whatsthisword.com

What is WhatsthisWord.com?

WhatsthisWord.com is a crossword clue solver: you type in a clue, often along with the letter pattern or letter count you already know, and it returns candidate answers that fit. It has been online since 2008, so it is aimed at people who want a quick lookup rather than a tutorial on how to solve crosswords.

Who it suits

• Stuck solvers: you have most of a grid filled and need one or two answers to finish.
• Pattern-led solvers: you know some crossing letters, so you enter a pattern with blanks and let the site filter possibilities.
• Casual and cryptic solvers: useful for confirming an answer you suspect, though cryptic clues often depend on wordplay a solver can't reconstruct for you.

How to use it well

1. Enter the clue as it appears, keeping the wording exact — small changes in phrasing can change the intended answer.
2. Add the letter count or known letters, since this narrows the list far more than the clue alone.
3. Treat the results as candidates, not verdicts. Check each one against the crossing letters already in your grid.
4. If a clue is cryptic, expect the answer list to be less helpful; the definition part of the clue is usually the only thing a database can match.

Trade-offs to expect

Clue databases are strongest on standard, frequently reused clues from syndicated and classic puzzles. They are weaker on one-off clues, themed puzzles, and anything where the setter's wording is deliberately unusual. A long list of same-length answers is a sign your clue or pattern is too loose — add more known letters before trying again.

As a next step, if this site's results feel thin, compare against another long-running solver such as Crossword Solver or Wordplays, since different databases index different puzzle sources and one may recognise a clue the other misses.

How do I find crossword answers using a clue and letter count?

Enter the clue text and the known letter count into the search field, then scan the returned answer list for the entry that fits the squares you already have filled. The clue supplies the meaning; the letter count narrows the field. On WhatsthisWord this is the core lookup flow: clue plus letter count in, matching answers out.

A practical way to work a stubborn clue

1. Write the clue down exactly, including any punctuation or quoted words. A phrase like "part of speech" behaves differently from "speech part."
2. Count the empty squares, not the letters you think the answer should have. If the grid shows seven boxes, search seven letters even if you suspect a shorter word.
3. If the list is long, add the letters you already have from crossing entries. Most solvers let you place known letters in fixed positions, which cuts a 40-answer list to two or three.
4. Test each candidate against the crossings. A word that fits the clue but breaks two crossing letters is the wrong word.

What to do when nothing fits

• Check whether the clue is cryptic rather than straight. Cryptic clues hide the definition at the start or end and use wordplay in the middle; a straight-answer database will not solve them.
• Try a synonym rather than the clue's own wording. Solvers index answers, not clue phrasing, so "exhausted" may sit under "tired," "spent" or "beat."
• Reduce the letter count by one and by one again. If you miscounted a square, the correct answer may be one letter shorter or longer than you searched.
• Search a distinctive word from a multi-word clue on its own. Long clues often contain one term that points directly at the answer.

Choosing between lookup tools

For a concrete case: a solver stuck on a five-letter clue reading "bitter resentment" with the third letter already R can search the clue, filter to five letters, and check candidates such as "anger" or "rancor" against the crossing word. The crossing letter decides it.

Can I search for crossword answers by entering a partial word or pattern?

Yes. WhatsthisWord.com is built around pattern-based clue search: you enter the clue text along with what you already know about the answer, such as its letter count or specific letters already filled in, and it returns matching crossword answers.

How pattern searching typically works

Most crossword solvers, including this one, use a mix of two inputs:

• The clue wording — the phrase from the puzzle, e.g. "capital of France."
• The letter pattern — the boxes you've solved, with unknown letters left blank or marked with a wildcard character.

So if you have a seven-letter answer where the third letter is "R," you'd enter something like ??R???? or the equivalent blank-letter format the site accepts. The solver filters its answer list to entries that match both the clue and the pattern.

What this is good for

Pattern search is most valuable when a clue is ambiguous. A clue like "bank" could be RIVER, RELY, or SLOPE depending on the puzzle. Knowing you need five letters with a "V" in the middle narrows it instantly. It also helps when you've partially filled a grid from crossing answers and just need to confirm a word fits.

Practical limits

• Pattern search only works as well as the solver's answer database. Obscure proper nouns, modern slang, or very recent cultural references may return nothing.
• If you enter a pattern that contradicts the actual answer length, you'll get no results — double-check your letter count.
• Some solvers distinguish between "unknown letter" wildcards and "any number of letters" wildcards. Check which symbols the site expects before assuming a failed search means the answer doesn't exist.

A concrete next step

Pick one clue you're stuck on, count the boxes carefully, and fill in only the letters you're confident about from crossings. Enter the clue plus that pattern. If you get several candidates, use the crossing letters you're least sure about to test each one against the perpendicular clues. That back-and-forth is usually faster than solving the clue in isolation.

What should I do if no answers match my crossword clue?

When nothing matches, the clue usually isn't the problem — the search format is. Most solvers, including WhatsthisWord.com, match clue text and letter patterns together, so a mismatch in either one returns an empty list.

