Letters to words or known positions?
Start with the kind of clue you have. A pile of available letters and a partially filled word follow different rules.
Choose the method that matches your clues before adding filters.
Read the worked guideFrom a clue to a useful candidate
Make your next search count.
Three worked guides explain the rules behind the results. Choose the one that matches your puzzle, then open its checked examples in the finder.
Choose a solving guide
Repeated letters and blanks: count every copy.
A second E is a real constraint. A blank can cover one missing copy, but it cannot supply two different letters at once.
Count copies first, then decide whether their positions matter.
Read the worked guideNarrow crossword candidates without losing the answer.
Add evidence one constraint at a time. Keep confirmed positions, uncertain guesses and clue meaning separate.
Use confirmed crossings to narrow; use the clue to choose.
Read the worked guidePractical examples, with a clear scope.
These guides explain this site’s actual search rules. Example counts and candidate checks are computed from our bundled American English word list when the pages are built. You can inspect the cases and try the same searches yourself.
A matching spelling is a starting point. Crossword clue meanings and official game dictionaries still decide whether it is the right answer. Read about the word source and its limits.
Search your own lettersHelp improve the finder?
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