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 plucked instrument was popular in the Renaissance and Baroque before the modern guitar?
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What handheld stick does the conductor use to direct the orchestra?
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What slender wooden stick strung with horsehair is used to play bowed instruments?
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What is the woodwind instrument that looks like a bassoon but is smaller and pitched higher?
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Which brass instrument is intermediate in range between the horn and the trombone?
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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 orchestral instrument family is known for producing sound by striking or shaking?
PERCUSSIONWhat is the highest-pitched instrument in the standard string family?
VIOLINWhat untuned percussion instrument produces a rattling sound when shaken?
RATTLEWhat 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?
ORGANWhat free-reed keyboard instrument is occasionally used in orchestral folk music?
ACCORDIONWhat orchestral instrument family produces sound by a column of air vibrating inside a tube?
WOODWINDSWhat woodwind instrument is held transversely and does not use a reed?
FLUTEWhat electronic keyboard instrument uses magnetic wheels and rotating speakers?
HAMMONDORGANWhat type of mallet instrument uses metal tubes struck with a hammer?
TUBULARBELLSWhich string instrument family member is traditionally played with a bow or plucked?
BOWEDSTRINGWhat early woodwind instrument is a predecessor of the flute played vertically?
RECORDERWhat string instrument has four strings tuned in fifths: C2 G2 D3 A3?
CELLOWhich orchestral instrument section sits immediately in front of the conductor?
STRINGSWhat tail-mounted wooden piece anchors the lower ends of the strings on a violin?
TAILPIECEWhat medieval brass instrument with a curved wooden tube is covered in leather?
CORNETTWhat largest bowed string instrument requires the player to stand or sit on a high stool?
DOUBLEBASSWhich string instrument uses frets in historical models but is fretless in the modern orchestra?
VIOLADAGAMBAWhat early keyboard instrument plucks strings with quills rather than striking them?
HARPSICHORDWhat percussion instrument is a large hanging metal disc that produces a deep crash?
GONGWhat thin piece of wood transmits vibrations from the bridge inside a violin?
SOUNDPOSTWhat thin piece of cane is attached to a clarinet mouthpiece to produce sound?
REEDWhich woodwind instrument is made of wood or metal and uses a single reed?
CLARINETWhat untuned percussion instrument resembles a shallow drum with jingles around the rim?
TAMBOURINEWhich percussion instrument consists of tuned wooden bars played with mallets?
XYLOPHONEWhat handheld percussion instrument consists of small metal discs mounted in pairs around a frame, shaken or struck for a bright rattling sound?
JINGLESWhat percussion instrument consists of metal bars played with hard mallets?
GLOCKENSPIELWhat percussion instrument is a set of tuned metal bells, originally used by herders to track grazing cattle, now played with a stick or mallet?
COWBELLWhich woodwind instrument uses a single reed and has a distinctive curved metal body?
SAXOPHONEWhat folk woodwind instrument uses a bag to supply air to multiple pipes?
BAGPIPESWhat decorative carved spiral at the very top of a violin neck is called?
SCROLLWhat type of reed do oboes and bassoons use instead of a single piece?
DOUBLEREEDWhat low-pitched member of the clarinet family has a curved metal neck and bell?
BASSCLARINETWhich percussion instrument is a three-sided steel bar bent into shape and struck with a metal beater?
TRIANGLEWhat instrument section sits directly behind the woodwinds in a standard orchestra layout?
BRASSWhat double reed woodwind instrument plays the tuning note A for the orchestra?
OBOEWhat percussion instrument features two brass plates crashed together?
CYMBALSWhat percussion instrument consists of wooden bars with metal resonators underneath?
MARIMBAWhich percussion instrument is an untuned single-headed drum played with sticks?
SNAREDRUMWhich percussion instrument is tuned to specific pitches by pedals?
TIMPANIWhat orchestral instrument family produces sound by buzzing lips against a metal mouthpiece?
BRASSWhat percussion instrument uses metal pellets inside a container to produce sound?
MARACASWhich instrument section is positioned at the very back of the orchestra?
PERCUSSIONWhat keyboard instrument with strings and hammers is frequently featured in orchestral works?
PIANOWhat large plucked string instrument has pedals to change string pitches?
HARPWhat string instrument has four strings tuned in fifths: C3 G3 D4 A4?
VIOLAWhat hardened tree resin is rubbed onto bow hair to create friction against strings?
