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
Thursday, March 14, 2013 49A Golf club V.I.P. (2) Mike Buckley
Thursday, February 28, 2013 1A With 4- and 7-Across, both sides ... or the missing starts for all the remaining Across answers Joe Krozel
Sunday, November 25, 2012 40A Whiz (6) Jeff Chen
Thursday, November 22, 2012 56D Backing (4) Joel Fagliano
Sunday, August 12, 2012 99D Skilled hand Patrick Berry
Sunday, August 21, 2011 1D Maven (3) Alan Arbesfeld
Sunday, July 31, 2011 12D Master Pamela Klawitter
Tuesday, July 12, 2011 35A In favor of (4) Bill Thompson
Sunday, June 12, 2011 50A Whiz (6) C. W. Stewart
Monday, December 27, 2010 63A Not con (3) C. W. Stewart
Monday, August 30, 2010 1D ___ or con Richard Chisholm
Monday, July 19, 2010 44A Con's opposite (7) David Blake
Tuesday, June 15, 2010 64D Voting yes Jill Winslow
Friday, April 16, 2010 11A Backing (4) Eric Berlin
Wednesday, April 14, 2010 47A Not con (3) Jonah Kagan
Thursday, March 4, 2010 39D Voting 50-Across David J. Kahn
Wednesday, January 6, 2010 19A What an athlete may turn (2) Julian Lim
Tuesday, December 15, 2009 27D Old hand (13) Steve Dobis
Monday, October 26, 2009 35A Con's opposite (7) Mike Nothnagel
Friday, July 10, 2009 30D Side opposite 9-Down Joe Krozel
Monday, June 15, 2009 57D Golf lesson provider John Dunn
Monday, June 1, 2009 55A Con's opposite (7) John Farmer
Wednesday, April 8, 2009 63D Whiz (6) Joey Weissbrot
Tuesday, February 3, 2009 60D Con's opposite (7) Katie Yeager
Monday, January 19, 2009 16A In favor of (4) Tracey Snyder
Tuesday, January 6, 2009 67A Old hand (13) John Greenman
Saturday, December 20, 2008 6D Backing (4) Brad Wilber
Tuesday, October 14, 2008 37A Con's opposite (7) Lucy Gardner Anderson
Friday, October 10, 2008 39A Club ___ Kyle Mahowald
Friday, September 5, 2008 51A Supportive of (2) Kevin G. Der
Sunday, August 10, 2008 111D Active leader? Will Nediger
Wednesday, May 28, 2008 41D Whiz (6) C. W. Stewart
Thursday, May 22, 2008 65D Practiced Richard Silvestri
Friday, February 8, 2008 40A ___ shop Mike Nothnagel
Thursday, January 10, 2008 60D Anti anti Elizabeth C. Gorski
Thursday, December 6, 2007 22A Debate side Joe Krozel
Friday, November 30, 2007 42A Big-league (2) Henry Hook
Sunday, September 2, 2007 120D Backing (4) Lee Glickstein and Nancy Salomon
Monday, August 6, 2007 62D Con's opposite (7) Allan E. Parrish
Thursday, October 5, 2006 9D Quid ___ quo Joe DiPietro
Tuesday, September 12, 2006 62D Old hand (13) James R. Leeds
Monday, August 21, 2006 23A Major leaguer Elayne Cantor
Thursday, July 27, 2006 34A Con's opposite (7) Ethan Friedman
Sunday, July 9, 2006 101A All for Patrick Berry
Thursday, July 6, 2006 53A Old hand (13) Pete Muller
Sunday, March 26, 2006 67D Tennis club teacher Patrick Berry
Monday, March 20, 2006 2D Paid player (2) Earl W. Reed and Nancy Salomon
Monday, January 30, 2006 43A With 45-Across, for the time being Adam G. Perl
Tuesday, November 1, 2005 59D For (4) Sarah Keller
Sunday, October 23, 2005 74A Big-league (2) David J. Kahn
Wednesday, October 19, 2005 67A Master hand Levi Denham
Thursday, June 30, 2005 11A Voting "yea" Joe DiPietro
Wednesday, June 29, 2005 62D What a star athlete may turn David Liben-Nowell
Monday, June 20, 2005 1D Old hand (13) Alison Donald
Wednesday, June 8, 2005 26A Old hand (13) Richard Chisholm
Wednesday, May 18, 2005 44D Links figure Brendan Emmett Quigley
Tuesday, March 22, 2005 21D Specialist David J. Kahn
Sunday, March 20, 2005 119D Not con (3) Patrick Berry
Tuesday, March 15, 2005 30D Country club figure (2) Gail Grabowski
Tuesday, January 18, 2005 62D In favor of (4) Richard Chisholm
Wednesday, December 15, 2004 13A For (4) Zach Jesse
