How to find a crossword answer
In Letters you know, type the answer as far as you have it, using a question mark for each missing letter. For a five-letter answer with A second and E last, type ?A??E. If you have no letters yet, just choose the length.
The list shows every word in our dictionary that fits, with the most common words first, because crossword answers are usually everyday words. Each crossing answer you solve adds a letter, so come back with the new pattern and the list will shrink quickly.
For answers of more than one word, put the lengths in brackets at the end of the clue, such as (4,5). The solver then splits your pattern and lists words for each part.
Why add the clue?
The solver can’t understand what a clue means, so the pattern does most of the work. But it reads the clue’s letters for two common tricks. If the clue contains a word that often signals an anagram, such as broken, wild or mixed, it rearranges nearby words with the right number of letters. It also looks for answers hidden inside the clue, written forwards or backwards.
These ideas are shown separately from the main list so you can check them against the definition part of the clue. For cryptic puzzles, the cryptic crossword solver explains these tricks in more detail.
Solving a whole grid
Working through an entire puzzle? The crossword helper turns a photo of your grid into one you can fill in on screen, keeps track of crossing letters for you, and shows the words that fit each answer as you go.
Questions and answers
How do I enter missing letters?
Use a question mark for each unknown letter, for example C?T or ??A?E. An underscore or full stop works too.
Can it solve the clue for me?
Not directly. It finds every word that fits the letters and length, and spots anagrams and hidden words in the clue. Choosing the answer that matches the clue’s meaning is up to you.
Does it work for two-word answers?
Yes. Add the lengths to the end of the clue in brackets, like (3,4), and it searches for each word separately.
Which spellings does it use?
British and American spellings are both included by default. Choose UK or US under Dictionary to match your puzzle.