Advanced Word Search

What the advanced word search does

Simple word finders answer one question at a time. The advanced word search lets you ask several at once – "a six-letter adjective that starts with S, has no E and contains an R", for example. It searches our dictionary of about 171,000 English words and shows only the words that pass every filter you set.

How to use it

Fill in any mix of the filters below and search. Leave a filter empty to ignore it.

1. Starts with – the first letter or letters of the word.
2. Ends with – the last letter or letters.
3. Contains – letters that must appear together, in that order, such as "ough".
4. Excludes – letters the word must not contain at all.
5. Length – an exact length, or a range such as 6 to 8 letters.
6. Pattern – one character per letter, with ? for any letter. ?r??n means five letters, with R second and N last.
7. Contains these letters in any order – letters that must appear somewhere in the word, side by side or not.
8. Part of speech – keep only nouns, verbs, adjectives and so on.
9. Common words only – hide rare and unusual words.

Tap any result to copy it, or open its three-dot menu for the definition, syllables, rhymes and anagrams.

Word finder with letters in specific places

The pattern filter pins letters to exact spots. Each ? is one unknown letter, and every other character must match. ?r??n gives words like brain, brown, crown, drain, grain, green and train. Add excludes to drop words with letters you've ruled out – excluding o, for instance, removes brown, crown and groan.

Word finder excluding letters

Excluding letters helps whenever you know what a word isn't. A five-letter word that starts with s, ends with y and excludes a and e brings up words such as shiny, silly, sixty, smoky, snowy, spicy, story and study. Turn on common words only to keep just the everyday ones.

Ways to use the advanced word finder

Word games with tricky rules

Some games ban a letter, need a set length or ask for words of one type. Stack the filters and the list does the hard work.

Poems, songs and slogans

Need an adjective that ends in "ful", or a verb that starts with "sp" and has no more than six letters? Set the filters and pick the word that fits your line. For rhymes, use the rhyme generator.

Grammar and spelling lessons

Pull nouns that end in "tion", verbs that end in "ed", or adjectives that start with "un" – instant example lists for a lesson.

Puzzle making

Building a crossword or a word search? Combine a pattern and a length to find words that fit your grid.

Names for projects and products

Looking for a short, common noun with no E, or a six-letter word that starts with "br"? Mix filters until something clicks.

Tips

• Start broad, then add filters. One or two filters first, then tighten until the list is the size you want.
• "Contains" vs. "any order". Contains "ign" finds sign and align, where the letters sit together. Contains these letters in any order with g, i and n also finds going and ring, where the letters are spread out or in a different order.
• Common words only is best for everyday writing. Turn it off for games that accept rare words.
• Only clues for a five-letter word? The 5-letter word finder is built for green, yellow and gray letters.
• Want the most common words of all? See the word frequency list.