Dictionary Sources

Current Word Database

The current main word database contains 123,468 entries.

A separate common-word ranking file contains 29,200 entries.

The data pack was generated for SolveAnagrams on 29 August 2026.

The main tools use these files to:

• find exact anagrams
• find shorter words from supplied letters
• rank more familiar words
• support word-length filters
• support phrase and name searches

The celebrity tool uses a separate curated name database rather than this general word list.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

The broad English word coverage in the current data pack is derived from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary (CMUdict).

CMUdict is maintained as an open-source pronunciation dictionary associated with Carnegie Mellon University and the CMU Sphinx project.

For SolveAnagrams, it is used as a broad source of English word forms rather than as a pronunciation tool.

Official project:

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary on GitHub

CMUdict Licence

The CMUdict project permits redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without modification, subject to its licence conditions.

The original copyright notice and licence terms should be retained with the distributed data records for this project.

SolveAnagrams keeps the full licence notice in its internal data-attribution records.

TextBlob English Spelling Frequency Data

SolveAnagrams also uses the TextBlob English spelling frequency list as a source for common-word relevance and ranking.

This data is not used as an authoritative dictionary definition source.

It helps the tools distinguish more familiar vocabulary from many less common entries when organising results.

TextBlob project:

TextBlob on GitHub

TextBlob Licence

TextBlob is distributed under the MIT Licence.

The bundled English spelling frequency data states that it draws on several sources, including public-domain Project Gutenberg books and frequency information associated with Wiktionary and the British National Corpus.

SolveAnagrams uses this layer for ranking rather than claiming that every rank represents a precise measure of modern UK usage.

SolveAnagrams UK Adjustments

The underlying broad word coverage is not exclusively British English.

To make the tools more useful for their UK audience, SolveAnagrams adds or boosts a small set of British-preferred spellings and variants in the current data pack.

Examples of the kind of distinction the project is designed to recognise include British forms such as:

• colour
• favourite
• neighbour
• centre
• theatre
• travelling
• cancelled
• jewellery
• defence
• organise
• realise

These additions and ranking adjustments do not turn the database into a complete British-only dictionary.

International forms and uncommon entries can still appear.

What Does “UK-Focused” Mean?

On SolveAnagrams, UK-focused means that:

• the site is written for a UK audience
• British English is used in editorial content
• selected British spellings are added or prioritised where supported
• common-word ranking is used to improve practical result ordering
• British crossword terminology is used on relevant pages

It does not mean that every entry has been certified by a British dictionary publisher.

Recommended, Common and Extended Results

Different tools expose the vocabulary in slightly different ways.

Recommended

Recommended modes use the common-word ranking layer to favour more familiar vocabulary while retaining broader coverage where the tool logic allows.

Common Words Only

Where available, this setting restricts the search to entries contained in the common-word dataset.

Extended Word List

Extended modes search the broadest available vocabulary.

This can surface rarer or less familiar entries.

Why Might an Unusual Word Appear?

A broad word list naturally contains vocabulary that many users will not recognise.

Possible reasons include:

• a word is uncommon
• a spelling is regional or international
• the word is specialised
• the source data includes a less familiar form
• the word is valid English but uncommon in everyday UK use

Ranking helps organise results, but it cannot guarantee that every returned word will be familiar or useful for a particular puzzle.

Why Might a Word Be Missing?

A word can be absent because:

• it is not present in the source data
• it was removed during data cleaning
• it is a proper noun rather than an ordinary dictionary word
• it is newer than the current data pack
• it uses punctuation or a form not represented in the current dataset
• it is highly specialised or regional

If you believe a useful English word is missing, report it through the Contact page.

Proper Nouns and Names

The main general-English word list is not intended to be a complete database of:

• personal names
• place names
• brands
• organisations
• titles
• fictional characters

Specialised name-related tasks use other logic and datasets.

Use the Name Anagram Solver to create word and phrase anagrams from a name.

Use the Celebrity Anagram Solver to identify scrambled celebrity names from its separate curated database.

Scrabble and Competitive Word Games

SolveAnagrams does not claim that its word list is an official Scrabble dictionary.

A word returned by the solver may not be accepted under the rules of:

• Scrabble
• another competitive word game
• a particular tournament
• a specific crossword publisher

When official validity matters, check the dictionary or word list specified by the relevant game, tournament or publisher.

Dictionary Definitions

The current anagram tools primarily use word forms for matching.

They do not provide authoritative dictionary definitions for every result.

If the meaning of a word matters, consult an appropriate dictionary source.

How the Data Is Used by the Solver

The main Anagram Solver groups candidate words by length and compares each candidate’s required letters with the letters supplied by the user.

The common-word file is used to help rank or restrict results depending on the selected mode.

For a detailed explanation of the matching process, see How Our Anagram Solver Works.

Data Updates

Word data can change as:

• source projects are updated
• useful British variants are added
• errors are corrected
• ranking logic is improved

When a material update changes the scope or source of the database, this page should be updated as well.

Attribution Summary

Current source attribution:

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Copyright © 1993–2015 Carnegie Mellon University. All rights reserved.

Redistribution and use are permitted under the CMUdict licence conditions.

Project:

github.com/cmusphinx/cmudict

TextBlob

Copyright Steven Loria and contributors.

Distributed under the MIT Licence.

Project:

github.com/sloria/TextBlob

SolveAnagrams Additions

SolveAnagrams adds a small set of UK-preferred spellings, variants and ranking adjustments for its target audience.

Report a Word-Data Issue

If you find:

• a useful missing word
• an apparent error
• an inappropriate entry
• a British spelling that should be prioritised
• a result that appears inconsistent with this page

please send the details through Contact.

Include the word and, where relevant, the letters and solver settings you used.