Music & Artists
Test your knowledge of Orchestra Instruments with a free trivia word search from thewordfind.com. Read each clue, work out the answer, then find it hidden in the letter grid — every puzzle is freshly generated, so no two plays are ever quite the same. Don't know an answer? Tap the hint button in-game to reveal the first letter, or just scan the grid — every answer is hiding in there somewhere. Between the clues and the full answer key below, this topic doubles as a quick study guide — good for a trivia night, a classroom quiz, or just picking up something new about Orchestra Instruments along the way.
Play This Puzzle →A few sample clues
What decorative carved spiral at the very top of a violin neck is called?
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What percussion instrument is a pair of small hand-held wooden clappers?
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What early keyboard instrument plucks strings with quills rather than striking them?
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What brass instrument has a wide conical bore and is very similar to a euphonium?
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Which string instrument family member is traditionally played with a bow or plucked?
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All 100 questions in this topic, with answers — use it to study, or just browse. Every actual play of the puzzle only pulls a random handful of these into one game, so knowing them all here won't spoil which ones show up or where they're hidden in the grid. Play it here.
What is the leader of the first violin section in an orchestra called?
CONCERTMASTERCommonly used in orchestral pieces to mimic horse hooves, what hollow wooden percussion instrument is struck with a stick or mallet?
WOODBLOCKWhich brass instrument has a coiled conical bore and a flared bell?
HORNWhat largest bowed string instrument requires the player to stand or sit on a high stool?
DOUBLEBASSWhat electronic instrument is played without physical contact using antenna proximity?
THEREMINWhat electronic keyboard instrument replicates orchestral sounds using sampled audio?
SYNTHESIZERWhat orchestral instrument family is known for producing sound by striking or shaking?
PERCUSSIONWhat thin piece of cane is attached to a clarinet mouthpiece to produce sound?
REEDWhat is the wooden body part of a string instrument that supports the bridge and strings?
SOUNDBOARDWhat small handheld free-reed instrument is played by blowing and drawing air through a row of slots, each producing a different pitch?
HARMONICAWhat string instrument has four strings tuned in fifths: C2 G2 D3 A3?
CELLOWhat ebony or hardwood strip runs along the neck of a string instrument where fingers press?
FINGERBOARDWhich woodwind horn instrument is a double reed instrument pitched higher than an oboe?
ENGLISHWhich instrument section is positioned at the very back of the orchestra?
PERCUSSIONWhat electronic keyboard instrument uses magnetic wheels and rotating speakers?
HAMMONDORGANWhat percussion instrument consists of wooden bars with metal resonators underneath?
MARIMBAWhat is the woodwind instrument that looks like a bassoon but is smaller and pitched higher?
SARRUSOPHONEWhat plucked instrument was popular in the Renaissance and Baroque before the modern guitar?
LUTEWhat small raised ridge holds the strings at the upper end of a violin fingerboard, near the pegbox?
NUTWhich orchestral instrument section sits immediately in front of the conductor?
STRINGSWhat small metal screws on a violin tailpiece allow for minute pitch adjustments?
FINETUNERSWhat keyboard instrument with pipes, capable of a vast range of tones through air pressure, is sometimes featured as a solo voice in large orchestral works?
ORGANWhich woodwind instrument is pitched an octave higher than the standard flute?
PICCOLOWhat handheld stick does the conductor use to direct the orchestra?
BATONWhat early woodwind instrument is a predecessor of the flute played vertically?
RECORDERWhat string instrument has four strings traditionally tuned in fourths: E1, A1, D2, G2?
DOUBLEBASSWhich string instrument is slightly larger than a violin and tuned a fifth lower?
VIOLAWhat percussion instrument is a set of tuned metal bells, originally used by herders to track grazing cattle, now played with a stick or mallet?
COWBELLWhat scroll-topped upper wooden section of a violin holds the tuning pegs?
PEGBOXWhat large percussion instrument, producing the lowest, deepest boom in the drum family, is typically mounted vertically on a stand?
BASSDRUMWhat large plucked string instrument has pedals to change string pitches?
HARPWhat double reed woodwind instrument is the lowest member of the standard woodwind family?
BASSOONWhat untuned percussion instrument resembles a shallow drum with jingles around the rim?
TAMBOURINEWhat string instrument has four strings tuned in fifths: C3 G3 D4 A4?
VIOLAWhat string instrument is played upright on the floor with a heavy metal spike?
CELLOWhat is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument?
DOUBLEBASSWhat is the wooden pin at the base of a cello that rests on the floor?
ENDPINWhat double reed woodwind instrument plays the tuning note A for the orchestra?
OBOEWhat instrument section sits directly behind the woodwinds in a standard orchestra layout?
BRASSWhich string instrument uses frets in historical models but is fretless in the modern orchestra?
