What wildcard should I use for unknown letters?

Use ? or .; each wildcard stands for one unknown letter in the answer.

Why does the helper return words that do not match my clue?

Pattern matching is literal. Use the clue wording, tense, and theme to choose from the filtered candidates.

Can it solve multiword crossword answers?

This page is best for single-token entries. Multiword and hyphenated answers may need manual checking.

What should I do if there are too many results?

Add more confirmed letters, include likely clue letters, or exclude letters ruled out by crossings.

Crossword Helper: Find Answers from Letters & Patterns

Search Filters

Word length

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Pattern

Use ? or . for unknown letters. Pattern length should match the word length.

Must include letters Must exclude letters

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Crossword matches

0 matches

Find a crossword answer from known letters

Start with the number of squares in the answer, then copy the confirmed letters from your crossings. Replace each unknown square with ?. A five-letter entry with C in the first square, A in the third and E in the fifth becomes C?A?E.

The solver finds words that fit the grid pattern; the clue still decides which candidate is correct. Check the clue's tense, plural form, abbreviation, wordplay and puzzle theme before entering an answer.

Crossword pattern examples

??? finds any three-letter answer candidate.
?A?E finds four-letter words with A second and E last.
S??R? finds five-letter words beginning with S and containing R fourth.
Use the include and exclude boxes when crossings suggest extra letters without confirming their positions.

Working on a current puzzle? Browse today's NYT Crossword clues and answers or the NYT Midi Crossword answers today, then use this pattern solver to narrow any stubborn entry. You can also explore more crossword solving tools.

How this crossword helper works

Crossword Helper narrows possible answers by length, known positions, required letters, and letters that cannot appear. Start with the answer length from the grid, then enter a pattern using letters you already know and ? for blanks. The search returns dictionary words that fit the exact slot shape.

This is most useful after you have a few crossings but the clue is still ambiguous. It does not interpret clue wording by itself; it gives you a candidate list so you can compare the results against the clue, theme, tense, and puzzle style. For example, a clue asking for a verb may rule out a noun that still matches the pattern.

Example use cases

Find five-letter answers matching a pattern such as A??LE.
Exclude letters you know are impossible from nearby crossings.
Check whether a suspected answer fits every confirmed square.
Generate possibilities when the clue has several possible meanings.

Worked example

If the grid has five squares and your crossings give C?A?E, set the length to five and enter that pattern. A word such as crane can appear because it keeps the fixed C, A, and E while filling the unknown slots.

Common mistakes

Using the clue answer length incorrectly, especially with rebus or themed entries.
Putting excluded letters into the pattern field instead of the exclude box.
Assuming every pattern match is a clue match; meaning still matters.

FAQs

What wildcard should I use for unknown letters?: Use ? or .; each wildcard stands for one unknown letter in the answer.
Why does the helper return words that do not match my clue?: Pattern matching is literal. Use the clue wording, tense, and theme to choose from the filtered candidates.
Can it solve multiword crossword answers?: This page is best for single-token entries. Multiword and hyphenated answers may need manual checking.
What should I do if there are too many results?: Add more confirmed letters, include likely clue letters, or exclude letters ruled out by crossings.

Crossword Helper and Pattern Solver