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Google Sheets, Google Docs Alex Google Sheets, Google Docs Alex

Word Jumbles with Google Sheets and Docs

This lesson teaches you how to create word jumble exercises. Word jumbles are fun activities for students. They are useful for decoding and spelling. Use word jumbles with context clues in sentences. Use them with the word definition for review. Use word jumbles with Cloze sentences. This lesson builds on the skill learned in the Word Search lesson.

word jumble puzzles with google sheets and docs

Introduction

Vocabulary is such an important part of the development of language. It is important for the development of comprehension in reading. It facilitates language development. Increases communication skills. Facilitates the communication of ideas. Increases writing skills. I have a couple of links below with information on the importance of vocabulary development.

https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/understanding-vocabulary/

https://infercabulary.com/top-5-reasons-why-vocabulary-matters/

Learning vocabulary doesn't have to be the tedious process of memorizing the spelling and definition of words. Vocabulary games like crosswords, word searches, and word jumbles provide fun ways for students to apply vocabulary skills. With these tools, students are not asked to memorize. They are applying the use of vocabulary in fun ways.

I created a set of instructions for using Google Sheets and Docs to create word search puzzles. The link is available below.

https://digitalmaestro.org/articles/word-search-puzzles-with-google-docs

In this lesson, I want to show you how to create word jumble puzzles. This lesson builds on the skills from the word search lesson. I will review the basics here for you. 

A link to the final product is available below.
Click the Use Template button to get a copy.

Google Docs word jumble preview and copy

This lesson is available in a printable PDF version.

Get a printable PDF version here

Preparation

Use the link above to get a copy of the vocabulary Sheet. The sheet has three columns of vocabulary words. Teachers like to present the vocabulary in one of two ways. Some teachers like to use the words will all uppercase letters. Other teachers prefer all lowercase letters. This first step demonstrates how to covert the case of your words using Google Sheets functions.

The Google Sheet has a list of vocabulary words. This word search reviews mammals covered in the lesson. In the sheet, I have the same list repeated three times. One column has the names with the first letter capitalized. The second has the letter in all upper case. The last has them all in lower case.

You can format the word search using all uppercase or all lowercase letters. The choice is yours. I want to show you how to format the words without having to retype them. 

Google Sheets has plenty of useful formatting tools. I begin with Sheets when I have to deal with complex products.

Lowercase

Each word begins with a capital letter in the first column. I want all the letters to be lowercase.

list of words in column A of a Google Sheet

Click on cell B2 and type =LOWER(A1). Press the Return key to apply the formula. This converts all the letters in the word to lower case.

The LOWER function with reference to cell A1

Select cell B1 again. Click the blue square in the lower right corner and drag it down.

squirrel word reformatted with all lowercase letters

This copies the formula down the column. Stop when you reach the end of the word list.

Copy option dragged to last word in the list

All the letters in each word are now lowercase.

all the letters in the words are transformed to lower case

Uppercase

The next column has words that are all lowercase.

Column D with all letters in lower case

Click in cell E1 and type =UPPER(D1). Press the Return key.

upper function used with reference to cell D1

Return to cell E1. Click the blue square and drag it down the column.

the first word converted to all upper case

The letters in each word are transformed to uppercase.

all the words transformed to upper case letters

Proper Case

Converting letters to upper or lower case it not all we can do. There is a function for converting the first letter in each word to upper case. It also changes the letters after the first letter to lowercase. 

words in column G set to upper case

Click in cell H1 and type =PROPER(G1). Copy the function down the column. 

the proper function with reference to cell G1

Selecting an option

We have three options for the word search lettering. We only need one. The other options need to be removed. I am using the uppercase option. 

This is how to remove the unwanted word list. Click on the column header with the word list to be removed.

column header A selected

Click Edit and select Delete column. The column you are deleting is identified by the column letter.

delete column A option

The column that used the formula to convert the letters is filled with error messages. Click the column header and delete the column.

column A header selected again

Keep deleting columns with the word lists you don’t want to use. Your list needs to be in the first or second column. You cannot have any content to the right of the column with your words.

column with all upper case letters

Segment the letters

The letters for each word need to be in separate cells. Again, we are using Google Sheets to help with this process. Sheets has a split function. We are using this function in combination with Regular Expressions. Regular expressions are a type of code used to manipulate text. It is used very often by programmers. 

Click in the cell to the right of the first word. Type or paste the formula below. Replace the B1 with A1 if your words are in column A.

=SPLIT(REGEXREPLACE("" & B1,"(w)", "$1,"), ",")

function entered into cell C1

The regular expression finds each letter in the word. It adds a comma after each letter. The Split formula uses the comma to split each letter and place it on a different column.

letters in the word split into separate cells

Click back on cell C1. Use the blue square to copy the formula down the column.

the formula copied to the other cells and the letters separated

Random letters

Jumbled words need jumbled letters. Google Sheets has a tool to let us jumble the letters. The tool only works with words or letters listed in a column. We need to transpose the letters from rows to columns. 

