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)
114 entries were found. Click any date for context. Repeated clues show (number of occurrences.)
Date Grid Clue Author
Tuesday, February 12, 2013 42A Prefix with cycle or city Dan Schoenholz
Thursday, November 29, 2012 58A Numerical prefix (10) Sharon Delorme
Thursday, October 11, 2012 28D Numerical prefix (10) Byron Walden
Sunday, August 5, 2012 86D Prefix with athlete (8) Patrick Merrell
Sunday, April 29, 2012 40A Prefix with cycle (6) Tracy Gray
Monday, October 24, 2011 37D Prefix with athlete (8) Lynn Lempel
Wednesday, September 21, 2011 55D Start of some cycles? Peter A. Collins
Sunday, July 10, 2011 35D Numerical prefix (10) Ben Pall and David Kahn
Monday, May 30, 2011 45A Prefix with cycle (6) Michael Barnhart
Monday, March 14, 2011 59D Cycle starter? Andrea Carla Michaels
Sunday, March 6, 2011 36D Prefix with Cities David Levinson Wilk
Thursday, September 2, 2010 31D Angular prefix Patrick Blindauer and Andrea Carla Michaels
Thursday, August 26, 2010 8D Numerical prefix (10) Henry Hook
Sunday, August 8, 2010 9D Cycle attachment? Pam Klawitter
Thursday, July 29, 2010 29A Prefix with -nomial Peter A. Collins
Sunday, May 30, 2010 116D Not quite quadri- Eric Berlin
Monday, November 9, 2009 33A Three: Prefix (3) Lynn Lempel
Sunday, October 25, 2009 123D Prefix with valent Brendan Emmett Quigley
Saturday, August 29, 2009 20A City or state lead-in Doug Peterson
Sunday, June 28, 2009 4D Numerical prefix (10) Barry C. Silk
Thursday, June 25, 2009 61A Prefix with -logy Bill Zais
Thursday, May 14, 2009 4D Prefix on many chemical compound names David J. Kahn
Wednesday, April 22, 2009 24A Prefix with lateral (3) Daniel A. Finan
Tuesday, January 13, 2009 23A The first "T" in 36-Down Daniel Kantor and Jay Kaskel
Friday, December 5, 2008 57A Head of state? Joe Krozel
Monday, January 28, 2008 33D Prefix with lateral (3) Michael Blake
Thursday, November 29, 2007 19A Angular opening? Elizabeth C. Gorski
Monday, November 19, 2007 47A Three: Prefix (3) Lynn Lempel
Tuesday, May 8, 2007 66D Prefix with angle (2) Sarah Keller
Thursday, November 23, 2006 21D Angular head? (2) Ari Halpern
Sunday, November 12, 2006 83D Prefix with city Patrick Berry
Monday, October 9, 2006 26A The first "T" of TNT (2) Sarah Keller
Monday, September 11, 2006 40A Prefix with cycle (6) Lynn Lempel
Saturday, August 26, 2006 19A TNT part (2) Henry Hook
Sunday, July 2, 2006 41A Lateral lead-in Elizabeth C. Gorski
Saturday, June 10, 2006 11D Annual opener Harvey Estes
Sunday, May 7, 2006 111D Plane heading? Trip Payne
Monday, April 10, 2006 6D Prefix with cycle (6) Gary J. Whitehead
Thursday, March 23, 2006 56D One less than tetra- Ethan Cooper
Friday, March 17, 2006 48D Prefix with state (7) John Farmer
Thursday, December 29, 2005 57D Prefix with lingual David Pringle
Monday, November 28, 2005 36D Prefix with angle (2) Kevan Choset
Saturday, October 8, 2005 6D Prefix with syllabic Byron Walden
Monday, September 26, 2005 48D Prefix with state (7) Ethan Cooper
Monday, August 22, 2005 27A Three: Prefix (3) Lynn Lempel
Sunday, March 20, 2005 65A Cycle starter (2) Patrick Berry
Sunday, August 1, 2004 37D Prefix with state (7) Randolph Ross
Thursday, June 10, 2004 57D Part of TNT (6) Paula Gamache
Tuesday, April 6, 2004 56D Prefix with color or cycle Tony Orbach
Saturday, March 6, 2004 29A Numerical prefix (10) Ed Early
Thursday, November 27, 2003 32A Prefix with cycle (6) Joe DiPietro
Sunday, November 16, 2003 49D Geometrical prefix Cathy Millhauser
Saturday, October 18, 2003 58D Prefix with athlete (8) Myles Callum
Saturday, August 9, 2003 44A Prefix with county William I. Johnston
Sunday, July 6, 2003 77D Prefix with state (7) Robert H. Wolfe
Friday, June 27, 2003 22A Numerical prefix (10) Manny Nosowsky
