Enter a word to see all the clues used for it, or enter a pattern to see all answer words that match that pattern.
Standard matching: Patterns use ? for unknown single letters. For example, P??CH will find both POOCH and PEACH.
Use * to mean any number of letters.
A*Z finds both ADZ and ALCATRAZ, *CRY gets words that end with CRY, etc.
Up to 1000 results are shown from each word list.
This page finds words from Daily, Sunday and Variety puzzles, and also from a dictionary search. See FAQs for dictionary info.
You can use $v to mean a single vowel or $c to mean a consonant. The v and c must be lower case.
For consistency with other search engines, Y is always considered to be a consonant. Try these sample links:
$c??$c displays 4-letter answers that start and end with a consonant.
$v$v*$v$v returns words of any length that start and end with two vowels.
Some extensions are available using standard matching. For example,
[QJXZ]???[^A-M] finds 5-letter words starting with Q, J, Z, or Z
and ending with a letter not in the first half of the alphabet.
New regex matching (advanced): You can now choose to use full regular expression (regex) syntax in your searches.
You must explicitly click the RegEx button to perform a regular expression search.
Up to 10,000 results from the combined databases (Shortz, Variety, Pre-Shortz, Dictionary) are returned in a single list.
Standard matching patterns will not work in regex mode. The syntax is completely different.
XWord Info cannot help with regex syntax but the web is full of
helpful sites about this .
The Regex Dictionary has a particularly good tutorial .
The one extension I provide is that $c and $v can be used as shorthand for any consonant and any vowel.
Queries can be arbitrarily complex but here are a few simple ones to get you started.
Find words that include the string ABC somewhere inside:
ABC
Words that can be spelled using only the names of musical notes:
^[A-G]+$
Entries that do not include a vowel:
^[^AEIOU]*$
Words ending in c + 2 vowels + a single consonant:
C$v$v$c$
15-letter words containing neither A nor E:
^[^AE]{15}$
Words containing at least one Q and one V in any order:
(V.*Q)|(Q.*V)
Date Grid Clue Author
Wednesday, May 8, 2013 9D Focusing problem, for short Bruce Venzke
Sunday, April 28, 2013 78D Mention parenthetically Patrick Berry
Thursday, January 31, 2013 37A Total (2) Mike Buckley
Thursday, October 4, 2012 38A Build on, with "to" Bill Thompson
Sunday, September 23, 2012 90A Mix (in) Matt Ginsberg
Wednesday, June 20, 2012 8D Put in (7) Alan Arbesfeld
Wednesday, May 23, 2012 61D Put on (7) Eric Williams
Monday, April 16, 2012 66A Put two and two together, say Lynn Lempel
Thursday, April 12, 2012 66A Lack of focus, colloquially Michael Shteyman
Friday, April 6, 2012 21D Attach (to) Mike Nothnagel
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 33A Sum up Karen Young Bonin
Sunday, August 28, 2011 97A Interject (5) Patrick Berry
Tuesday, March 15, 2011 47A Tendency for one's mind to wander, for short Jeremy Newton
Friday, January 14, 2011 22A Interject (5) Martin Ashwood-Smith
Saturday, December 25, 2010 56D Foot up Stanley Newman
Monday, November 1, 2010 55D Put two and two together (3) Holden Baker
Monday, August 2, 2010 35D Total (up) Diane Baker van Hoff
Wednesday, October 14, 2009 39D What summers do Richard Silvestri
Thursday, September 3, 2009 60D Hyperactivity may be a sign of it, for short C. W. Stewart
Sunday, August 2, 2009 109D Get a total Patrick Berry
Thursday, May 21, 2009 56A Do sum work Patrick Blindauer
Wednesday, January 7, 2009 24A Write, as a P.S. William Frank Macreery
Saturday, November 22, 2008 56D Do a summer's work? Frank Longo
Friday, September 12, 2008 57D Kick in (2) Natan Last
Tuesday, May 20, 2008 11D Throw in Billie Truitt
Wednesday, March 12, 2008 62D Count up Larry Shearer
Sunday, February 24, 2008 39A Interject (5) Nancy Nicholson Joline
Tuesday, December 25, 2007 43A Toss in Nancy Salomon
Tuesday, October 9, 2007 10D Problem in focusing, for short Timothy Powell
Saturday, June 2, 2007 4D Interject (5) Byron Walden
Monday, March 19, 2007 23D Append (3) Richard Chisholm
Sunday, February 25, 2007 82D Put on (7) David J. Kahn
Wednesday, January 31, 2007 44D Contribute (4) Brendan Emmett Quigley
Friday, December 22, 2006 20A Kick in (2) Mike Nothnagel
Sunday, July 16, 2006 76A Recipe instruction Ashish Vengsarkar
Friday, May 12, 2006 53A Contribute (to) David Quarfoot
Tuesday, April 18, 2006 51A Append (3) Pete Muller
Sunday, October 9, 2005 117D Tag on (2) Kyle Mahowald
Wednesday, October 5, 2005 42A Interject (5) Nancy Salomon
Friday, May 6, 2005 40D Gibe, with "up" Harvey Estes
