Amino acids are the basic building blocks of proteins and polypeptides. The 20 most common amino acids, their structures, and properties are some of the first things a new biochemistry student memorizes. This amino acid word search is a fun way to acquaint yourself with these amazing molecules.

These amino acids and related terms can be found by searching horizontally, vertically, and diagonally and both forward and reversed. The word search is optimized to fit on a standard 8 1/2″ x 11″ sheet of paper. If you are printing to A4 paper, the puzzle scales down nicely when “Fit to Page” is selected in the print options.
Amino Acid Word Search Download Links
Word Search links: [Image] | [PDF]
If you have trouble finding a word or two, feel free to check out the completed Amino Acid Word Search.
Completed Word Search links: [Image] | [PDF]
For more word search fun, check out our other science-related word search puzzles.
If you’d like some help memorizing the structures of the amino acids, we have a study sheet showing the twenty common amino acids and their structures. If you’d like a more comprehensive study sheet and some information about the amino acids and their side chains, this study sheet is a little more detailed.