How the crossword solver works
Type your pattern using the letters you've already filled in and a dot (you can also use _, ?, or a space) for each empty square. The solver then scans a dictionary of more than 269,000 words and returns every word of that exact length whose known letters line up with yours. The more crossing letters you already have, the shorter the list. Results are shown most-common words first so the likely answer is near the top.
Pattern examples
For a five-letter answer where you know the first and third letters, type c.t.e. For an eight-letter word ending in -tion, type ...ction. To narrow a long list, add a letter you know is in the word — but aren't sure where — to the contains box.
Reading a cryptic vs. a straight clue
Not every crossword works the same way, and knowing which kind you are facing changes how you use this tool. In a straight or "quick" crossword, the clue is a plain definition or synonym, so once you have a couple of crossing letters, entering the pattern here usually narrows the answer to a handful of candidates you can match against the meaning. In a cryptic crossword, every clue contains both a definition and a piece of wordplay — an anagram, a hidden word, a container, or a homophone — and the two halves confirm each other. The pattern solver still helps enormously with cryptics: work out the answer's length and any crossing letters, list every word that fits, then check which one also satisfies the wordplay. That second confirmation is what makes cryptic solving so satisfying.
Getting unstuck when the grid stalls
Almost every crossword has a corner that refuses to fall. The fix is usually to attack it from the crossings rather than the clue you are stuck on. Fill the answers you are confident about first; each one drops a letter into the intersecting words and shrinks their possibilities. When one clue still resists, enter its pattern above with every letter you have from the crossings — even two known letters in a seven-letter slot can cut the field from thousands of words to a few dozen. If you know a particular letter belongs in the answer but not its position (common when a crossing word is only half-solved), add it to the contains box to filter the list further.
One habit separates fast solvers from slow ones: they treat every filled square as new information for its neighbors, not just for the clue they just answered. Because this solver returns results ranked by how common each word is, the everyday answer that setters usually intend tends to sit near the top — but always sanity-check the top candidate against the clue's meaning before you ink it in.
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Frequently asked questions
- How do I enter a crossword pattern?
- Type the letters you already know and use a dot, underscore, or question mark for each blank square — for example, c.t.e. The number of characters you type sets the word length.
- Can it solve crossword clues?
- This tool solves by pattern, not by clue meaning. Enter the letters you've filled in plus the length, and it lists every word that fits those squares. It's fastest once you have a crossing letter or two.
- Is this crossword solver free?
- Completely free, with no sign-up. Everything runs in your browser, so your puzzle is never sent anywhere.