Crossword Pattern Solver
Find words that match known letters and unknown spaces.
Matching words
Enter your search above.
Type some letters above, then press Find words.
Practical guide
Turn crossing letters into a focused answer list
A crossword pattern records both the letters you know and the spaces you do not. WordTorch preserves those positions, then lets you add supporting constraints without guessing an answer too early.
How to use this tool
- Write one character for every square. Enter known letters in place and use ?, _, or a space for each unknown. The pattern length becomes the answer length.
- Add only reliable constraints. Contains, starts with, ends with, and excludes can narrow the list, but one uncertain letter can hide the correct answer.
- Compare candidates with the clue. The tool matches spelling patterns. You still use the clue's meaning, tense, and number to choose the answer.
Worked example
- Input
A??LE- Result
- APPLE and AMPLE match five positions with A first, L fourth, and E last.
The two question marks can be any letters. The clue itself decides whether APPLE, AMPLE, or another matching word makes sense.
When it is useful
- Crossing answers have revealed some, but not all, letters in a crossword entry.
- A hangman-style puzzle gives exact letter positions.
- You need to test whether a suspected length and ending produce sensible candidates.
Puzzle-solving tips
- Count squares before entering the pattern; an extra or missing wildcard changes every later position.
- Check clue grammar. A plural clue often needs a plural answer, and a past-tense clue often needs a past-tense form.
- If the list is empty, remove the least certain crossing letter before trying rare words.
How WordTorch finds the results
WordTorch converts each unknown marker into a single-letter position and anchors the pattern to the full word. Known letters must match exactly where they appear.
Additional fields are combined with that pattern. Excluded letters remove candidates containing any excluded character, while Starts, Ends, and Contains preserve the sequences you enter.
Common Words vs All Words
Common Words is the best first pass for most newspaper and general-interest crosswords.
All Words can help with specialist vocabulary and difficult constructions, but it also produces more obscure candidates.
Crossword answers sometimes use names, abbreviations, or theme entries that are not in a general word list. A missing result does not prove the crossing letters are wrong.
Questions about this tool
What does ? mean?
It stands for exactly one unknown letter. An underscore or blank space in the pattern works the same way.
Can a wildcard represent several letters?
No. Use one wildcard for each square in the answer.
Why are proper names missing?
The local dictionaries focus on words rather than every name, place, abbreviation, or themed phrase used by crossword constructors.
Related tools
Try one of these next if your puzzle needs a different kind of word search.
