About the word finder
A word finder searches a stored dictionary for words that satisfy a pattern: starts-with, ends-with, contains-letters, and length range. The 3Tej version filters a 50,000-word English dictionary client-side so all queries are instant and private.
It is the swiss-army tool for word games and crosswords. Crossword solvers point it at known prefix and suffix letters to enumerate possible answers; Wordle players combine known greens, yellows, and greys to shortlist remaining guesses; Scrabble and Words With Friends players type in their rack to surface every legal word with the available tiles. Because the dictionary is bundled with the page, queries return in single-digit milliseconds even on a phone and never leak the word you are looking up.
How it works
The dictionary loads once as a JavaScript array. Each query applies four serial filters: length range, prefix match, suffix match, and a "contains all letters" check. Results sort by length descending then alphabetically, then the first 500 are rendered.
candidates = dict.filter(w => w.length >= min && w.length <= max)
if start: candidates = candidates.filter(w => w.startsWith(start))
if end: candidates = candidates.filter(w => w.endsWith(end))
if contains: candidates = candidates.filter(w =>
[...contains].every(c => w.includes(c)))
results = candidates.sort((a,b) => b.length - a.length || a.localeCompare(b))
.slice(0, 500)
- Contains: each character is a required letter (multiset, not substring).
- Sort: longest first, alphabetical tiebreak.
- Cap: 500 visible matches so the textarea renders fast on mobile.
Worked example
Crossword clue: 7-letter word starting with "pre" ending with "ing".
- Length filter: min 7, max 7, narrows dictionary to ~5,000 words.
- Starts with "pre": keeps ~150 candidates.
- Ends with "ing": drops to ~12 candidates (preying, prepping, pressing, preening, preceding has length 9, etc.).
- Sort: longest first, alphabetical tiebreak.
Common word-game patterns
| Game | Pattern | Length | Filter strategy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wordle | known greens / yellows / greys | 5 | Start, end, contains, exclude letters manually |
| Scrabble (rack) | letters on rack + board hook | 2 to 15 | Contains, sort by length, check tile values |
| Words With Friends | rack + premium squares | 2 to 15 | Contains, prefer high-bonus length |
| Crossword | known crossing letters | 3 to 21 | Start, end, and length |
| Boggle | 4x4 grid letters | 3 to 16 | Contains all letters (rough filter) |
| NYT Spelling Bee | 7 letters, must include centre | 4+ | Contains centre letter, length min 4 |
| Hangman | known positions and absences | any | Start, end, length, plus mental cross-check |
Common pitfalls
- Contains is multiset, not substring. "aei" matches "media" (m-e-d-i-a contains a, e, i) but ALSO "ridiculous" if all three letters appear. It does NOT require the literal sequence "aei".
- Dictionary mismatch. The bundled 50,000 list excludes proper nouns, modern slang, and most plurals beyond root forms. Game-official lists (TWL06, SOWPODS) accept some that this list rejects, and vice versa.
- 500-result cap. Very loose queries (no prefix, no suffix, length 3 to 15) cap at the longest 500. Tighten with a starts-with or ends-with letter.
- Case sensitivity. All input lowercases internally, but pasting uppercase will still match. The output renders in lowercase.
- No accents. The dictionary is unaccented ASCII. Searching for "cafe" finds the bare form; searching with an acute on "e" will return zero.
- Plural tense traps. Filters operate on exact strings, so "run" does not match "running" via the contains box unless you also list r, u, n, i, n, g separately.
- Empty result misread as a bug. A length-7 word that starts with QZ has zero matches because no English word does. Loosen one constraint at a time (drop the suffix, widen the length range) before assuming the tool is broken.
Related tools and glossary
Frequently asked questions
How big is the word list?
The bundled dictionary holds 50,000 common English words, drawn from public-domain wordlists used by Scrabble and crossword constructors. It excludes proper nouns, slang, and most plurals beyond root forms. Output caps at the first 500 matches sorted by length descending.
Is this list valid for Scrabble or Words With Friends?
The 50,000-word base overlaps most TWL06 and SOWPODS entries but is not the official tournament list. Treat matches as candidates: if the game flags a word as invalid, drop it. Tournament Scrabble accepts only TWL06 (North America) or SOWPODS (international).
What does the 'contains' field do?
It treats each character as a required letter. 'aei' returns only words that contain all three letters a, e, and i somewhere in the word (in any order). It is not a substring search: 'aei' will NOT only match words containing the literal sequence 'aei'.
Can I search by Scrabble tile values?
Not directly. The tool filters by letters and length, not by Scrabble point value. To find high-scoring words, search for ones containing Q, Z, J, or X (the 10, 10, 8, and 8-point tiles in standard Scrabble) and then sort by length.
Can I solve a Wordle row with this?
Yes. Set length to 5. Enter each confirmed green letter in the start or end field if it is in position 1 or 5; for greens in the middle you can post-filter visually. Type the yellow letters into the contains box. The output is the shortlist of remaining valid 5-letter words. For greys, you currently need to eyeball the list since the tool does not have an exclude-letters field.
Sources
- Hasbro Official Scrabble Players Dictionary (TWL06), reference for North American tournament play.
- Collins Scrabble Words (SOWPODS), reference for international Scrabble play.
- NYT Spelling Bee, public game rules and qualifying-letter constraints.