Monday, March 28, 2005 27A Say more Elizabeth Babikan
Friday, December 31, 2004 8D Also say David Quarfoot
Thursday, December 9, 2004 8D Tack on (5) Paula Gamache
Sunday, September 19, 2004 32A Continue Kyle Mahowald
Thursday, August 19, 2004 1D Word on a dipstick Ed Early
Monday, June 21, 2004 49A Put two and two together? Craig Kasper
Tuesday, May 4, 2004 21A Contribute (4) Eric Berlin
Sunday, March 7, 2004 81A Elaborate Tyler Hinman
Wednesday, January 21, 2004 8D Put on (7) Barry Silk
Sunday, November 30, 2003 29D See 74-Across Manny Nosowsky
Wednesday, November 5, 2003 36A Put in (7) Nancy Kavanaugh
Thursday, October 30, 2003 61A Say in a postscript Patrick Berry
Wednesday, October 1, 2003 42A Put on (7) A. J. Santora
Monday, September 15, 2003 56D Do sums (3) Sheldon Benardo
Sunday, September 7, 2003 47D Put in (7) Alan Arbesfeld
Sunday, August 10, 2003 47D Insert Cathy Millhauser
Thursday, July 31, 2003 67A Put in (7) Paula Gamache
Monday, July 14, 2003 13D Do sums (3) Elizabeth C. Gorski
Wednesday, June 25, 2003 4A Build (on) (4) Leonard Williams
Sunday, June 1, 2003 19D Stir in Lee Glickstein and Nancy Salomon
Sunday, April 27, 2003 16A ___-ons Jon Delfin
Monday, March 24, 2003 43A Build (on) (4) Alison D. Donald
Thursday, March 13, 2003 11D Put in (7) David J. Kahn
Wednesday, February 12, 2003 37D Tag on (2) Ed Early
Monday, February 3, 2003 56D Do sums (3) Sheldon Benardo
Friday, October 18, 2002 27A Include, with "in" Manny Nosowsky
Thursday, September 26, 2002 23A Put in (7) Manny Nosowsky
Sunday, August 18, 2002 59D Put on (7) Michael Ashley
Monday, August 5, 2002 5D Say further (3) Manny Nosowsky
Thursday, May 16, 2002 60A Build on David J. Kahn
Thursday, March 14, 2002 12D Put on (7) Alan Arbesfeld
Tuesday, October 16, 2001 40A Tack on (5) Sarah Keller
Tuesday, September 11, 2001 48A Build (on) (4) Joan Yanofsky
Saturday, August 25, 2001 1D Recipe word (2) Frank Longo
Monday, July 9, 2001 43A Sum (up) (2) Gregory E. Paul
Sunday, July 8, 2001 37A Recipe direction Michael S. Maurer
Saturday, January 27, 2001 5D Stick in Rich Norris
Thursday, March 16, 2000 56D Put two and two together (3) Peter Gordon
Sunday, February 13, 2000 24D Stick (on) Bill Zais
Tuesday, September 28, 1999 4D Tally (up) (2) Elizabeth C. Gorski
Wednesday, May 19, 1999 37D Lengthen, with "to" Elizabeth C. Gorski
Monday, May 3, 1999 65D Build (on) (4) Nancy Kavanaugh
Thursday, March 25, 1999 36D Combine David J. Kahn
Tuesday, December 22, 1998 8D Put a wing (on) Adam Cohen
Thursday, December 17, 1998 33A Put together, in a way David J. Kahn
Sunday, November 8, 1998 18D Say further (3) Fred Piscop
Wednesday, November 4, 1998 39D Tack on (5) Rich Norris
Wednesday, September 2, 1998 4D Recipe word (2) Randall J. Hartman
Friday, August 14, 1998 10A Subjoin (2) Shannon Burns
Sunday, July 19, 1998 121D Put two and two together (3) Nancy Salomon
Sunday, April 19, 1998 81A Contribute (4) Rich Norris
Monday, March 16, 1998 57D Use an abacus Mark Moldowsky
Sunday, February 8, 1998 57D Sum (up) (2) Manny Nosowsky
Wednesday, December 31, 1997 1A Use a postscript (2) Alfio Micci
Friday, December 19, 1997 25A Explain further John Wolting
Tuesday, November 11, 1997 54A Make sense, with "up" (3) Brendan Emmett Quigley
Tuesday, August 19, 1997 27D Supplement Elizabeth C. Gorski
Sunday, August 3, 1997 46A Say further (3) Peter Gordon
Tuesday, April 29, 1997 62D Do basic arithmetic Jeff Herrington
Tuesday, March 11, 1997 47A Go on to say Alan Arbesfeld
Friday, January 31, 1997 35A Raise, with "to" (2) M. Gaffney
Thursday, January 30, 1997 57D Contribute (4) D. Motley
Monday, January 20, 1997 41A Tally (up) (2) S. Spadaccini
Tuesday, September 24, 1996 68A Make sense, with "up" (3) S. Spadaccini
Thursday, September 12, 1996 44A Raise, with "to" (2) K. Hodge
Thursday, June 13, 1996 23D Tack (on) D. J. Kahn
Sunday, May 26, 1996 28D Put on (7) R. Ross
Monday, May 20, 1996 56A Put 2 and 2 together G. E. Paul
Friday, April 12, 1996 42A Use a postscript (2) M. Nosowsky
Wednesday, February 28, 1996 49D Put in (7) F.A. Longo
Sunday, August 20, 1995 79A Use carets Cathy Millhauser
Sunday, August 13, 1995 109A Tack on (5) Nancy Salomon
Wednesday, April 19, 1995 50D Total (2) Alfio Micci
Sunday, February 26, 1995 8D Make sense, with "up" (3) Fred Piscop
Thursday, February 2, 1995 25D Postfix Bob and Sharon Klahn
Wednesday, December 28, 1994 34D Annex Gerald R. Ferguson
Wednesday, July 27, 1994 58D Append (3) Nancy Joline
Sunday, March 13, 1994 91A Subjoin (2) Nancy Nicholson Joline
Thursday, March 10, 1994 65D Tack on (5) Lois Sidway
Saturday, December 4, 1993 6D Connect Glenton Petgrave