Spot the Difference with a Secret Word
Updated November 2026 · 12 free printables
Spot the difference printables with a twist: every puzzle hides a secret word. Two big black and white pictures sit side by side on a landscape page, and a grid with a letter in every square covers both.
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About these printables
Kids find the differences in the right-hand picture, collect the letter of each square where something changed, and write the letters in order, left to right and top to bottom. The letters answer the riddle under the pictures, for example "We come in pairs and keep your hands warm. What are we?"
Because the word only comes out right when every difference is found in the right square, children check their own work without looking at the answers. A missing letter means one more difference is still hiding; a word that makes no sense means one of the squares is wrong.
This first set has 12 Christmas and winter scenes: a snow day with a snowman, a living room on Christmas Eve, Santa's workshop, a sledding hill, a cookie kitchen, a Christmas market, Santa's sleigh, an ice rink, elves wrapping gifts, Santa on the roof, polar friends at an igloo and a toy shop window. Pages with 5 differences suit grade 1, pages with 6 suit grade 2, and pages with 7 are for grade 3 and up. Each PDF is free, prints in black and white, and has the answer key on page 2.
At a glance
- Pages
- 12 free printables, one PDF each
- Ages
- 6 to 9
- Levels
- Grade 1, Grade 2, Grade 3
- Answer keys
- on page 2 of every PDF
- Paper
- US Letter and A4
- Complete pack
- all 12 pages in one PDF, free with an email sign-up
- Price
- free; every single page downloads with no sign-up
All 12 Spot the Difference with a Secret Word, One by One
Here is a closer look at every page in this collection, with who it's best for and a coloring idea for each one.
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1. Secret Code Spot the Difference: Christmas Eve
A free spot the difference printable with a secret word: two big black and white pictures of a living room with a Christmas tree, a fireplace and a sleeping cat, with 5 differences to find. A grid covers both pictures and every square has a letter; the 5 squares that hide a difference spell the answer to the riddle "We jingle on Santa's sleigh. What are we?", so kids can check their own work. Made for grade 1 (ages 6 to 7). Landscape page, answer key on page 2. First graders can do it on their own once they know the strategy at the top of the page. Red, green and gold make a classic Christmas palette.
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2. Secret Code Spot the Difference: Sledding Hill
A free spot the difference printable with a secret word: two big black and white pictures of children sledding down a snowy hill, with 5 differences to find. A grid covers both pictures and every square has a letter; the 5 squares that hide a difference spell the answer to the riddle "I am hot, sweet and brown, with marshmallows on top. What am I?", so kids can check their own work. Made for grade 1 (ages 6 to 7). Landscape page, answer key on page 2. It matches first grade goals, roughly ages 6 to 7.
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3. Secret Code Spot the Difference: Ice Skating
A free spot the difference printable with a secret word: two big black and white pictures of children ice skating on a frozen pond, with 5 differences to find. A grid covers both pictures and every square has a letter; the 5 squares that hide a difference spell the answer to the riddle "I am a song people sing at Christmas. What am I?", so kids can check their own work. Made for grade 1 (ages 6 to 7). Landscape page, answer key on page 2. First graders can do it on their own once they know the strategy at the top of the page.
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4. Secret Code Spot the Difference: Elves Wrapping Gifts
A free spot the difference printable with a secret word: two big black and white pictures of three elves wrapping gifts at a table, with 5 differences to find. A grid covers both pictures and every square has a letter; the 5 squares that hide a difference spell the answer to the riddle "I am a green plant with red berries at Christmas. What am I?", so kids can check their own work. Made for grade 1 (ages 6 to 7). Landscape page, answer key on page 2. It matches first grade goals, roughly ages 6 to 7. Add white for snow.
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5. Secret Code Spot the Difference: Toy Shop Window
A free spot the difference printable with a secret word: two big black and white pictures of a toy shop window on a snowy street, with 5 differences to find. A grid covers both pictures and every square has a letter; the 5 squares that hide a difference spell the answer to the riddle "I have wings and I sit on top of the Christmas tree. What am I?", so kids can check their own work. Made for grade 1 (ages 6 to 7). Landscape page, answer key on page 2. It matches first grade goals, roughly ages 6 to 7. Add white for snow.
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6. Secret Code Spot the Difference: Christmas Cookies
A free spot the difference printable with a secret word: two big black and white pictures of two children baking Christmas cookies in the kitchen, with 6 differences to find. A grid covers both pictures and every square has a letter; the 6 squares that hide a difference spell the answer to the riddle "Santa rides in me across the sky. What am I?", so kids can check their own work. Made for grade 2 (ages 7 to 8). Landscape page, answer key on page 2. It fits second grade, around ages 7 to 8. Add white for snow.
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7. Secret Code Spot the Difference: Santa's Sleigh
A free spot the difference printable with a secret word: two big black and white pictures of an elf feeding a reindeer next to Santa's sleigh, with 6 differences to find. A grid covers both pictures and every square has a letter; the 6 squares that hide a difference spell the answer to the riddle "Children write me to Santa before Christmas. What am I?", so kids can check their own work. Made for grade 2 (ages 7 to 8). Landscape page, answer key on page 2. It fits second grade, around ages 7 to 8. Add white for snow.
