How to play Word Finder

Find words that fit a pattern, or unscramble your letters. A helper for word games and crosswords.

The rules, step by step

To search by pattern, type the letters you know and an underscore (_) for each letter you do not. For example c_a__ finds crane and crate.
Narrow the list by adding letters the word must contain, letters it must not contain, how it starts or ends, or where a letter cannot be.
To unscramble, type up to nine letters, using ? for a blank tile. You see every word you can make, longest first.
Everything runs in your browser. Nothing you type is sent anywhere.

Typing _ig__ with the letter r excluded narrows the list to words such as light and might.

The word list is a large public-domain dictionary. A game or crossword may accept or reject a word that appears here, so check its own rules.
Using the helper to learn new words is a fine way to play, but it is your call whether it counts as cheating in a particular game.