How to use the crossword helper
Type your pattern using letters for the squares you have filled and a question mark for each empty square. "c?t" finds three-letter words with c, any letter, then t — cat, cot, cut. "??ple" finds five-letter words ending in "ple". The length of your pattern sets the length of the answer, so the number of characters must match the number of squares. Results appear grouped by length and update as you type. Switch on the optional asterisk mode to allow "*" to stand for any run of letters, which turns the tool into a broader wildcard search.
How the matching works
Each question mark matches exactly one letter, so a pattern with five characters only ever returns five-letter words. The helper builds this into a precise search across its dictionary and returns every word that fits the fixed letters in their exact positions. With asterisk mode on, "*" behaves differently: it matches any number of letters, including none, so "s*n" finds "sun", "seen", "sworn", and "session" alike. This makes "?" the tool for crossword grids, where every square is accounted for, and "*" the tool for looser searches where you only know a beginning and an end.
Where it helps
The primary use is crosswords: when crossing answers have given you a few letters of a word you cannot get, entering the pattern usually narrows the field to a handful of candidates you can check against the clue. It is equally useful for fill-in and codeword puzzles, for hangman, and for the everyday tip-of-the-tongue problem where you remember a word's shape but not the word. Setters and teachers use it in reverse, to find words that fit a grid slot they are constructing. Because it runs entirely in your browser, it is quick and private — no puzzle you are working on is ever uploaded.
Tips for solving faster
Fill in every crossing letter you are confident about before searching, because each real letter you add can cut the candidate list by an order of magnitude — a single well-placed consonant often narrows dozens of options to two or three. If a pattern returns nothing, double-check that a "certain" crossing letter is actually right; one wrong letter makes the whole pattern impossible, and the empty result is a useful signal that you have an error elsewhere. When you have only the first and last letters and no idea of the length, switch to asterisk mode and search something like "c*e". And remember the dictionary favours common words, so for a themed or highly obscure crossword answer, treat a missing result as "not in this common list" rather than "not a word".