VIOLADAGAMBAWhat brass instrument is known for its bright ringing tone and piston valves?
TRUMPETWhat type of reed do oboes and bassoons use instead of a single piece?
DOUBLEREEDWhich woodwind instrument uses a single reed and has a distinctive curved metal body?
SAXOPHONEWhich brass instrument has a slide instead of valves to change pitch?
TROMBONEWhat string instrument has four strings tuned in fifths: G3 D4 A4 E5?
VIOLINWhich string instrument is played sitting down while resting on an endpin?
CELLOWhat handheld percussion instrument consists of small metal discs mounted in pairs around a frame, shaken or struck for a bright rattling sound?
JINGLESWhat brass instrument has the longest tubing and lowest range in the orchestra?
TUBAWhat percussion instrument, traditionally a notched hollow gourd, is played by scraping a stick along its ridges?
GUIROWhich percussion instrument consists of tuned wooden bars played with mallets?
XYLOPHONEWhich percussion instrument is an untuned single-headed drum played with sticks?
SNAREDRUMWhat untuned percussion instrument produces a rattling sound when shaken?
RATTLEWhat folk woodwind instrument uses a bag to supply air to multiple pipes?
BAGPIPESWhat Renaissance brass instrument is a slide trumpet ancestor?
SACKBUTWhat brass instrument was historically used for military signals and hunting calls?
BUGLEWhat brass instrument resembles a small tuba and is used in military and concert bands?
EUPHONIUMWhat ancient brass instrument made of animal horn or wood is a precursor to modern brass?
ALPHORNWhat string instrument family member is held under the chin during performance?
VIOLINWhat low-pitched member of the clarinet family has a curved metal neck and bell?
BASSCLARINETWhat orchestral instrument family produces sound by a column of air vibrating inside a tube?
WOODWINDSWhat tail-mounted wooden piece anchors the lower ends of the strings on a violin?
TAILPIECEWhat slender wooden stick strung with horsehair is used to play bowed instruments?
BOWWhat is the term for plucking the strings of a violin or cello with fingers?
PIZZICATOWhat hardened tree resin is rubbed onto bow hair to create friction against strings?
ROSINWhich percussion instrument is similar to a marimba but has metal bars for a bright sound?
VIBRAPHONEWhat type of mallet instrument uses metal tubes struck with a hammer?
TUBULARBELLSWhich percussion instrument consists of a large vertical frame with suspended metal tubes?
CHIMESWhat medieval brass instrument with a curved wooden tube is covered in leather?
CORNETTWhat double reed instrument from the Renaissance is an ancestor of the oboe?
SHAWMWhat orchestral instrument family, including the violin, viola, cello, and double bass, produces sound through bowing or plucking?
STRINGSWhat thin piece of wood transmits vibrations from the bridge inside a violin?
SOUNDPOSTWhat Renaissance double reed instrument has a capped reed and a buzzing sound?
CRUMHORNWhat device is placed over the bell of a brass instrument to alter its timbre?
MUTEWhat percussion instrument is a large hanging metal disc that produces a deep crash?
GONGWhat free-reed keyboard instrument is occasionally used in orchestral folk music?
ACCORDIONWhat percussion instrument consists of metal bars played with hard mallets?
GLOCKENSPIELWhat orchestral instrument family produces sound by buzzing lips against a metal mouthpiece?
BRASSWhich percussion instrument is tuned to specific pitches by pedals?
TIMPANIWhich woodwind instrument is made of wood or metal and uses a single reed?
CLARINETWhat percussion instrument uses metal pellets inside a container to produce sound?
MARACASWhich brass instrument family member uses rotary valves instead of piston valves?
FRENCHHORNWhat keyboard instrument with strings and hammers is frequently featured in orchestral works?
PIANOWhat small free-reed instrument is held in hands and played with buttons?
CONCERTINAWhat large double reed instrument is even lower than a standard bassoon?
CONTRABASSOONWhich instrument is a smaller member of the clarinet family pitched in E-flat?
EBCLARINETWhat curved wooden piece lifts the strings above the body of a string instrument?
BRIDGEWhat is the highest-pitched instrument in the standard string family?
VIOLINWhich percussion instrument is a three-sided steel bar bent into shape and struck with a metal beater?
TRIANGLEWhich brass instrument is intermediate in range between the horn and the trombone?
TENORHORNWhat percussion instrument features two brass plates crashed together?
CYMBALSWhat is the highest-pitched member of the brass family commonly used in orchestras?
TRUMPETWhat percussion instrument consists of steel metal plates struck to produce a shimmering sound?
FLEXATONEWhat percussion instrument is a large metal gong of Chinese origin?
TAMTAMWhich woodwind instrument is a larger lower-pitched member of the flute family?
ALTOFLUTEWhat woodwind instrument is held transversely and does not use a reed?
FLUTE