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
Sunday, April 14, 2013 117A Dry as a bone (4) Elizabeth C. Gorski
Monday, January 14, 2013 37D Dry as a bone (4) Steve Salmon
Sunday, January 13, 2013 89D Drought-prone Elizabeth C. Gorski
Monday, October 8, 2012 24D Desertlike (8) Dave Sarpola
Monday, July 16, 2012 36D Parched (18) Randall J. Hartman
Sunday, May 20, 2012 25D Of no interest Alan Arbesfeld
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 22D Lifeless (3) Lynn Lempel
Monday, February 6, 2012 7D Saharan (10) Tom Pepper
Sunday, August 28, 2011 81D Like the climate of 66-Down Patrick Berry
Saturday, June 18, 2011 5D Desiccated (2) Joon Pahk
Sunday, May 15, 2011 89A Saharan (10) Cathy Allis
Monday, December 6, 2010 2D Saharan (10) Richard Chisholm
Saturday, July 31, 2010 49A Like arroyo areas Barry C. Silk
Saturday, June 26, 2010 21D Anhydrous Robert H. Wolfe
Monday, December 14, 2009 16A Desertlike (8) Tim Darling
Wednesday, December 9, 2009 31A Like Death Valley (3) Peter A. Collins
Wednesday, March 4, 2009 8D Parched (18) C. W. Stewart
Sunday, January 4, 2009 58A Like Australia's Outback Daniel A. Finan
Sunday, November 9, 2008 76D Duller than dull Paula Gamache
Wednesday, October 8, 2008 27D Like a desert (2) Peter A. Collins
Wednesday, September 24, 2008 42D Perennially parched Lynn Lempel
Tuesday, September 2, 2008 21A Bone-dry (4) Stanley Newman
Thursday, August 21, 2008 2D Parched (18) Gary J. Whitehead
Monday, August 11, 2008 33D Desertlike (8) Thomas Heilman
Thursday, July 31, 2008 33D Unimaginative (3) Allan E. Parrish
Sunday, May 4, 2008 69A Like a lot of Australia Richard Silvestri
Thursday, February 21, 2008 58A Sterile (3) Peter A. Collins
Saturday, February 9, 2008 5D Lacking interest Shannon Burns
Wednesday, January 2, 2008 72A Dry (6) Patrick Blindauer
Monday, December 31, 2007 7D Parched (18) Lynn Lempel
Friday, October 26, 2007 52A Vapid David Quarfoot
Tuesday, September 11, 2007 59A Like the Sahara (3) Christina Houlihan Kelly
Friday, April 27, 2007 48D Like most of Mongolia Randolph Ross
Monday, April 16, 2007 16A Desertlike (8) Randall J. Hartman
Wednesday, April 11, 2007 11D Like the Negev (2) Bruce Adams
Sunday, February 4, 2007 28D Kalahari-like Paul Guttormsson
Sunday, January 21, 2007 35D Like the Gobi (2) Patrick Berry
Monday, November 27, 2006 29D Like most of west Texas Marlon R. Howell
Thursday, October 26, 2006 61A Parched (18) Todd McClary and Dave Tuller
Sunday, September 10, 2006 53D Uninteresting (2) Joe DiPietro
Monday, June 5, 2006 51D Dry as dust Fred Piscop
Sunday, May 28, 2006 117A Insipid Timothy Powell
Friday, March 24, 2006 20D Infecund Manny Nosowsky
Tuesday, August 23, 2005 23D Like the Kalahari Holden Baker and Nancy Salomon
Saturday, May 21, 2005 51A Sterile (3) Rich Norris
Thursday, May 12, 2005 64A Completely uninteresting Manny Nosowsky
Tuesday, May 10, 2005 67A Like Death Valley (3) Nancy Salomon
