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A worked solving guide

Narrow crossword candidates without losing the answer.

Add evidence one constraint at a time. Keep confirmed positions, uncertain guesses and clue meaning separate.

Examples checked

Start with length and confirmed crossings

Count the answer spaces before entering letters. Every underscore represents one unknown letter, so P_____T is seven positions: P, five gaps, then T. Enter letters confirmed by crossings in their numbered boxes. Leave a tempting guess blank until you have evidence for it; a wrong fixed letter can eliminate the correct answer immediately.

Suppose a seven-letter answer starts P and ends T. The first search below returns 61 entries in this dictionary release. Learning that the word contains C reduces the list, even without knowing its location. Later crossings confirm R in position 3 and E in position 5. PERCENT and PERFECT both survive. That is useful progress, but it is not yet a solved clue.

1. Keep only the confirmed ends

61 matches

P _ _ _ _ _ T

  • PATIENTFitsStarts P, ends T and has seven letters.

Five middle positions are still open.

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2. Require C anywhere

15 matches

P _ _ _ _ _ T · include C

  • PERCENTFitsC is in position 4.
  • PERFECTFitsC is in position 6.
  • PATIENTDoesn’t fitIt has no C.

Include C says nothing about its location.

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3. Add two confirmed crossings

2 matches

P _ R _ E _ T · include C

  • PERCENTFitsMatches every fixed position and contains C.
  • PERFECTFitsMatches the same evidence with C in a different gap.

These are the two complete matching entries for this query in the bundled release.

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4. Place C when its crossing is confirmed

1 match

P _ R _ E C T

  • PERFECTFitsC is in position 6, alongside all the other confirmed letters.
  • PERCENTDoesn’t fitIts sixth letter is N, not C.

One spelling candidate remains; still check it against the actual clue.

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Letter compatibility and clue meaning do different jobs

A clue such as “flawless” points toward PERFECT, while PERCENT expresses a proportion. The finder does not understand those meanings: it only checks letters and positions. A candidate can fit every crossing and still be wrong for the clue. Consider the clue’s wording, grammatical form and any theme before committing the answer.

Do not exclude a letter merely because its location is unknown. Exclude C means no C anywhere; it is not a way to say “C is not in box 4.” Likewise, Include letters is a minimum count across the whole word. These filters are literal constraints, not automatic interpretation of game colors or earlier guesses.

Distinguish a contradiction from an empty result

A contradiction can be detected before consulting the dictionary. For example, _E___ with Include EE and Exclude E requires E and forbids it simultaneously. Remove the mistaken exclusion or revisit the crossing. Adding more letters cannot repair incompatible rules.

A valid search with zero matches is different. PQR___T is a legal seven-position pattern, but this release contains no matching entry. First remove the least certain crossing and search again; then check copied positions and repeated-letter counts. If the evidence is sound, the answer may be absent from this spelling list. Do not invent a match or discard a confirmed crossing just to force a result.

A conflict: E required and forbidden

Conflict

_ E _ _ _ · include E E · exclude E

The letter E cannot be both included and excluded.

The rules contradict each other. This is a validation error, not a zero-match dictionary search.

A valid pattern with no entry here

0 matches

P Q R _ _ _ T

The pattern is valid. Recheck uncertain crossings or your puzzle’s own dictionary.

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How these examples were checked

These explanations were prepared for Word Tile Finder. Each matching count and accepted or rejected candidate is checked at build time with the finder’s own letter matcher against the ESDB 2026.02.25 American English word list. Counts describe this release, not word popularity or official game acceptance. Read the dictionary’s scope and filtering rules or inspect its license notices.

Use confirmed crossings to narrow; use the clue to choose.

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