This list of Thanksgiving words covers the vocabulary children and English learners meet every November: food, history, feelings, fall nature and traditions. Each word comes with a short, kid-friendly meaning, and the lists are grouped by grade level so teachers and parents can pick the right ones. You will also find Thanksgiving day terms with their history and fun ways to practice the words.
In this article
Quick List: 25 Thanksgiving Words
Short on time? These are the most common Thanksgiving words for spelling lists, word walls and games:
turkey, pie, corn, feast, family, thankful, grateful, harvest, autumn, November, pumpkin, gravy, stuffing, cranberry, Pilgrim, Wampanoag, Mayflower, Plymouth, cornucopia, parade, football, leftovers, gather, tradition, gratitude
Thanksgiving Food Words
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Turkey | A large bird that is the main dish at most Thanksgiving dinners |
| Stuffing | A bread mixture cooked inside the turkey or in a dish (also called dressing) |
| Gravy | A warm sauce made from meat juices |
| Cranberry sauce | A sweet-tart sauce made from small red berries |
| Mashed potatoes | Potatoes boiled and mashed until soft |
| Casserole | A dish baked slowly in the oven, such as green bean casserole |
| Pumpkin pie | A pie made with spiced pumpkin filling |
| Drumstick | The lower leg of a turkey or chicken |
| Wishbone | A forked bone in a turkey; two people pull it and the person with the bigger piece makes a wish |
| Leftovers | Food saved after a meal to eat later |
Thanksgiving History Words
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Pilgrims | English settlers who sailed to America in 1620 and founded Plymouth Colony |
| Mayflower | The ship that carried the Pilgrims across the Atlantic Ocean |
| Plymouth | The colony the Pilgrims built in what is now Massachusetts |
| Wampanoag | The Native American people who lived in the area and shared the 1621 harvest feast |
| Massasoit | The Wampanoag leader who made an alliance with the Plymouth colonists |
| Colony | A settlement ruled by a faraway country |
| Harvest | Gathering crops when they are ripe |
| Proclamation | An official public announcement, like the one President Lincoln made in 1863 |
| Tradition | Something people do the same way year after year |
History in brief: the Congressional Research Service notes that Thanksgiving began in 1621 as a harvest celebration between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag. In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday of November as Thanksgiving, and in December 1941 Congress set the holiday on the fourth Thursday of November (CRS).
Gratitude and Feeling Words
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Thankful | Feeling happy about something you have or someone who helped you |
| Grateful | The same as thankful; showing you value what you have |
| Gratitude | The feeling of being thankful |
| Blessing | Something good that you are glad to have |
| Generous | Happy to share with others |
| Appreciate | To recognize and value something or someone |
| Kindness | Being friendly, helpful and caring |
| Together | With other people, such as family and friends |
Fall and Nature Words
- Autumn / fall: the season between summer and winter.
- Acorn: the nut of an oak tree.
- Gourd: a hard-shelled fruit, like a small decorative pumpkin.
- Squash: a vegetable related to pumpkins.
- Maize: another word for corn, grown by the Wampanoag.
- Cornucopia: a horn-shaped basket overflowing with fruit and vegetables, a symbol of plenty.
- Scarecrow: a figure in a field that scares birds away from crops.
Thanksgiving Day Terms and Traditions
- Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade: the famous New York City parade with giant balloons.
- Turkey pardon: a White House tradition in which the president “pardons” a turkey so it is not eaten.
- Black Friday: the shopping day after Thanksgiving.
- Friendsgiving: a Thanksgiving-style meal shared with friends.
- Turkey trot: a fun run or race held on Thanksgiving morning.
- Potluck: a meal where every guest brings a dish.
Thanksgiving Word Lists by Grade
| Level | Suggested words |
|---|---|
| Pre-K and kindergarten | pie, corn, hat, leaf, fall, yum, eat, thank, bird, ham |
| Grades 1–2 | turkey, feast, family, thankful, pumpkin, gravy, autumn, apple, parade, share |
| Grades 3–4 | Pilgrim, harvest, grateful, cranberry, stuffing, November, acorn, colony, potatoes, gather |
| Grades 5 and up | Wampanoag, Mayflower, Plymouth, cornucopia, gratitude, tradition, proclamation, abundance, casserole, Massasoit |
8 Fun Ways to Practice Thanksgiving Vocabulary
- Build a word wall shaped like a turkey, with one word on each feather.
- Play Thanksgiving bingo using the grade-level list.
- Solve a Thanksgiving word search or crossword puzzle.
- Write a “gratitude list” using five feeling words.
- Play word charades: act out “parade,” “harvest” or “gobble.”
- Sort words into food, history, feelings and nature.
- Make an acrostic poem from THANKFUL or HARVEST.
- Hold a family spelling bee before dinner.
Frequently Asked Questions
What words describe Thanksgiving?
Popular words include thankful, grateful, harvest, feast, family, tradition, cozy, abundant and festive. Food words such as turkey, pie and stuffing, and history words such as Pilgrims and Wampanoag, are also common.
What are 5 words related to Thanksgiving?
Turkey, harvest, Pilgrims, gratitude and feast are five of the most common. They cover the meal, the season, the history and the meaning of the holiday.
What is a cornucopia?
A cornucopia, or horn of plenty, is a horn-shaped basket overflowing with fruit, vegetables and grain. It is a symbol of a good harvest and is often used as a Thanksgiving centerpiece.
The Bottom Line
Thanksgiving words help kids talk about the meal, the history and the feeling of being thankful. Pick the grade-level list that fits, add a game or puzzle and the new words will stick. For more learning ideas, visit The Urban Splatter.
