A word finder with real filters
A word finder does more than unscramble — it lets you search the dictionary by the exact shape of the word you need. Start with the letters you hold, then narrow the results: only words that start with st, end in -ing, contain the sequence qu, must include a z, or are exactly six letters long. Combine several filters at once and you can pinpoint the single word that fits a gap on the board or a blank in a puzzle.
How to search
Enter your available letters (use ? for unknown tiles), then open Filters and set any combination of:
- Starts with — for building off a letter already played, or finding words beginning with a prefix.
- Ends with — to hook onto a suffix or land on a specific final square.
- Contains — a letter sequence that must appear together, like th or qu.
- Must include — individual letters that must appear somewhere, in any position.
- Length — an exact word length, ideal for crossword slots.
What people use it for
The word finder is a favourite for crossword hints (pair it with our crossword solver on ClueHub), for word games with letter or length restrictions, for teachers and parents building spelling lists, and for writers hunting a word with a particular sound or ending. Because it searches a dictionary of 370,000+ words, it surfaces options that thinner tools simply do not have.
Worked filter example
Suppose your letters are TRAIN, the answer has five letters and must start with T. Enter TRAIN, set Starts with to T and Length to 5. The active-filter summary confirms both constraints before you inspect the matches. Use Contains for a fixed sequence and Must include when the letters may appear in any order.
Filter tips and common mistakes
- Use a question mark only when an available tile is unknown; it is not a position pattern.
- Combine length with a starting or ending clue to remove irrelevant short words.
- For a plain jumble with no constraints, use Word Unscrambler instead.
Browse ready-made word lists
Prefer to browse rather than search? Our word lists collect words by length and by starting or ending letter — five-letter words, words that start with Q, words ending in -ly, and hundreds more — perfect for study, puzzles and quick reference.
Frequently asked questions
Can I search without knowing all the letters?
Yes. Use blanks (?) for unknown tiles, or lean on the starts-with, ends-with and contains filters to search purely by pattern.
What's the difference between "Contains" and "Must include"?
Contains looks for letters that appear together as a sequence (like qu); Must include only requires the letters to appear somewhere, in any order.