Enter Your Pattern
Type the letters you already have from the grid and use a question mark or underscore for every empty square. The pattern's length becomes the answer's length automatically.
Free & Instant — No Sign-up Required
Solve Any
Crossword Clue
In Seconds
Stuck on a crossword? Type the letters you know, use blanks for the rest, and our crossword solver instantly matches your pattern against a 60,000+ word dictionary — no wordplay guessing required.
✅ Pattern & blank support
✅ Letter filters
✅ 60,000+ word dictionary
Try a pattern
CROSSWORD
PUZZLE
CLUE
0
Word Dictionary
0
Max Pattern Length
0
Free — No Cost, No Account
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Seconds to Get Results
Crossword Puzzle Solver
Enter your pattern below — use ? or _ for every blank square — and the crossword clue solver instantly finds every matching word.
How the Crossword Solver Online Works
Our crossword helper matches your pattern against a full dictionary in milliseconds — no wordplay knowledge needed.
Add Optional Filters
Know a letter is somewhere in the word but not its position? Add it to "Must Contain." Want to rule out a letter entirely? Add it to "Must Exclude."
Get Instant Matches
Click "Find Matching Words" and every word in our dictionary that fits your exact pattern appears instantly, ready to copy straight into your puzzle.
Pattern Symbols the Solver Understands
Crossword answers are just letters and blanks. Here's exactly how to describe any grid entry to the solver.
A–Z
Known Letters
Type any letter exactly where it appears in the grid, upper or lower case — the solver treats both the same way.
?
Question Mark Blank
Use a question mark for any square you haven't filled in yet. It matches any single letter in that position.
_
Underscore Blank
Prefer underscores? They work identically to question marks, so use whichever feels more natural to type.
Powerful Features Built for Every Solver
From daily crossword fans to puzzle constructors — our crossword solver is packed with smart features.
Pattern Matching
Describe any grid entry with letters and blanks and get every word that fits, instantly, from a large dictionary.
Must-Contain Filter
Know a letter is hiding somewhere in the word? Filter results down to only words containing it.
Must-Exclude Filter
Rule out letters you know can't be part of the answer to shrink a long results list fast.
Instant Search Algorithm
Results appear in milliseconds because the entire dictionary lookup runs locally in your browser.
One-Click Copy
Click any result to copy it instantly, or copy the whole results list at once for reference.
Mobile Friendly
Works seamlessly on phones and tablets — solve a clue on the couch or on your commute.
Case Insensitive
Type in upper or lower case — the solver normalizes everything automatically.
Completely Free
No account, no login, no payment. Open the page and start solving right away.
No Install Required
Runs entirely in your browser using vanilla JavaScript. Nothing to download or update.
Built for Every Kind of Crossword Fan
Whether you're stuck on the daily puzzle or constructing one, the Crossword Solver fits your workflow.
Daily Puzzlers
Stuck on your morning crossword with a coffee in hand? Paste in the letters you've got and finish the grid without losing your streak.
Students & Word Learners
Use the pattern solver to explore vocabulary, verify spelling, and discover new words that fit a given letter shape.
Puzzle Constructors
Building your own crossword grid? Check which real words can fill a tricky intersection before finalizing your layout.
Seniors & Therapists
Crosswords are a popular cognitive exercise for older adults. Caregivers can use this tool to prepare answer keys quickly.
Newspaper & Magazine Readers
Working through a print crossword and missing one last word? Type what you have and finish the grid in seconds.
Editors & Proofreaders
Double-check that a published crossword's answers are valid, real dictionary words before it goes to print.
Tips for Better Results
Get the most out of the crossword solver and sharpen your own solving skills at the same time.
1
Count Your Squares First
Before typing a pattern, count the exact number of squares in the grid entry — the pattern length must match the answer length exactly.
2
Fill In Every Known Letter
Enter every letter you've already solved from crossing answers. The more letters you provide, the fewer — and more accurate — the matches.
3
Use "Must Contain" for Loose Clues
If a clue hints at a specific letter without confirming its position, add it under "Must Contain" instead of guessing at a blank.
4
Too Many Results? Narrow the Pattern
A pattern with many blanks can return hundreds of matches. Solve one or two crossing answers first to shrink the list.
5
Click to Copy Instantly
Click any word chip in the results to copy just that word — handy when you've spotted the right answer in a long list.
6
Manual Tip: Solve Crossings First
Fill in the answers you're most confident about first — their crossing letters often make neighboring clues far easier to crack.
7
Manual Tip: Watch for Plurals & Tenses
Clue tense and plurality usually match the answer — a clue ending in "-ed" often needs a past-tense word to fit the grid.
8
Load Sample to Learn the Format
Not sure how to format a pattern? Click "Load Sample" to see a working example, then swap in your own letters and blanks.
Background
What Is a Crossword Puzzle?
A crossword is a word puzzle made up of a grid of black and white squares. Clues are numbered and correspond to the "Across" and "Down" entries, and each answer intersects with others sharing common letters.
Solving a crossword clue usually means combining two things: the clue's wordplay or definition, and the letter pattern created by any answers you've already filled in around it.
Crosswords have been published since 1913 and remain one of the most popular word games in newspapers, magazines, and dedicated puzzle apps worldwide.
Our Crossword Solver handles the second half of that equation — given a pattern of known letters and blanks, it instantly returns every dictionary word that fits, so you can confirm your answer or get unstuck.
Related Terms
Crossword Solver
Crossword Puzzle Solver
Crossword Clue Solver
Crossword Helper
Crossword Answers
Solve Crossword Clue
Crossword Word Finder
Crossword Solver With Clues
Crossword Solver With Letters
Free Crossword Tool
Word Pattern Finder
Puzzle Solver Online
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about using the Crossword Solver.
Count the squares in the grid entry, type any letters you already know in their correct positions, and use a question mark or underscore for every blank. Click "Find Matching Words" and the solver returns every word in the dictionary that fits that exact pattern and length.
If you know exact letters in exact positions, place them directly in the pattern box (e.g. C?T). If you only know a letter appears somewhere but not where, add it to the "Must Contain" field instead — the solver will only return words that include it anywhere.
Yes, completely free. No account, no login, no credit card, no subscription. The tool runs entirely in your browser and requires no data to be sent to a server.
Use a question mark (?) or an underscore (_) for any letter you don't know yet — both work identically. For example, "CR?SS??RD" and "CR_SS__RD" return the same results.
Too many results usually means your pattern has too many blanks — solve a crossing answer or two first to add more known letters. Too few or zero results often means a typo in a known letter, or the word you're after isn't in our dictionary.
No — this tool matches letter patterns, not clue wordplay like anagrams or hidden words. It's designed to confirm which dictionary word fits the grid once you know (or partly know) the answer's letters and length.
The solver supports patterns from 2 to 20 letters long, covering virtually every crossword grid entry from short two-letter fills to long theme answers.
Once the page has loaded, including the word dictionary, the solving algorithm runs entirely client-side in JavaScript with no further internet connection required.
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No sign-up. No download. Just type your pattern and see every matching word revealed instantly.
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