Monday, February 7, 2005 39A Mojave-like (2) Gordon Seaberg
Tuesday, January 25, 2005 14A Like ideal cactus climate Lee Glickstein and Nancy Salomon
Sunday, December 26, 2004 47A Like most of Oman Hal Turner
Sunday, December 12, 2004 64A Unstimulating Lee Glickstein and Nancy Salomon
Wednesday, October 6, 2004 58D Far from arable Adam Cohen
Sunday, July 25, 2004 28A Barren Brendan Emmett Quigley
Monday, July 19, 2004 33A Waterless (3) Nancy Salomon and Kendall Twigg
Saturday, May 29, 2004 21D Bone-dry (4) Patrick Berry
Wednesday, May 26, 2004 42A Parched (18) David J. Kahn
Wednesday, December 17, 2003 37D Gobi-like Leonard Williams
Wednesday, December 10, 2003 25D Wanting water Nancy Salomon and Harvey Estes
Wednesday, September 3, 2003 11D Needing irrigation (4) Myles Callum
Sunday, August 24, 2003 15D Dry (6) Patrick Berry
Monday, June 30, 2003 15A Like droughty land Gregory E. Paul
Thursday, June 26, 2003 35A Not very engaging Patrick Berry
Monday, June 2, 2003 11D Like a dust bowl Gregory E. Paul
Tuesday, April 1, 2003 27D Like the Gobi (2) Rich Norris
Wednesday, March 26, 2003 50D Nearly rainless Randall J. Hartman
Wednesday, February 19, 2003 16A Saharan (10) Sarah Keller
Monday, January 6, 2003 24D Like the Sahara (3) Sarah Keller
Monday, December 30, 2002 37A Dry-as-dust Gregory E. Paul
Tuesday, December 24, 2002 19D Like Death Valley (3) Nancy Salomon and Harvey Estes
Thursday, May 30, 2002 52D Unimaginative (3) Peter Gordon
Sunday, May 19, 2002 19A Like Libya, largely Cathy Millhauser
Monday, February 11, 2002 7D Dry (6) Peter Gordon
Tuesday, October 23, 2001 35A Parched (18) Leonard Williams
Saturday, October 13, 2001 37A Unimaginative (3) Jim Page
Sunday, September 30, 2001 52D Unrainy Con Pederson
Monday, July 30, 2001 12D Parched (18) Nancy Kavanaugh
Monday, July 2, 2001 65A Like the Sahara (3) Sarah Keller
Sunday, April 1, 2001 110A Fruitless (3) Bill Zais and Nancy Salomon
Tuesday, March 20, 2001 3D Bone-dry (4) Peter Abide
Saturday, March 3, 2001 32A Jejune (4) Fraser Simpson
Sunday, January 7, 2001 120A Colorless, as writing Manny Nosowsky
Monday, November 27, 2000 7D Dry as a bone (4) Nancy Salomon and Marjorie Berg
Tuesday, July 4, 2000 54D Like a desert (2) Tyler Hinman
Wednesday, March 29, 2000 10D Parched (18) Peter Gordon
Sunday, March 26, 2000 79A Fruitless (3) Manny Nosowsky
Thursday, October 7, 1999 55D Desiccated (2) Kelly Clark
Tuesday, September 21, 1999 54A Saharalike Stephanie Spadaccini
Tuesday, July 20, 1999 67A Uninteresting (2) Joy L. Wouk
Sunday, March 14, 1999 41D Parched (18) Martin Schneider
Wednesday, January 27, 1999 50A Like Patagonia Leslie Billig
Wednesday, December 16, 1998 8D Rainless (3) Nancy Salomon
Monday, December 7, 1998 7D Mojave-like (2) Elizabeth C. Gorski
Saturday, October 10, 1998 22A Fruitless (3) Bob Klahn
Monday, August 31, 1998 1A Moistureless Brendan Emmett Quigley
Wednesday, July 15, 1998 29A Saharan (10) Randall J. Hartman
Sunday, June 14, 1998 61A Dry as a bone (4) Manny Nosowsky
