Crossword Solver

How to use it

• One character per square, so the pattern length is the answer length.
• Use _ for a square you have not filled in yet. A dash, dot or question mark works too.
• Leave the pattern all blank (_____) to list every word of that length.
• Must contain takes letters you know are in the answer but cannot place yet.
• Answers are alphabetical, and each one links to its dictionary page.

What this solver does and does not know

It knows words — every word in the lists we hold, searchable by shape. It does not know clues: there is no database of “capital of Peru, four letters” here, and no attempt to guess what a setter meant. What it does instead is turn the squares you have already filled into a short list of everything that can fit them.

That is usually the faster route anyway. Two crossing letters and a length reduce most English words to a handful of candidates, and once you see the handful, the clue normally answers itself.

Use the letters you have, not the ones you want

The common mistake is waiting until you have a theory about the answer before searching. Put in what the grid has already given you — even a single crossing letter in the right position — and add letters to Must contain as the crossings arrive. Each one you add typically removes most of what is left.

For an anagram-style clue, where you know the letters but not the order, use the word finder instead: it takes a bag of letters and returns what they can spell, which is the other half of the same job.

Common questions

How long can the pattern be? Up to fifteen squares, which covers a standard daily grid end to end.

Can I search for a word by its ending only? Yes — leave the leading squares blank, as in ___ing. Leaving the whole pattern blank lists every word of that length, which is a reasonable way to browse when the grid gives you nothing but a count.

Are phrases and proper nouns included? No. The lists we search hold single words in lowercase, so multi-word answers and names will not appear.

Why do I get more answers than my puzzle would accept? We search four word lists, and a British crossword and an American one draw on different vocabularies. Each answer links to its page, which says which lists contain it.

More word tools here

• Word finder — from a set of letters rather than a shape.
• Wordle solver — five squares, with colours as clues.
• Word checker — look one word up in all four lists.