Check the pattern first

• Count the squares again, including any letters you already filled in.
• Enter known letters in their exact positions and use a placeholder for unknowns (often ? or -, depending on the solver).
• If the grid shows a hyphen, apostrophe or space inside the answer, check whether the solver expects it typed or omitted.

Then loosen the clue

• Strip quotation marks, punctuation and filler words like "perhaps" or "maybe" — these often signal wordplay rather than literal meaning.
• Try the key noun or verb alone instead of the full phrase.
• If the clue is cryptic, search the definition half first; cryptic surfaces rarely match directly.

Use the crossing letters as your real filter

A single known letter plus the exact length is usually enough to produce a short candidate list. Two or three crossing letters narrow it to a handful you can test against the clue's sense.

Know when to stop searching and start solving

If the same clue returns nothing after two or three reformulations, the fault is likely a wrong crossing letter, not the clue. Re-check the answers that intersect your problem square, since one bad crossing letter can block every valid option.

For a second opinion, try a different index such as Crossword Solver or Wordplays, which sometimes handle abbreviations and multi-word answers differently. If the puzzle comes from a specific paper, its own archive often lists the answer the setter intended.

How can I use WhatsthisWord.com to solve cryptic crossword clues?

WhatsthisWord.com is a clue-and-pattern lookup tool, not a cryptic-crossword tutor. Its core function is to take a clue or a letter pattern and return candidate answers, which you can then test against the wordplay in the clue. It is most useful once you have already extracted some signal from the clue — a definition, a wordplay indicator, a possible enumeration, or a few crossing letters — rather than as a way to crack a cryptic clue cold.

What it does well for cryptic solvers

• Pattern matching. If your crossings give you something like C _ _ _ L _ T _, entering the letters you know with placeholders lets the site suggest completions. This is the single most valuable use for cryptics, where checking letters are often the fastest route in.
• Answer confirmation. When you have a plausible answer but are unsure, looking it up can confirm the spelling or reveal a related term you had not considered.
• Synonym and definition support. Cryptic clues hide a definition at one end of the clue. If you can isolate that definition, a synonym search can generate candidate answers to test against the wordplay.

Where it falls short for cryptics

Cryptic clues depend on wordplay — anagrams, charades, containers, reversals, homophones, hidden words — and a general clue database does not parse those for you. The site will not tell you that "drunk" signals an anagram or that "about" signals a container. It returns answers, not reasoning. Treat it as a dictionary-and-pattern index, not a solving companion.

A practical workflow

1. Read the clue and mark the definition (usually at the start or end).
2. Identify the wordplay indicator and what it operates on.
3. Solve the wordplay to get a partial answer or enumeration.
4. Use WhatsthisWord.com to match the pattern or confirm the candidate.
5. Re-read the clue to verify the definition and wordplay both fit — if they do not, the answer is wrong even if it matches the letters.

Other tools worth knowing

For the wordplay side, dedicated cryptic resources are more helpful than a general solver. The Guardian publishes cryptics with annotated solutions that teach indicator conventions, and Collins Dictionary is useful for checking definitions and synonyms when a clue's surface reading misleads you.

If you are new to cryptics, start with quick cryptics or annotated puzzles before relying on lookup tools; the skill is in the parsing, and a solver that hands you the answer can short-circuit the learning.

Is WhatsthisWord.com suitable for American-style crosswords or only British ones?

WhatsthisWord.com is not limited to British crosswords. Its stated purpose is to find answers for any crossword clue by entering the clue and the letter count, which is a pattern-matching approach that works for both American-style and British-style puzzles. What differs is the clueing convention, not the search mechanics.

Where the difference actually shows up

American-style crosswords tend to rely on:

• Direct, factual clues ("Capital of Peru")
• Heavy abbreviation and pop-culture reference
• Fill that includes proper nouns and brand names
• Fewer anagram and cryptic-style indicators

British-style crosswords, especially the cryptic variety, lean on:

• Wordplay devices: anagrams, hidden words, reversals, homophones
• Containers and charades built from components
• Definition-plus-wordplay structure, often with misleading surface readings

For straightforward clue-and-length lookups, both work. Where a solver tool struggles is cryptic British clues, because the answer is buried inside a wordplay instruction rather than stated directly. Typing a full cryptic clue into a pattern matcher usually returns noise, since the tool reads the clue as a phrase rather than decoding it.

A practical test

Take a clue you already know the answer to and run it through. If a direct American-style clue returns the expected answer and a cryptic clue returns a jumble, you have confirmed the tool's behaviour on your own puzzle type. For cryptic grids, pair a general answer finder with a dedicated cryptic resource such as The Guardian crossword pages, which publish annotated solutions, or a solver community like Crossword Solver for clue-database lookups.

Decision criterion

Use WhatsthisWord.com when you have a clue and a known letter pattern and want candidate fills fast. Reach for a cryptic-specific tool or an annotated solution when the clue's difficulty comes from wordplay rather than vocabulary.