Crossword Solver

Solve your crossword puzzles. Enter the letters you know and find British English words that fit. Use a ‘?’ for every unknown letter, and we will provide you with possible matches.

Enter the crossword pattern

Type the letters you know and use ? for each missing letter.

Answer length 0 letters

How to use the Crossword Solver

Use the Crossword Solver when you know the length of an answer and have discovered some of its letters.

  1. Count the number of squares in the crossword answer.
  2. Enter each known letter in its correct position.
  3. Enter a question mark for every unknown square.
  4. Optionally enter letters that cannot appear in the answer.
  5. Select Find Answers.
  6. Compare the possible answers with the original crossword clue.

Crossword pattern example

Suppose the crossword answer contains nine squares and currently looks like this:

C _ O S S _ O _ D

Enter the pattern as:

C?OSS?O?D

The solver finds possible answers including:

  • CROSSROAD
  • CROSSWORD

The crossword clue and intersecting answers will tell you which result is correct.

Entering unknown letters

Every character entered represents one crossword square. Unknown letters can be entered in any of these ways:

  • A question mark: ?
  • An underscore: _
  • A space

Question marks are usually the clearest option, particularly on a mobile phone.

Excluding letters

Use Exclude Letters when you know that particular letters cannot appear in the answer. This can reduce a long list of possibilities considerably.

For example, if the answer pattern is ?OUSE but you know it does not contain H, L or R, enter those letters in the exclusion box.

Tips for solving crossword clues

  • Check the answer length carefully before searching.
  • Confirm that each known letter is in the correct position.
  • Add newly discovered crossing letters and search again.
  • Use excluded letters to remove impossible results.
  • Consider whether the clue requires a plural, past tense or other word form.
  • Remember that cryptic clues may use abbreviations, wordplay or multiple meanings.

British crossword vocabulary

The solver uses British English words and spellings, making it particularly useful for crosswords published in the United Kingdom.

The results may include traditional British spellings, Oxford spelling variants and less common words frequently encountered in challenging crosswords.

Frequently asked questions

Does the solver understand the crossword clue?

No. It matches the known letter pattern against the British English word list. You must compare the possible answers with the clue.

Can I search using no known letters?

Yes. Enter one question mark for every answer square. However, adding even one or two known letters will produce a much more useful list.

Why am I seeing several possible answers?

Different words can share the same length and letter pattern. Add more crossing letters or use the clue to identify the intended answer.

Are proper names included?

No. The solver concentrates on ordinary words. A crossword answer involving a person, place, abbreviation or specialist name may not appear.

What is the maximum answer length?

The Crossword Solver supports answers from two to fifteen letters.