Crossword Anagram Solver

The Use every entered letter option is selected by default.

Keep it selected when the clue requires a true anagram. In that mode, the answer must use all the entered letters, including repeated letters, exactly once.

For example:

EARTH → HEART

Both words contain exactly the same five letters.

If you turn Use every entered letter off, the tool can also look for shorter words that can be built from the available letters. That can be useful for broader word-finding, but those shorter results are not exact anagrams of the full input.

For general word finding without crossword patterns, use the main Anagram Solver.

In a cryptic crossword, fodder is the group of letters or words that a piece of wordplay operates on.

For an anagram clue, the fodder provides the letters that need to be rearranged.

A simplified example might contain:

• a definition pointing towards the answer
• an anagram indicator suggesting that letters should be rearranged
• the fodder supplying those letters
• an enumeration showing the answer length

The solver on this page works with the anagram letters and answer pattern. It does not interpret the full meaning or grammar of a cryptic clue for you.

If you want to learn how words such as mixed, broken or confused can signal an anagram, read our guide to anagram indicators in cryptic crosswords.

Crossing letters are often the most useful information you have after identifying the likely anagram fodder.

Suppose you have six letters to rearrange but already know that:

• the second letter is I
• the fourth letter is T
• the sixth letter is N

Enter:

?I?T?N

rather than searching every six-letter anagram.

The solver compares each candidate against both the available letters and those fixed positions.

This can turn a long list of possible words into a much smaller set of realistic crossword answers.

If you know more about the answer, open Advanced options.

Starts With

Use Starts with when you know the first letter or letters.

For example:

ST

restricts results to words beginning with those letters.

Ends With

Use Ends with when the final letters are known.

This can be useful when a suffix or crossing letter gives away the end of the answer.

Contains

Use Contains when you know that a particular sequence must appear somewhere inside the word.

Sort Results

The tool currently offers:

• Likely answers first
• A–Z
• Longest first

The default ranking uses the site’s common-word data to bring more familiar vocabulary towards the top where possible.

The crossword solver uses the same UK-focused word data as the main solver.

Recommended

Recommended is the default. It keeps broad word coverage while ranking more familiar words first.

Common Words Only

Choose Common words only when you want a tighter result set made from the site’s common-word list.

Extended Word List

Choose Extended word list when you suspect the answer may be unusual or less common.

The database is not an official Collins, Oxford or Scrabble word list. A result appearing in the tool should therefore not be treated as proof that it is accepted by a particular crossword publisher, dictionary or competitive word game.

See our Dictionary Sources page for more information about the word data.

No. The current tool does not try to interpret the complete semantic meaning of a cryptic clue.

It is designed to do a more specific job accurately:

• take the letters you believe are the anagram fodder
• use any known answer positions
• apply the answer length
• check the available letters
• return matching words

You still need to identify the likely definition and wordplay in the clue.

This separation is deliberate. A word can fit the letters perfectly and still be the wrong crossword answer if it does not satisfy the clue’s definition.

For help recognising the anagram part of a cryptic clue, see Anagram Indicators in Cryptic Crosswords.

Check the Fodder First

Make sure you have copied the letters correctly.

One missing or extra letter can remove the intended answer from an exact-anagram search.

Enter Every Crossing Letter You Know

Do not leave a position as ? if the crossword has already confirmed that character.

Every known position can make the result list more useful.

Keep the Answer Length Accurate

If the crossword says (6), use six positions in the pattern or enter an answer length of 6.

For multi-word enumerations such as (4, 5), the current single-word crossword solver is not the right tool. Try the Multiple Word Anagram Solver when you need a phrase made from several words.

Start with Recommended Results

The recommended setting is usually the best place to begin.

Switch to the extended word list when the clue appears to require an uncommon answer.

Check the Definition Before Filling the Grid

The solver can show words that fit the letters and pattern, but the final answer should also satisfy the definition in the crossword clue.

Rearranging a Person’s Name?

Use the Name Anagram Solver to create exact word or phrase anagrams from a first name, surname or full name.

Solving a Scrambled Celebrity Name?

Use the Celebrity Anagram Solver when the answer itself is a famous person’s name.

A crossword anagram solver takes a set of letters and searches for words that can be formed by rearranging them. A crossword-specific solver can also use known answer positions and answer length to narrow the matches.

All three represent an unknown answer position.

For example:

?I?T?N

means that the second, fourth and sixth letters are known while the other positions are still unknown.

Yes. Use ? in the anagram-letter field for an unknown fodder letter.

The current tool supports up to three of these unknown letters.

Yes. If you enter both a pattern and an explicit answer length, they must describe the same number of positions.

If they do not, the tool shows an error so you can correct the search.

By default, yes.

Use every entered letter is selected for true anagram solving. You can turn it off if you deliberately want shorter words that can be built from the letters.

The current crossword tool searches for single-word answers.

If your anagram resolves into several words, use the Multiple Word Anagram Solver instead.

No. SolveAnagrams uses a UK-focused general English word list with common-word ranking. It is not an official dictionary for any individual crossword publisher.