Crossword Helper
Type the pattern you have from the grid (C?T, H...E, A??LE) and list words that fit.
Enter pattern with ? for unknowns • Supports . _ * as wildcards • Clue helper filters included
Pattern notation this page assumes
Crossword players mix symbols. On this site, treat them as:
?or.= one unknown letter (check which the live field expects)- A-Z = known letters in place
- Length is implied by how many characters you typed
Examples:
C?T→CAT,COT,CUT(and others:CITif the list allows)??ING→ five-letter words ending ING (ACING,BEING,GOING, …)A??LE→AMPLE,ANGLE,ANKLE,APPLE,AISLEdepending on list
If your newspaper uses blanks as underscores, convert _ _ I _ E to ??I?E before pasting.
Worked American-style clue
Clue: “River mammal (5)”
Pattern from crossing letters: O???R
Candidates might include OTTER, OSIER (that’s a plant; definition won’t fit), OATER (Western film slang; wrong definition). Definition kills most pattern hits. Pattern first, clue second.
Cryptic clues add extra work. For cryptics, pattern-match after you decode the wordplay, or use the helper to test whether a hypothesized answer even fits the checks.
Crossing letters are the real feature
Don’t type ????? and scroll. Fill every crossing you already trust.
Bad: ????? for a five-letter “South American capital” fishing trip.
Better: L???A after you have L and A from downs, which points at LIMA faster than a blank pentagram.
If two patterns both seem possible, look at the least common letter. A Q or J in a crossing is worth more than another E.
Dictionary mismatch in crosswords
Crossword answers include proper nouns, abbreviations, crosswordese (ESNE, OLEO, ETUI), and phrases with spaces removed. A Scrabble TWL06 list will miss many of those and will include inflected forms crosswords rarely want.
If the helper is backed by a Scrabble-style list, treat it as incomplete for proper names. Keep a second source for geography and people.
FAQ
On many systems ? is one character and * is a variable-length wildcard. If this tool’s field is fixed-length (you typed the squares), you usually want ? only. Don’t paste regex unless the UI says it parses regex.
British cryptics often have more unchecked letters; American themed puzzles often have fully checked letters. Helper usage is the same: enter known squares, then think.
If the clue says “ran” you want a past tense. If the pattern is R??, RAN fits; RUN might also fit the squares but not the inflection. Let grammar veto the list.
Treat the blank as the answer pattern from the grid, not from the clue sentence. The sentence tells you meaning; the grid tells you letters.
Related guides
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American crossword clue habits you can actually use
US daily puzzles talk in a dialect: short definitions, question marks for wordplay, abbreviations in the clue, and fill that isn’t a Scrabble list.
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Using crossing letters when a crossword clue goes nowhere
When the across clue is fog, the downs you already trust are the puzzle. Lock conservative letters, hunt rare crossings, and don’t type five blanks into a helper.
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Crossword pattern notation: ?, ., and blanks
How to write a partial crossword answer so a helper can fill the gaps.