Sunday, December 12, 2004 58A Supporting (2) Lee Glickstein and Nancy Salomon
Sunday, December 5, 2004 88A Maven (3) David J. Kahn
Saturday, December 4, 2004 34A Whiz-bang (2) Brendan Emmett Quigley
Thursday, September 23, 2004 22D With 51-Across, for the nonce Jerry E. Rosman
Tuesday, August 24, 2004 55A Expert Lynn Lempel
Monday, May 24, 2004 9D ___-am (sports competition) Frederick J. Healy
Sunday, September 21, 2003 27A What an athlete may turn (2) Randolph Ross
Sunday, August 3, 2003 35D ___ Tour Jim Page
Monday, April 28, 2003 36D No amateur Jim Hyres
Tuesday, January 21, 2003 6D In favor Richard Chisholm
Tuesday, December 3, 2002 39A Paid player (2) Tyler Hinman
Saturday, July 20, 2002 6A No dilettante Dana Motley
Saturday, June 15, 2002 27A Favoring (3) Trip Payne
Thursday, May 23, 2002 45A Whiz (6) John Underwood
Tuesday, April 2, 2002 7D Favoring (3) Janice M. Putney
Saturday, January 12, 2002 18A With 1-Down, place to pick up a racket Brendan Emmett Quigley
Sunday, December 9, 2001 15D Quid-quo link Cathy Millhauser
Sunday, November 18, 2001 58A What a tennis player may turn Jim Page
Friday, September 21, 2001 19A No mere dabbler Brendan Emmett Quigley
Sunday, August 19, 2001 68A Maven (3) David J. Kahn
Friday, June 22, 2001 60A What some players turn William I. Johnston
Saturday, June 9, 2001 19A Ace Rich Norris
Monday, April 2, 2001 65A Major-leaguer Peter Gordon
Sunday, February 25, 2001 13D All-___ Greg Staples
Monday, January 8, 2001 37D Old hand (13) Gregory E. Paul
Monday, December 25, 2000 53A Old hand (13) Adam G. Perl
Monday, October 30, 2000 55D Tennis instructor Gregory E. Paul
Sunday, July 16, 2000 44A See 38-Across David J. Kahn
Wednesday, May 24, 2000 63D Favoring (3) Chuck Deodene
Tuesday, May 9, 2000 67D U.S. Open entrant Elizabeth C. Gorski
Thursday, March 16, 2000 36A Experienced (2) Peter Gordon
Thursday, January 13, 2000 60D An athlete might turn this A. J. Santora
Sunday, December 20, 1998 95D Experienced (2) Frances Hansen
Wednesday, October 21, 1998 4D Shark, so to speak Matt Gaffney
Tuesday, September 15, 1998 31D Old hand (13) Gilbert H. Ludwig
Wednesday, August 26, 1998 1A One who plays for a living A. J. Santora
Sunday, August 2, 1998 52A Country club figure (2) Nancy Nicholson Joline
Friday, May 8, 1998 51D Supportive argument Harvey Estes
Saturday, March 21, 1998 52A Supporting (2) Rich Norris
Monday, February 16, 1998 59D In favor of (4) Peter Gordon
Wednesday, December 17, 1997 46A For (4) Michael S. Maurer
Tuesday, December 9, 1997 23A Whiz (6) Fran and Lou Sabin
Sunday, September 21, 1997 35A Debate position Mike Shenk
Sunday, August 3, 1997 72A With 56-Across, like some shares Peter Gordon
Monday, June 23, 1997 47A Not a beginner Shannon Burns
Wednesday, January 22, 1997 52A Veteran J. Schmalzbach
Friday, December 6, 1996 59D Adept M. Nosowsky
Friday, July 19, 1996 36A An athlete may turn this D. Niles
Friday, November 24, 1995 51A Cowboy or Indian Bob Klahn
Saturday, October 28, 1995 46A Whiz-bang (2) Chuck Deodene
Monday, May 29, 1995 65A Old hand (13) Bernice Gordon
Saturday, March 4, 1995 16D Money maker Rand H. Burns
Sunday, December 11, 1994 54D Old hand (13) Wayne Robert Williams
Friday, December 9, 1994 27D Ex-con, maybe Matt Gaffney
Monday, November 21, 1994 20A Football's _____ Bowl Norman S. Wizer
Friday, July 22, 1994 59D Turn _____ (start making money) Raymond Hamel
Wednesday, June 8, 1994 43A Old hand (13) A.J. Santora
Thursday, April 21, 1994 59D Old hand (13) Timothy S. Lewis
Saturday, April 16, 1994 18A Supportive of (2) Rand H. Burns
Monday, February 28, 1994 32D Golf club V.I.P. (2) Sidney L. Robbins
Friday, January 21, 1994 13A For (4) A.J. Santora