Sunday, May 17, 1998 108D Parched (18) David J. Kahn and Hillary B. Kahn
Friday, May 15, 1998 21A Sterile (3) John Wolting
Tuesday, May 12, 1998 7D Saharan (10) Elizabeth C. Gorski
Sunday, May 10, 1998 63A Like the Kara Kum Rich Silvestri
Sunday, April 5, 1998 113D Saharan (10) David J. Kahn
Wednesday, April 1, 1998 36A Parched (18) Alan Arbesfeld
Monday, February 2, 1998 54D Rainless (3) Gregory E. Paul
Monday, January 12, 1998 60A Lifeless (3) John Greenman
Wednesday, December 31, 1997 51A Unfruitful Alfio Micci
Sunday, December 14, 1997 85A Like Mongolia Nancy Salomon
Monday, August 11, 1997 64A Rainless (3) Daniel Halfen
Monday, July 28, 1997 12D Dry, as a desert Patrick Jordan
Sunday, July 27, 1997 13D Like Australia's western plateau June Boggs
Monday, July 21, 1997 39A Saharan (10) Gregory E. Paul
Thursday, July 3, 1997 11D Parched (18) Brendan Emmett Quigley
Wednesday, May 21, 1997 51D Bone-dry (4) John D. Leavy
Tuesday, May 20, 1997 10A Desertlike (8) Elizabeth C. Gorski
Saturday, April 19, 1997 6D Dry (6) Rich Norris
Wednesday, April 2, 1997 7D Droughtlike Mark Elliot Skolsky
Monday, March 31, 1997 38A Very dry Janet R. Bender
Sunday, January 26, 1997 76D Lifeless (3) S. Elliott
Sunday, January 5, 1997 101D Dry (6) W. R. Williams
Tuesday, December 17, 1996 13D Saharan (10) G. E. Paul
Monday, December 2, 1996 36A Desertlike (8) D. L. Wilk
Tuesday, October 15, 1996 57D Parched (18) G. E. Paul
Thursday, August 22, 1996 60A Jejune (4) R. Norris
Friday, August 16, 1996 5D Unfertile M. Gaffney
Wednesday, July 3, 1996 57A Jejune (4) F. Heaney
Monday, May 27, 1996 59A Parched (18) N. Steinberg
Tuesday, May 7, 1996 35A Having zero rainfall K. Hodge
Monday, March 11, 1996 37A Parched (18) R. Zimmerman
Tuesday, March 5, 1996 12D Waterless (3) G. E. Paul
Sunday, February 25, 1996 56A Mojavelike D. Niles
Friday, December 29, 1995 28D Nonproductive Jeff Herrington
Thursday, December 21, 1995 41A Needing irrigation (4) Rich Norris
Tuesday, December 19, 1995 15A Desertlike (8) Marie Heller
Tuesday, November 21, 1995 61A Needing irrigation (4) Thomas W. Schier
Thursday, September 21, 1995 36A Waterless (3) Chuck Deodene
Wednesday, August 30, 1995 25D Unfit for farming John R. Conrad
Wednesday, August 16, 1995 9D Nonfertile Judith Perry
Monday, May 1, 1995 56A Dry (6) Sidney L. Robbins
Wednesday, February 22, 1995 52D Needing rain Wayne Robert Williams
Monday, February 20, 1995 14A Desertlike (8) Bernice Gordon
Wednesday, November 16, 1994 40A Saharan (10) Chuck Deodene
Sunday, November 13, 1994 102D Like the Negev (2) Frank A. Longo
Tuesday, November 1, 1994 14A Needing irrigation (4) Christopher Page
Thursday, August 11, 1994 31A Jejune (4) Bryant White
Sunday, July 3, 1994 105A Uninspiring A.J. Santora
Saturday, April 30, 1994 12D Parched (18) Wayne Robert Williams
Sunday, February 27, 1994 37A Thirsty Bette Sue Cohen
Saturday, January 15, 1994 32D Parched (18) Manny Nosowsky