Create a new sheet. Click the Plus button. 

plus button to add new sheets

Rename the sheet Jumbles.

sheet renamed to jumbles

Return to the Words sheet. Select the columns with the word and the letters of the word. Make sure you select all the letters.

words and letters selected

Go back to the Jumbles sheet. Click on cell A10.

cell A10 selected

Click Edit and go to the Paste Special option. Select the option to paste the values only.

paste values only option

The contents are pasted and selected. Make sure the contents remain selected for the next step. Copy the pasted contents again.

contents pasted and selected

Select cell A1. Click Edit and go to the Paste Special option. Select the option to paste transposed.

paste transposed option

The contents are pasted so the letters go down the column.

letters appear down the column

Select the letters in the column for squirrel.

letters for squirrel selected

Go to the menu and click Data. Select the Randomize range option.

randomize range option

The letters are rearranged randomly.

letters in squirrel rearranged

We need to repeat this process for all the words. The process is easy. It can get tedious if you have lots of words. I like to use a special tool in Google Sheets to perform routine tedious tasks.

We are going to create a Macro to handle the tedious repetitive task for us. A macro records a set of steps. It then replays those steps whenever we need them.

Click Tools in the menu. Go to the Macros option. Select the option to record a macro.

record macro option

A macro recording box opens. This is not recording your screen. It is recording the selections, mouse clicks, and keystrokes. It is only recording actions taken on the Google Sheet.

Select the option to “use relative references”. This means we will be able to use the macro on any selected cells in the sheet.

use relative references for macro

Select the letter for dog. Select all the rows down to row 13. The word dog is one of the shortest words we have on the list. We want this macro to work on longer words. The longest word length goes to row 13. The letters pushed the words down from the 10th row. Click Data in the menu and select Randomize range.

cells in column B selected

Those are the only tasks we want to record. Click the Save button to stop recording.

stop and save the recording

Set the name of the macro to random letters.

set the name of the macro

There is an option to create a shortcut key combination. The combination begins with three keys. They include Command, Option, and Shift on Mac. These keys on Windows or Chromebook are Alt, Option, and Shift. 

There is a blank for a number of your choosing. I like using shortcuts. They help save lots of time. I’m entering the number 0 into the number field. 

Click the Save button.

save the macro name and shortcut option

Click on the letter D in dog.

cell with the letter D selected

Click Tools in the menu. Go to Macros and selected the random letter macro.

random letter macro selected

The macro is a program script. The script is going to make changes to the sheet. We need to authorize the script to make changes. Click the Continue button.

authorization required button

Select your account when prompted. Click the Allow button.

allow button for permissions

Click on the letter D in dog again. Run the macro if the letters didn’t scramble.

the word dog sacrambled

Go to the next word and repeat the process. Use the shortcut key combination to go faster. Use the right arrow key to select the beginning of the next word. 

next word selected for scramble

Use this process to quickly jumble the letters for each word.

all the words jumbled

We can scramble the letters again. Click on the first letter of a scrambled list of letters and use the macro. This is helpful when creating more than one jumble exercise.

Range names

Ranges are a selection of cells. The selection of all the cells with letters is a range. Range names help quickly call up these cells with letters. We need to call the letters to form our word jumble puzzles.

Select the letters in the word squirrel.

jumbled letters selected

Click Data and select Named Ranges.

named ranges option

A Named ranges panel opens. Change the named range name to squirrel. Click the Done button. Keep the panel open.

named range set to squirrel

Select the next word. Go to the Named ranges panel. Click the Add a range button.

add range button

Set the name of the range to that of the word it represents. Click the Done button. Repeat this process for all the words. 

new named range with word for named range

The puzzle

Create a new sheet. Name the sheet puzzle.

new sheet for puzzle

Click the and drag along the column headers. This selects the columns.

selected columns A to M

Hover over one of the columns to display a selection arrow.

column options selector

Click the selector. Choose the Resize columns option. The columns A - M should be shown.

resize columna A - M option

Enter 35 for the column size. Click the OK button.

column size set to 35

Click on cell A1. Type =transpose followed by an open parenthesis. Transpose is a function that changes the order of a range of cells. The cells in the word ranges are vertical. We need to convert them to horizontal ranges.

transpose function in cell A1

Type the word squirrel. Google Sheets provides recommendations. One of the recommendations is the named range we created. This is exactly what we want.

squirrel named range for transpose function

Finish typing squirrel. Finish it with a closing parenthesis. Press the Return key to see the result.

squirrel range name for transpose funciton

The jumbled word is placed in the row with each letter in a separate column.

squirrel as a word jumble

Skip two rows and type =transpose(monkey). The row below the jumbled letters is used by students to spell out the word.

monkey word jumble

Repeat the process eight more times. Choose any set of words you like.

We need to prepare the table for transfer to a Google Doc. We need to number the word list. Click on cell A1. Click Insert and select Column left. Repeat the process one more time to insert two columns.

insert column left

Number each word from 1 to 10.

words numbered

Google Doc preparation

In the next step, we are transferring the word jumbles to a Google Doc. This document will be distributed to students.

Open a new tab and create a new document. Here is an easy way to create a new document. Type docs.new. 

Change the name of the document. Name it Mammals word jumble number 1. I am assuming you will be creating additional word jumble puzzles.

