to review the words in a social studies or Earth science unit.
The geography word list
Four country names, Egypt, Canada, Brazil and Japan, are mixed in with landforms and map words. Their capital letters are part of the spelling, but in the game every letter counts the same.
| Word | Letters | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| canyon | 6 | A deep valley with steep rock walls. |
| desert | 6 | A dry place that gets very little rain. |
| island | 6 | Land with water all around it. |
| volcano | 7 | A mountain that can erupt with hot lava. |
| glacier | 7 | A huge, slow river of ice. |
| equator | 7 | The imaginary line around the middle of Earth. |
| continent | 9 | One of Earth's seven giant land masses. |
| ocean | 5 | A very large body of salt water. |
| river | 5 | Fresh water that flows toward a lake or the sea. |
| valley | 6 | Low land between hills or mountains. |
| prairie | 7 | A wide, flat land covered in grass. |
| peninsula | 9 | Land with water on three sides. |
| plateau | 7 | A high, flat area of land. |
| lagoon | 6 | A shallow pool of water near the sea. |
| tundra | 6 | A cold, treeless land where the ground stays frozen. |
| jungle | 6 | A thick, warm forest with lots of plants. |
| compass | 7 | A tool that shows which way is north. |
| border | 6 | A line that divides two places. |
| capital | 7 | The city where a country's leaders work. |
| harbor | 6 | A safe place for ships near the shore. |
| mountain | 8 | A very high hill with steep sides. |
| delta | 5 | Land made where a river spreads into the sea. |
| swamp | 5 | Wet, spongy land with trees and plants. |
| geyser | 6 | A hot spring that shoots water into the air. |
| atlas | 5 | A book full of maps. |
| latitude | 8 | Lines on a map that run east to west. |
| longitude | 9 | Lines on a map that run north to south. |
| hemisphere | 10 | Half of Earth, like the northern half. |
| savanna | 7 | A grassland with a few scattered trees. |
| reef | 4 | A ridge of coral or rock under the sea. |
| fjord | 5 | A long, narrow sea inlet between cliffs. |
| oasis | 5 | A green spot with water in a desert. |
| canal | 5 | A waterway dug by people for boats. |
| coast | 5 | Land that touches the sea. |
| meadow | 6 | A field of grass and wildflowers. |
| strait | 6 | A narrow strip of water joining two seas. |
| Egypt | 5 | A country in Africa known for its pyramids. |
| Canada | 6 | A large country north of the United States. |
| Brazil | 6 | The biggest country in South America. |
| Japan | 5 | An island country in East Asia. |
| bay | 3 | Water partly circled by land. |
| beach | 5 | Sandy land next to water. |
| cave | 4 | A hollow space in rock. |
| cliff | 5 | A steep wall of rock. |
| crater | 6 | A bowl-shaped hole in the ground. |
| dune | 4 | A hill of sand. |
| forest | 6 | A large area full of trees. |
| gulf | 4 | A large bay of the sea. |
| hill | 4 | Raised land, smaller than a mountain. |
| lake | 4 | A large body of still water. |
| map | 3 | A drawing of a place. |
| marsh | 5 | Soft, wet, grassy land. |
| mesa | 4 | A flat-topped hill. |
| pond | 4 | A small body of still water. |
| rainforest | 10 | A thick, wet, warm forest. |
| sea | 3 | A big area of salty water. |
| stream | 6 | A small, flowing river. |
| summit | 6 | The top of a mountain. |
| waterfall | 9 | Water falling over a cliff. |
| wetland | 7 | Land covered by shallow water. |
| globe | 5 | A round model of Earth. |
| region | 6 | An area with something in common. |
| climate | 7 | The usual weather of a place. |
| country | 7 | A nation with its own land. |
| city | 4 | A big town where many people live. |
| village | 7 | A small group of homes. |
| population | 10 | The number of people in a place. |
| ridge | 5 | A long, narrow hilltop. |
| basin | 5 | A low, bowl-shaped area. |
| archipelago | 11 | A group of islands. |
| isthmus | 7 | A thin strip of land joining two lands. |
| estuary | 7 | Where a river meets the sea. |
| gorge | 5 | A deep, narrow valley. |
| iceberg | 7 | A floating mountain of ice. |
| mainland | 8 | The main part of a land. |
| north | 5 | The direction toward the North Pole. |
| south | 5 | The direction toward the South Pole. |
| east | 4 | The direction where the sun rises. |
| west | 4 | The direction where the sun sets. |
| altitude | 8 | How high a place is. |
| terrain | 7 | The shape of the land. |
| coral | 5 | Tiny sea animals that build reefs. |
| highland | 8 | High, hilly land. |
| lowland | 7 | Low, flat land. |
| shore | 5 | Land along a lake or sea. |
| spring | 6 | Water flowing up from the ground. |
| steppe | 6 | A wide, dry grassland. |
| tributary | 9 | A river that feeds a bigger river. |
| Mexico | 6 | A country south of the USA. |
| India | 5 | A large country in South Asia. |
| China | 5 | A huge country in East Asia. |
| France | 6 | A European country with the Eiffel Tower. |
| Italy | 5 | A boot-shaped country. |
| Kenya | 5 | A country in East Africa. |
| Peru | 4 | A country with the Andes mountains. |
| Spain | 5 | A sunny country in Europe. |
| Australia | 9 | A country that is also a continent. |
| Norway | 6 | A country of fjords. |
| Ireland | 7 | A green island country. |
| Greece | 6 | A country with ancient ruins. |
Map words that look alike
Latitude and longitude are easy to mix up. Here is a trick: latitude lines lie flat like the rungs of a ladder, and longitude lines are long, running from pole to pole. Hemisphere is another favorite: hemi means half, so it is half of a sphere.
Play the geography round
- Step 1
Picture a map
Answers are landforms, water, map tools or countries.
- Step 2
Guess A and E
Geography words like canal and desert are full of them.
- Step 3
Read the meaning
Each answer explains the landform in one line.
Good fits for geography words
- Social studies unit review
- Before a field trip to a river or park
- Planning a family vacation
- Earth Day lessons
- Map skills homework
- Homeschool world studies
Frequently asked questions
What are good geography words for Hangman?
Volcano, island, desert, canyon and glacier are well known and fun. For older students, try peninsula, hemisphere and longitude. All have clear meanings to discuss.
What is the difference between a peninsula and an island?
An island has water on every side. A peninsula has water on three sides and is joined to land on the fourth. Florida is a famous peninsula.
Are countries included in geography Hangman?
A few are: Egypt, Canada, Brazil and Japan. Most words are landforms and map terms so the game works for every country's students. Make a custom game for a full countries round.
What is a fjord?
A fjord is a long, narrow inlet of sea between tall cliffs, carved by glaciers. Norway is famous for them. The word is borrowed from Norwegian, which is why it starts with FJ.
What grade is geography Hangman best for?
Most words suit grades 3 to 6, when students learn landforms and map skills. Younger kids can play with help. Older students enjoy the harder words like strait and delta.
Which letters show up most in geography words?
A and E appear the most, followed by N, O and L. Start with A, since words like canal, lagoon and savanna use it often.
How can teachers use this list?
Play one word per day as a bell-ringer, then ask students to find an example on a map. You can also print the list as a study sheet before a quiz.
What is the difference between latitude and longitude?
Latitude lines run east to west and tell how far north or south of the equator a place is. Longitude lines run from pole to pole and tell how far east or west it is. Together they give every spot on Earth an address.
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