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, February 10, 2013 84D Athens's home (2) Patrick Berry
Sunday, January 13, 2013 107D The Wright brothers' home Elizabeth C. Gorski
Tuesday, October 9, 2012 24D The Allegheny and Monongahela join to form it John Guzzetta
Sunday, September 9, 2012 36D What the French once called "la Belle Rivière" Kevin G. Der
Monday, August 20, 2012 57A Home of Lima and Toledo Robert Cirillo
Wednesday, May 23, 2012 36D Answer to the old riddle "What's round on the sides and high in the middle?" Eric Williams
Friday, May 11, 2012 29D Home to the Browns and the Reds Natan Last
Wednesday, April 18, 2012 10D State with a large Amish population Steven Riley
Sunday, March 4, 2012 59D Cairo's river (3) David J. Kahn
Tuesday, February 7, 2012 16A Indiana's smallest county or the river it touches Mike Buckley
Tuesday, October 25, 2011 15A Indiana/Kentucky border river C. W. Stewart
Wednesday, August 31, 2011 31D Home of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Peter A. Collins
Sunday, August 28, 2011 19A Mississippi River's largest tributary Patrick Berry
Monday, July 18, 2011 16A Cincinnati's place Kevin Donovan
Sunday, June 5, 2011 114A So-called Mother of Presidents Yaakov Bendavid
Sunday, February 6, 2011 87D One of the Three Rivers (2) David J. Kahn
Sunday, December 12, 2010 32A River forming the borders of parts of five states Karen Young Bonin
Tuesday, May 25, 2010 2D Kent State locale Sarah Keller
Tuesday, April 20, 2010 21A River that ends at Cairo Paula Gamache
Friday, December 25, 2009 22D 1970 hit by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young Paula Gamache
Friday, November 13, 2009 59A Title locale in a Leonard Bernstein song where "life was so cozy" Dana Motley
Sunday, September 6, 2009 25D River into which the Big Sandy flows Robert H. Wolfe
Tuesday, August 4, 2009 16A Its license plates say "Birthplace of Aviation" Alan Arbesfeld
Thursday, March 19, 2009 43A The Bobcats of the Mid-American Conference Laura Sternberg
Wednesday, November 5, 2008 37A One of the Three Rivers (2) Doug Peterson
Tuesday, October 7, 2008 16A One of Pittsburgh's three rivers Kevin G. Der
Wednesday, July 30, 2008 17A Home to Columbus (4) Elizabeth A. Long
Monday, July 28, 2008 11D One of the states touched by 15-Across Roger Baiocchi
Thursday, January 3, 2008 17D Allegheny + Monongahela Henry Hook
Monday, December 24, 2007 12D Akron's home (3) Mark Sherwood
Monday, September 10, 2007 55D Birthplace of seven U.S. presidents (3) Edward M Sessa
Wednesday, August 15, 2007 14A Wheeling's river (4) Ray Fontenot
Thursday, May 31, 2007 54D I-90 runs through it William F. Stephens
Wednesday, May 16, 2007 59A Athens's setting Patrick Blindauer
Sunday, March 25, 2007 59D Canton's home (2) Fred Piscop
Thursday, February 1, 2007 23A Mid-American Conference team Michael S. Maurer
Sunday, January 14, 2007 100D Grant's birthplace Harvey Estes
Wednesday, December 13, 2006 28D Where John Glenn was senator David Sullivan
Wednesday, October 4, 2006 51D Miami River's outlet Adam Cohen
Monday, July 24, 2006 38D Birthplace of seven U.S. presidents (3) Richard Chisholm
Monday, May 15, 2006 16A Buckeye State (5) John R. Conrad
Saturday, December 17, 2005 8D One of the rivers near Three Rivers Stadium Patrick Berry
Saturday, July 30, 2005 24D Home to Athens Sherry O. Blackard
Wednesday, July 13, 2005 56D Buckeye State (5) Manny Nosowsky
Tuesday, July 12, 2005 16A Kent State's state Nancy Salomon
Sunday, April 17, 2005 64D So-called Birthplace of Aviation Manny Nosowsky
Wednesday, April 6, 2005 59D Canton's home (2) Michael Doran
Wednesday, March 30, 2005 30A Baltimore partner Richard Silvestri
Monday, November 22, 2004 47D The Buckeye State (3) Gregory Paul
Tuesday, November 2, 2004 58D Perennial battleground state Patrick Merrell
Friday, October 8, 2004 30D Cairo's river (3) Joe DiPietro
Tuesday, April 20, 2004 28D Kent State state Allan E. Parrish
