A LITTLE HELP. A LOT DONE.
Good tools.
Great flow.

Your shortcut to the everyday. Create, convert, calculate,
and get back to what you love.

✓ Free to use✓ No sign-up✓ 500+ possibilities
Text

Word Pattern Matcher

Find words in the built-in English word list using ? for one letter and * for any sequence.

Loading interactive tool…

About this tool

Word Pattern Matcher searches its built-in English word list for words matching a pattern. A question mark represents exactly one character and an asterisk represents any sequence of characters; the pattern is matched against the entire word. For example, ?a?e can match four-letter words such as care, while c*t can match cat or coast. Results are limited to the words shipped with the tool, so obscure, inflected, hyphenated, or proper-name entries may be absent. Use the result as a puzzle aid and check any answer against the dictionary or game rules you are using.

Why use it

  • Instantly searches a large English dictionary for pattern matches.

  • Accepts _ or ? as wildcard characters for unknown positions.

  • Works for any word length — from 2-letter to 15-letter words.

  • Runs offline in your browser after initial page load.

  • Solves crossword clues with partial fills in seconds.

  • Helps build vocabulary by browsing words that share a structural shape.

How to use

  1. Enter your word pattern using _ or ? for unknown letters (e.g. c_t or _ight).
  2. Click Match to find all English words fitting the pattern.
  3. Filter results by word length or scroll through the full list.
  4. Click any matched word to copy it to your clipboard for quick puzzle entry.
  5. Use _ for unknown letters at any position; mix in known letters where you have them.
  6. Set a length filter to restrict results to a specific word length.

When it helps

  • Filling in crossword puzzle blanks where some letters are known.
  • Solving hangman or word-guessing games.
  • Finding rhyming words by matching a pattern ending (e.g. _ight for night, sight, light).
  • Exploring vocabulary for creative writing by browsing word shapes.
  • Generating brand or domain names matching a specific letter shape.
  • Educational exercises around prefixes, suffixes, or rhyming endings.

Examples

Single-character wildcards

Input

?a?e

Expected result

Matches four-letter words such as care from the built-in list.

Variable-length wildcard

Input

c*t

Expected result

Matches words beginning with c and ending with t, such as cat.

Three-letter words

Input

???

Expected result

Matches three-letter entries in the built-in list.

Tips

  • For Scrabble or Words with Friends, use known board letters as fixed positions and underscores for blanks.
  • Combine with the Anagram Solver — first generate possible words, then test specific pattern fills.
  • Try common letters (E, A, R, T) in unknown positions if you have not narrowed down likely letters.
  • Rhyming searches: pattern '_ight' surfaces light, night, fight, sight, right, etc.
  • If you suspect a prefix like 'un-' or 'pre-', anchor it explicitly to dramatically reduce results.

Frequently Asked Questions

What wildcard characters are supported?
A question mark (?) matches exactly one character. An asterisk (*) matches any sequence of characters, including an empty sequence.
Does the pattern match the full word?
Yes. The pattern is matched against the entire word, so each literal and wildcard must account for the word's characters.
Can I search for a phrase?
No. The tool searches single words from its built-in list.
Which words are included?
Results come from the English word list shipped with the tool. Rare, inflected, hyphenated, or proper-name entries may be absent.
Why are there no results?
Check the literal letters and wildcard placement, then try a shorter pattern. The requested word may also be absent from the built-in list.

Explore the category

Regex Tester Test regular expressions with live matches Regex Generator from Samples Generate a regular expression from positive and negative example strings — rule-based inference with live test panel. Word Frequency Counter Count repeated words with filters and export ranked results as text or CSV. Anagram Solver Find all valid English words that can be formed from the letters of your input word or phrase. Word Counter Count words, chars, sentences and reading time Syllable Counter Estimate syllables in English words or a text passage with a per-word breakdown and total.
Regular Expressions: A Practical Guide with Real-World Examples Regex has a reputation for being cryptic, but once you understand a handful of building blocks, even complex patterns become readable. This Jan 2026 · 12 min The Practical Regex Cheatsheet (With Real Examples for 2026) Every developer searches the same MDN regex page over and over. This is the reference you skim when you already know the concept and just ne Apr 2026 · 9 min

Glossary

Pattern
A template describing the shape of a word, with placeholders for unknown letters.
Wildcard
A character (here _ or ?) that stands for any single letter at that position.
Prefix
A meaningful letter group at the start of a word (un-, pre-, re-).
Suffix
A meaningful letter group at the end of a word (-ing, -tion, -ness).
Crossword fill
Letters already placed in a crossword grid that constrain valid answers for crossing entries.
Hangman
A word-guessing game where players guess letters one at a time to fill in a hidden word before exhausting their attempts.