How to Find a Crossword Answer When You Only Know Some Letters

Updated

Use the missing-letter search on the-crossword-solver.com: type the letters you already have and put a question mark (?) or a dot (.) in every box you haven't filled yet, then run the search. For example, c?oss?or? matches words that start with "c", have "oss" in positions 2–4, and so on. The site's own instructions describe exactly this format, and it says the search returns matching words from its database.

Step by step

  1. Write out the pattern by position. Count the boxes in the grid for that answer and map each known letter to its position. A seven-letter answer with a known "c" first, "oss" in the middle, and a known "r" near the end becomes c?oss?or?.
  2. Enter the pattern in the search bar. The site says to use ? (or .) in place of any letters you don't have. Spaces are ignored, so you don't need to worry about them.
  3. Run the search. The solver looks for words in its database that fit the letter pattern you entered.
  4. Filter the results against the clue. The list may contain several words of the right length and letter pattern. Read the clue again and pick the candidate whose meaning fits. If the clue is a synonym-style clue, the site's thesaurus and definition entries can help you confirm the match.

What each search mode is for

You have What to enter What you get
Some letters in known positions Letters plus ? or . for blanks, e.g. cr???wo?d Words matching that letter pattern
A clue or synonym Keywords from the clue Definitions, synonyms, and possibly the exact clue answer
Scrambled letters (anagram clue) All the letters in any order Crossword answers using those letters

The site describes its search as "universal": it looks across definitions, synonyms, and clues, and its clue database is described as constantly expanding, so a clue search may return the exact answer directly.

Checking your answer before you commit

  • Length must match. The pattern search only returns words of the same length as your pattern, so a result that doesn't fit the grid boxes is the wrong result.
  • Crossing letters are a second test. If a candidate conflicts with letters already fixed by crossing answers, discard it even if the meaning seems plausible.
  • Clue type matters. A cryptic-style clue and a straight definition clue point to different kinds of answers; use the clue wording, not just the letter fit, to decide.

Common snags

  • Using the wrong number of placeholders. One ? per unknown box; a pattern that is one character short or long will return nothing useful.
  • Forgetting that anagram clues work differently. For anagrams, enter the letters in any order with no placeholders; the solver looks for answers that use exactly those letters.
  • Treating the first result as the answer. When several words fit the pattern, the clue is what separates them.