Monday, March 22, 2004 57D Birthplace of seven U.S. presidents (3) Kyle Mahowald
Tuesday, March 16, 2004 55D Home to Columbus (4) Ron Sweet
Tuesday, November 11, 2003 28D John Glenn's state M. Francis Vuolo
Tuesday, July 29, 2003 19D The Buckeye State (3) Ed Early
Wednesday, June 18, 2003 27D Home for Ulysses G. Grant Alan Arbesfeld
Monday, January 13, 2003 31D Cincinnati's home (2) Gregory E. Paul
Tuesday, October 15, 2002 28D Akron's home (3) Nancy Salomon
Monday, September 23, 2002 66A Columbus's home (3) Peter Gordon
Sunday, July 28, 2002 19A Home of the First Ladies National Historic Site Nelson Hardy
Sunday, June 30, 2002 9D Where Athens and Dublin are Joe DiPietro
Monday, April 22, 2002 2D Where the Reds and the Browns play Peter Gordon
Monday, March 11, 2002 56A Buckeye's home (3) Peter Gordon
Monday, March 4, 2002 14A Cincinnati's home (2) Randall J. Hartman
Tuesday, January 15, 2002 55D See 9-Across Kelly Clark
Wednesday, January 2, 2002 2D Home to Columbus (4) Sarah Keller
Friday, July 13, 2001 24D Ulysses Grant's birthplace Manny Nosowsky
Wednesday, April 11, 2001 44A Where Canton is Brendan Emmett Quigley
Monday, January 1, 2001 2D Buckeye State (5) Manny Nosowsky
Wednesday, December 20, 2000 18D West Virginia border river Alan Arbesfeld
Thursday, November 2, 2000 52D Where Ivory soap and the pop-top can were invented Henry Hook
Tuesday, October 17, 2000 2D Buckeye's home (3) Peter Gordon
Tuesday, October 3, 2000 24D Buckeye's home (3) Todd McClary
Wednesday, April 19, 2000 2D Wheeling's river (4) Frances Hansen
Sunday, February 13, 2000 38A "The Drew Carey Show" setting Bill Zais
Saturday, February 12, 2000 62A ___ Valley Conference Dave Tuller
Thursday, December 30, 1999 16A See 63-Across Alan Jay Weiss
Monday, November 22, 1999 70A Not-so-lazy river Frances Hansen
Saturday, November 20, 1999 20A Cairo's river (3) A. J. Santora
Monday, November 1, 1999 31A Louisville's river (4) Robert Frank
Wednesday, October 20, 1999 16A Where Lima is Richard Silvestri
Monday, April 5, 1999 14A Louisville's river (4) Gregory E. Paul
Monday, December 7, 1998 14A The Buckeye State (3) Elizabeth C. Gorski
Thursday, October 29, 1998 59D Wheeling's river (4) Cathy Millhauser
Friday, June 12, 1998 7D Home to Columbus (4) Matt Gaffney
Wednesday, June 10, 1998 2D Oberlin locale Nancy S. Ross
Tuesday, January 13, 1998 16A Birthplace of seven Presidents Stanley B. Whitten
Monday, December 22, 1997 45D Toledo's home Arthur S. Verdesca
Monday, June 2, 1997 3D Louisville's river (4) Gregory E. Paul
Monday, April 7, 1997 38A Kent's state Teresa M. Hackett
Sunday, March 23, 1997 102D Mississippi feeder Bryant White
Thursday, February 13, 1997 46A Athens's home (2) F. Longo
Tuesday, September 17, 1996 56D Glenn's state M. D. Frankel
Monday, July 8, 1996 27D Akron's home (3) Sidney L. Robbins
Sunday, March 17, 1996 66D One of the three rivers of Three Rivers Stadium P. O'Gordon
Tuesday, January 16, 1996 16A Bobcats of college football R. Hartman
Monday, December 4, 1995 52D Louisville's river (4) Sidney L. Robbins
Wednesday, September 20, 1995 52D Columbus's home (3) Randy Sowell
Sunday, September 3, 1995 65A Hit protest song of 1970 Ernie Furtado
Wednesday, August 30, 1995 50A Miami University location John R. Conrad
Monday, April 3, 1995 55D Buckeye State (5) Randall J. Hartman
Thursday, March 9, 1995 19A Miami of _____ Alex Vaughn
Monday, March 6, 1995 22A Buckeye State (5) Randall J. Hartman
Sunday, February 12, 1995 69D Home to 19 Congressmen Alex & Victoria Black
Wednesday, January 4, 1995 25A Xenia's state Stephanie Spadaccini
Wednesday, August 10, 1994 32D Wheeling's river (4) Ernie Furtado
Monday, August 8, 1994 16A Sherwood Anderson's "Winesburg, _____" Sidney L. Robbins
Sunday, April 10, 1994 32D Football Hall of Fame locale Trip Payne
Wednesday, January 5, 1994 63A Xenia's home Chet Currier
Saturday, December 11, 1993 57D Columbus's home (3) Robert H. Wolfe