Return to the Google Sheets tab. Select all the word jumbles. Click Edit and select Copy.

word jumbles selected

Go to the Google Docs tab. Press the Return key three times. This space will be used for our title and instructions later.

Paste the contents. A paste format option appears. Choose the option to paste the contents unlinked. 

paste unlinked option

We need to format the contents before it is ready to distribute.

word jumble table in google doc

Select all the table cells.

table cells selected

Select a font for the word jumbles. I like Nunito normal. Change the font size to 14 points.  Center align the text.

Nunito normal font

Right-click over the table to get the contextual menu. Select the Table properties option.

table properties option

Set the table border at 1 point. Select middle for the vertical cell alignment. Click the OK button.

table options

Deselect the table cells. Drag the left border of the first letter toward the numbers column. Move it as far as it will go.

resize the second column

Highlight all the cells in the first row beginning with the first cell with a letter.

first row of letters selected

Go to the menu and click Format. Go to the Table option. Select the option to Distribute columns.

distribute columns

Select all the cells in the table again. Right-click and go to the Table properties option. Change the border width to 0 points. Click the OK button.

column border set to zero points

Select the cells with the letters for the first word. Include the cells in the row below each letter. 

first row of letters selected

Click the border selector. Choose the all borders option. It is the first tile on the top left.

all borders option

Go to the button bar. Click the border thickness selector. Choose the 1 point option.

1 point selected for the border size

Repeat the process with the next word. Place the border around the word only. Repeat this process with all the words.

word two border applied

The last word does not have a row below. We need to add a row for the students to unscramble the word. 

Click inside one of the cells in the last row. Go to the menu and click Format. Go to the Table option. Click Insert row below.

insert row below

The last two word goes off the first page and into the next. My document has the default margins of 1-inch all the way around.

last word on second page with broken table from previous

Go to the menu and click File. Go to the page setup option. Change the paper size to Legal. Click the Ok button.

Legal page size selected

Return to the top of the page. Provide an assignment title. Include some instructions.

assignment title and instructions

Use the Title paragraph style for the title.

title paragraph style

This is the basic word jumble. There are modifications we can make to the assignment if we need to provide differentiation. This is useful for struggling learners or second language learners.

Modifications

Word clues

On the second page, I often include a small table with the words. The words are not in the same order as the jumbled versions. 

Go to the bottom of the page. In the menu, click Insert and go to the Break option. Insert a Section break. Use the next page option.

section break for next page

Type Word Clues at the top of the page. Use the Heading 1 style for the title.

To create the table, go the menu and click Insert. Go to the Table option and select a 5 by 2 table.

5 by 2 table option

Type the vocabulary words in each cell. Place them in random locations. Center align the words in the table.

word clues in the table

Sentence clues

Another modification option is sentence clues. The sentences provide context clues. The sentences can serve as definitions for the word.

sentence clues for word jumbles

Document outline

Using paragraph styles facilitates the use of the outline feature. Click the Outline icon. 

outline icon

Click one of the heading titles to jump to that section. This provides a way to quickly jump from one section to the next.

section names and links in outline

Student option

I like to include one more option for students. Select the cells below the word jumble.

select row below jumble

Use the font color picker. Select a dark color. I’ll select blue. Repeat this for each set of cells below the word jumbles.

font color change

How it works

The puzzle is easy to use. Students type the letters into each cell in the correct order to unscramble the words. Being in the first cell. Type the first letter. Press the Tab key to go to the next cell. Type the next letter and repeat the process.

a letter entered into each cell

No tiles

You might not like the idea of entering letters into each tile or cell. You can merge the cells into one.

Select the cells in the answer row. Go to the menu and select Format. Go to the Table option. Select Merge cells.

merge cells option

The words will be entered normally.

words appear normally

The choice is yours.

This is the student master. Use it to create versions with a word list or sentence clues. Erase any answers from this version.

Teacher master

We need to create a teacher master. This master contains the answer key. It is also the version to be used when reviewing the solution with students. This makes it ideal for guided practice or review. 

Click File and select Make a copy.

make a copy

Update the name. Erase the words copy of. Append Teacher Master to the name. Click the OK button.

teacher master document name

Click File and go to the Version History option. Select Name current version.

name current version option

Type Original for the version name. Click Save.

version name set to original

Fill out the answers to the word jumbles. I like to use red to help the letters stand out. Format the answer key according to your preferences.

answer key

We are going to save this version with a version name too. Go to the menu and select File. Go to the Version history option. Select Name current version. Use "Answer key" for the version name.

answer key version name

Original and answer key

This is how you switch between the versions. Go back to the Version history option. Select See version history.

see version history option

Enable the option to Only show named versions. You will see the versions we created. 

show only named versions

Click the Original version name.

original version in version panel

Click the Restore this version button. Click the Restore button when prompted to confirm.

restore version button

This version is saved and the document can be restored to this format at any time. Go ahead and solve the word jumbles on your own. Repeat the process above to restore the original version. Your changes will be removed and the document restored without any answers.

I like using this process when doing a guided practice with students.

Use the answer key to show students the answers. Use it to quickly check student work.





































































































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