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8. Secret Code Spot the Difference: Polar Friends
A free spot the difference printable with a secret word: two big black and white pictures of penguins, a polar bear cub and a seal near an igloo, with 6 differences to find. A grid covers both pictures and every square has a letter; the 6 squares that hide a difference spell the answer to the riddle "I am frozen water that hangs from the roof. What am I?", so kids can check their own work. Made for grade 2 (ages 7 to 8). Landscape page, answer key on page 2. It fits second grade, around ages 7 to 8.
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9. Secret Code Spot the Difference: Snow Day
A free spot the difference printable with a secret word: two big black and white pictures of two children building a snowman while snow falls, with 7 differences to find. A grid covers both pictures and every square has a letter; the 7 squares that hide a difference spell the answer to the riddle "We come in pairs and keep your hands warm. What are we?", so kids can check their own work. Made for grade 3 and up (ages 8+). Landscape page, answer key on page 2. It is aimed at third grade, around ages 8 to 9.
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10. Secret Code Spot the Difference: Santa's Workshop
A free spot the difference printable with a secret word: two big black and white pictures of Santa and two elves building toys in the workshop, with 7 differences to find. A grid covers both pictures and every square has a letter; the 7 squares that hide a difference spell the answer to the riddle "I pull Santa's sleigh and my nose is red. Who am I?", so kids can check their own work. Made for grade 3 and up (ages 8+). Landscape page, answer key on page 2. Third graders can use it for practice, review or a quick check before a test. Red, green and gold make a classic Christmas palette.
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11. Secret Code Spot the Difference: Christmas Market
A free spot the difference printable with a secret word: two big black and white pictures of a town square with a big Christmas tree and market stalls, with 7 differences to find. A grid covers both pictures and every square has a letter; the 7 squares that hide a difference spell the answer to the riddle "I have a carrot nose and I melt in the sun. What am I?", so kids can check their own work. Made for grade 3 and up (ages 8+). Landscape page, answer key on page 2. Third graders can use it for practice, review or a quick check before a test. Red, green and gold make a classic Christmas palette.
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12. Secret Code Spot the Difference: Santa on the Roof
A free spot the difference printable with a secret word: two big black and white pictures of Santa on a snowy roof next to the chimney, with 7 differences to find. A grid covers both pictures and every square has a letter; the 7 squares that hide a difference spell the answer to the riddle "Kids leave us on a plate for Santa, next to the milk. What are we?", so kids can check their own work. Made for grade 3 and up (ages 8+). Landscape page, answer key on page 2. It is aimed at third grade, around ages 8 to 9. Add white for snow.
Tips for coloring Spot the Difference with a Secret Word
- Read the riddle first but do not guess yet. Guessing the word and then hunting for letters skips the puzzle.
- Work square by square: cover the rest of the grid with two sheets of paper and compare one row at a time.
- Circle each difference before writing its letter, so no square is counted twice.
- If the word does not make sense, do not erase everything. Check which letter looks wrong and look again in that square and the ones next to it.
- In a classroom, hand out page 1 only. The word is the check, so early finishers do not need you to mark it.
Fun facts about Spot the Difference with a Secret Word
- Spot the difference trains visual discrimination, the same skill that tells b from d and was from saw.
- Reading a grid left to right and top to bottom is the same eye movement as reading a page of text.
- Puzzles that check themselves keep children working longer, because they find out right away if they are right without waiting for an adult.
- Most people find the first differences fast and the last one slowly: the eye stops searching places it has already looked at.
Fun ways to use your printables
- Race a partner: both get the same page, and the first one to say the secret word wins.
- After solving, let the child write a new riddle for the same word and try it on someone else.
- Use a page as a quiet warm-up on a December morning, then color the picture during story time.
- Make it a team job: one child finds the differences, the other writes the letters.
- Put a finished page on the fridge with the word covered by a sticky note and let a visitor solve the riddle.
How to print
Click Download PDF on any page and print it at 100% on US Letter or A4 paper. Use regular printer paper for crayons and pencils, or cardstock for markers and paint. Every page here is free for home, classroom and party use, so feel free to print as many copies as you need.
Frequently asked questions
How does the secret word work?
A grid is printed over both pictures and each square has a letter. When you find a difference, look at the letter of the square it is in. Write the letters in reading order (top row first, left to right) in the boxes under the pictures. Together they answer the riddle.
What ages are these puzzles for?
Children need to know their capital letters and read a short riddle, so the set starts at grade 1 (ages 6 to 7) with 5 differences. Grade 2 pages have 6 differences and grade 3 pages have 7. Use the Grade 1, Grade 2 and Grade 3 buttons above the pictures to show one level only.
Do the letters show where the differences are?
No. Every square has a letter, the ones with a difference and the ones without, so the letters give nothing away. The grid does help in another way: kids can compare the two pictures one square at a time.
What kind of differences are there?
Whole things that disappear or appear: the snowman's carrot nose, the star on the tree, a teddy bear on a shelf, a bird in the sky, a snowflake that is suddenly bigger. Each difference sits inside one square.
Is there an answer key?
Yes. Page 2 of every PDF shows the right-hand picture with each difference circled in red, the letters of those squares in red and the secret word filled in. Print only page 1 if you want to keep the answers for later.
Can the pictures be colored?
Yes. They are line drawings on white, so the page turns into a coloring sheet once the word is solved.