Periodic Table Bingo: Free Printable Element Symbols Bingo With a Caller Sheet

Bingo Card Online Editorial · Reviewed by Joan Ramos · Updated November 2026 · 3 min read

Periodic table bingo is a chemistry bingo game where each square shows an element symbol, like Fe, Na or Au, and the caller says the element's name (iron, sodium, gold) so players must match the name to its symbol. It's a quick, fun way to learn element symbols in middle school and high school science. Below is a 30-element bingo list, a caller sheet with every name, symbol and atomic number, and the tricky Latin symbols that make the game a challenge.

The button opens the generator with all 30 symbols as 5x5 cards with a free center, 30 cards in all.

▶ Make these periodic table bingo cards

How to play periodic table bingo

1. Hand out cards and a copy of the periodic table for beginners (take it away for the second game).
2. Call the element name: "Potassium."
3. Players find the symbol (K) and mark it if it's on their card.
4. Five in a row wins. The winner reads each marked symbol and says the element's name.

Periodic table bingo caller sheet

These are the first 20 elements plus 10 common ones students meet early. Call the name; players mark the symbol.

The tricky ones: symbols from Latin names

Some symbols don't match the English name because they come from the element's old Latin name. These make great "gotcha" calls:

A memory trick: "Au" sounds like "Ow!" when you hear the price of gold, and "Pb" is in "plumbing," since pipes were once made of lead.

Harder versions for high school

• Atomic number calls: "Element number 26." Players mark Fe.
• Clue calls: "The gas we need to breathe" (O), "the lightest element" (H), "used in balloons that float" (He), "the main element in diamonds and pencil lead" (C).
• Group calls: "A noble gas" lets players mark He, Ne or Ar, but only one square per call.
• Reverse it: make cards with element names and call the symbols.
• Blackout race: first to fill the whole card names every element out loud to win.

Element clues kids remember

Safety note: this is a paper game. Several elements, like mercury and lead, are toxic, and others, like sodium, react strongly with water, so students should never handle elements outside a supervised lab.

Classroom tips

• Use it as a warm-up for 10 minutes at the start of class during a chemistry unit.
• Quiz-day review: play the day before a symbols quiz.
• Pair weaker and stronger students on one card for the first game.
• Prizes: the winner calls the next game, or picks the element of the day.

More classroom bingo

For new science terms, try vocabulary bingo. Trivia bingo works for any subject, and planets bingo covers the solar system. More ideas are in bingo for teachers.

Want all 118 elements? Lists can hold up to 40 words, so open the bingo card generator and make a set for each block of the table.

▶ Make these periodic table bingo cards

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you play periodic table bingo?

Each square is an element symbol. The caller says the element's name, like "potassium," and players mark the symbol (K). Five in a row wins.

What is element bingo?

It's another name for periodic table bingo: players match element names, clues or atomic numbers to their symbols.

Why is the symbol for gold Au?

It comes from the Latin word aurum. Iron (Fe), sodium (Na), potassium (K), copper (Cu), silver (Ag), tin (Sn), mercury (Hg) and lead (Pb) also have Latin-based symbols.

What grade is chemistry bingo for?

Middle school and high school. Younger students can play with a periodic table in front of them; older students can play from memory or with atomic number calls.

How many elements are on the periodic table?

118 elements have been named. This game uses the first 20 plus 10 common elements students learn early.