ROSINWhat is the wooden body part of a string instrument that supports the bridge and strings?
SOUNDBOARDWhat brass instrument has a wide conical bore and is very similar to a euphonium?
BARITONEWhat string instrument is played upright on the floor with a heavy metal spike?
CELLOWhat percussion instrument, traditionally a notched hollow gourd, is played by scraping a stick along its ridges?
GUIROWhich brass instrument has a slide instead of valves to change pitch?
TROMBONEWhat small handheld free-reed instrument is played by blowing and drawing air through a row of slots, each producing a different pitch?
HARMONICACommonly used in orchestral pieces to mimic horse hooves, what hollow wooden percussion instrument is struck with a stick or mallet?
WOODBLOCKWhich woodwind horn instrument is a double reed instrument pitched higher than an oboe?
ENGLISHWhat brass instrument has the longest tubing and lowest range in the orchestra?
TUBAWhat small metal screws on a violin tailpiece allow for minute pitch adjustments?
FINETUNERSWhat small free-reed instrument is held in hands and played with buttons?
CONCERTINAWhat brass instrument was historically used for military signals and hunting calls?
BUGLEWhat brass instrument is known for its bright ringing tone and piston valves?
TRUMPETWhat is the wooden pin at the base of a cello that rests on the floor?
ENDPINWhat small raised ridge holds the strings at the upper end of a violin fingerboard, near the pegbox?
NUTWhat ebony or hardwood strip runs along the neck of a string instrument where fingers press?
FINGERBOARDWhat scroll-topped upper wooden section of a violin holds the tuning pegs?
PEGBOXWhat double reed woodwind instrument is the lowest member of the standard woodwind family?
BASSOONWhat curved wooden piece lifts the strings above the body of a string instrument?
BRIDGEWhich brass instrument family member uses rotary valves instead of piston valves?
FRENCHHORNWhat Renaissance brass instrument is a slide trumpet ancestor?
SACKBUTWhat string instrument has four strings tuned in fifths: G3 D4 A4 E5?
VIOLINWhat string instrument has four strings traditionally tuned in fourths: E1, A1, D2, G2?
DOUBLEBASSWhich woodwind instrument is pitched an octave higher than the standard flute?
PICCOLOWhat ancient brass instrument made of animal horn or wood is a precursor to modern brass?
ALPHORNWhat orchestral instrument family, including the violin, viola, cello, and double bass, produces sound through bowing or plucking?
STRINGSWhat is the highest-pitched member of the brass family commonly used in orchestras?
TRUMPETWhat is the leader of the first violin section in an orchestra called?
CONCERTMASTERWhat string instrument family member is held under the chin during performance?
VIOLINWhat large percussion instrument, producing the lowest, deepest boom in the drum family, is typically mounted vertically on a stand?
BASSDRUMWhich brass instrument has a coiled conical bore and a flared bell?
HORNWhat Renaissance double reed instrument has a capped reed and a buzzing sound?
CRUMHORNWhich instrument is a smaller member of the clarinet family pitched in E-flat?
EBCLARINETWhat large double reed instrument is even lower than a standard bassoon?
CONTRABASSOONWhich woodwind instrument is a larger lower-pitched member of the flute family?
ALTOFLUTEWhat percussion instrument is a pair of small hand-held wooden clappers?
CASTANETSWhich percussion instrument is similar to a marimba but has metal bars for a bright sound?
VIBRAPHONEWhat is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument?
DOUBLEBASSWhat electronic keyboard instrument replicates orchestral sounds using sampled audio?
SYNTHESIZERWhich string instrument is played sitting down while resting on an endpin?
CELLOWhat brass instrument resembles a small tuba and is used in military and concert bands?
EUPHONIUMWhat percussion instrument is a large metal gong of Chinese origin?
TAMTAMWhich percussion instrument consists of a large vertical frame with suspended metal tubes?
CHIMESWhich string instrument is slightly larger than a violin and tuned a fifth lower?
VIOLAWhat is the term for plucking the strings of a violin or cello with fingers?
PIZZICATOWhat device is placed over the bell of a brass instrument to alter its timbre?
MUTEWhat percussion instrument consists of steel metal plates struck to produce a shimmering sound?
FLEXATONEWhat electronic instrument is played without physical contact using antenna proximity?
THEREMINWhat double reed instrument from the Renaissance is an ancestor of the oboe?
SHAWM