Sunday, April 20, 2003 8D Prefix with sodium Bill Zais
Wednesday, April 16, 2003 22D Prefix with color Elizabeth C. Gorski
Sunday, January 19, 2003 49D Prefix with -plex Eric Berlin
Wednesday, May 1, 2002 57D TNT part (2) Steve Jones
Friday, April 26, 2002 35A Prefix with state (7) Manny Nosowsky
Sunday, March 10, 2002 72D Pod opener? Nelson Hardy
Sunday, December 16, 2001 85A Prefix with -hedron Fred Piscop
Sunday, August 26, 2001 70A Prefix with chloride (2) Richard Silvestri
Tuesday, July 31, 2001 59D Part of TNT (6) Sarah Keller
Sunday, June 24, 2001 10A Prefix with athlete (8) Randolph Ross
Thursday, May 17, 2001 63A Prefix with annual David J. Kahn
Friday, April 20, 2001 44A Angular head? (2) Chuck Deodene
Thursday, March 22, 2001 40A Prefix with nucleotide (2) Nancy Salomon and Harvey Estes
Thursday, January 25, 2001 56A Prefix with athlete (8) Robert H. Wolfe
Wednesday, January 24, 2001 58D Prefix with angular (2) David Ainslie Macleod
Thursday, November 9, 2000 61D Sect leader? (2) Richard Silvestri
Saturday, September 23, 2000 57D Numerical prefix (10) Rich Norris
Wednesday, September 20, 2000 48A Prefix with athlete (8) Edgar R. Fontaine
Sunday, September 10, 2000 119D ___-state Elizabeth C. Gorski
Wednesday, June 14, 2000 35D Prefix with athlete (8) Nancy Salomon and Sherry O. Blackard
Friday, November 12, 1999 34D Part of TNT (6) Joe DiPietro
Saturday, November 6, 1999 26A Prefix with oxide Joan Bayer Williamson
Thursday, December 17, 1998 63A Prefix with angular (2) David J. Kahn
Monday, September 28, 1998 48D Prefix with chloride (2) Robert Dillman
Monday, September 14, 1998 21A Prefix with cycle (6) Gregory E. Paul
Sunday, August 23, 1998 122D Prefix with angle or athlete Nelson Hardy
Sunday, May 17, 1998 72A Prefix with nucleotide (2) David J. Kahn and Hillary B. Kahn
Monday, May 11, 1998 30D Prefix with lateral or lingual Gregory E. Paul
Wednesday, February 4, 1998 11D Prefix with lateral (3) Fred Piscop
Monday, February 2, 1998 40D The first "T" of TNT (2) Gregory E. Paul
Wednesday, January 21, 1998 23A Prefix with -mester Elizabeth C. Gorski
Wednesday, November 19, 1997 22D Prefix with state (7) Elizabeth C. Gorski
Thursday, September 25, 1997 4D Lead-in with angle Mark Diehl
Friday, June 13, 1997 57A Sect leader? (2) Bob Klahn
Saturday, February 1, 1997 18D Prefix with state (7) R. H. Burns
Wednesday, December 25, 1996 44A Part of TNT (6) N. S. Ross
Sunday, August 4, 1996 69A Prefix with athlete (8) D. Tuller
Wednesday, June 26, 1996 46D Prefix with corn or corder P. Jordan
Sunday, May 5, 1996 98A ___Star Pictures (2) D. J. Kahn
Wednesday, March 27, 1996 63D Chemistry prefix R. J. Hartman
Wednesday, December 13, 1995 24A Numerical prefix (10) Ernie Furtado
Sunday, November 12, 1995 26A Pod preceder Randolph Ross
Saturday, October 14, 1995 56D Prefix in many chemical names Alex K. Justin
Friday, September 22, 1995 56D ____ Star Pictures (2) Jim Page
Tuesday, August 29, 1995 42A Quadri- minus one John R. Conrad
Friday, August 25, 1995 41A Pod starter (2) Rich Norris
Wednesday, August 23, 1995 23A One "T" of TNT Jonathan Schmatzbach
Sunday, July 16, 1995 54A Prefix with angle or borough Naomi Geller Lipsky
Saturday, July 1, 1995 47A Numerical prefix (10) Eileen Lexau
Friday, June 30, 1995 57D Pod starter (2) Rich Norris
Sunday, November 27, 1994 99A Part of TNT (6) Jacques Liwer
Sunday, September 25, 1994 5D Chemical prefix Nancy Nicholson Joline
Thursday, June 2, 1994 33A Cycle starter (2) Harvey Estes
Friday, May 27, 1994 38A Prefix with literal or lateral Chet Currier
Sunday, May 15, 1994 61A Angle or pod preceder Charles M. Deber
Saturday, March 12, 1994 59D Three, up front Rand H. Burns
Monday, January 31, 1994 12D Angle starter Janet R. Bender
Sunday, December 19, 1993 69D Part of TNT (6) John M. Samson