5-Letter Word Finder: Search by Pattern, Must-Have and Banned Letters
When you know part of a 5-letter word, guessing blindly wastes turns. A pattern search narrows the field to words that fit every clue you already have.
What is the 5-Letter Word Finder?
Fill in the pattern with the letters you already know in their positions and _ for unknown spots, then add letters the word must contain and letters it must not contain. The tool lists every 5-letter word that fits all three conditions at once. Results come from a built-in starter word list, not a full dictionary — rarer words may be missing, and that limit is stated in the results too. It is handy for Wordle, crosswords and other word games.
How to use it
- Enter a 5-character pattern, with letters in known positions and _ elsewhere.
- Optionally add letters the word must contain, and letters it must not contain.
- Click Find 5-Letter Words.
- Read the matching words in alphabetical order.
Worked example
The pattern __a__, with a required r and no e, matches words such as guard, shard and swarm: each has a in third position, contains an r, and contains no e.
Which 5-letter words fit __a__ with an r and no e?
Words such as guard, shard and swarm fit: a sits in the third position, r appears somewhere in the word, and e appears nowhere in it.
Frequently asked questions
What does _ mean in the pattern?
An unknown spot. In __a__, only the third letter is fixed as a; the other four positions can be any letter that still satisfies the include and exclude lists.
What if a letter is in both lists?
The must-contain list wins: a letter you require is never treated as banned, so it cannot accidentally rule out every word.