Word finder
Find words by pattern, first or last letters, and length.
Fill in any field to see matching words.
Try , or .
How to use the word finder
- Type a pattern if you know some letter positions, using ? for each unknown letter.
- Or fill in Starts with or Ends with to search by first or last letters.
- Open More filters to add letters that must be in the word, letters to leave out, or a letter group it contains.
- Pick a length if the word has to fit a certain number of squares.
Every field is optional and they all work together. Results update as you type, grouped by length with the most common words first. Tap a word to open its definition.
Solving five-letter guessing games
After each guess, add what you learned. A letter in the right spot goes into the pattern, for example ??A?E. Under More filters, a letter that is in the word but in the wrong spot goes into Must include, and letters that are not in the word go into Leave out. The list shrinks with every guess, and the common words at the top are usually the best next try.
Crosswords and fill-in puzzles
For a crossword answer, type the letters you already have from crossing words and a question mark for each empty square. Choose the length to match the grid. If you know the answer ends in a common ending, such as -ING or -ED, put it in Ends with to cut the list down fast.
Looking for ready-made lists instead? Browse our word lists, such as 5-letter words, words with Q and words ending in ING.
Questions
How is this different from the unscrambler?
The unscrambler starts from the letters you have and shows every word they can make. The word finder searches the whole dictionary for words that fit a shape: a pattern, a start or an ending, letters to include or leave out, and a length.
How do I search with a pattern?
Type the letters you know in their places and a question mark for each unknown letter. CR?NE finds CRANE and CRONE, and ?A??E finds every five-letter word with A second and E last. An underscore or a dot works the same as a question mark.
Can I use it for Wordle and other five-letter games?
Yes. Put green letters in the pattern. Then open More filters and put yellow letters in Must include and grey letters in Leave out. The results show the words that are still possible, with the most common words first.
What is the difference between Contains and Must include?
Contains looks for letters next to each other in that order, such as QU or TCH. Must include only checks that each letter appears somewhere in the word, in any position.
Which words are included?
The word finder uses the same public domain ENABLE word list as our other tools, about 168,000 English words, with offensive words removed.