5 letter word finder
Stuck on a five-letter word puzzle? Enter the letters you know are in the right spot, the ones in the word but in the wrong spot, and the ones that are out, and see every word that still fits, common words first.
- Nothing is uploaded
- Free, no sign-up
- Works on phone and desktop
How to find a 5-letter word
- 1
Type each letter you know is in the right spot into its box.
- 2
Under each spot, type the letters that are in the word but not in that spot.
- 3
Add every letter that is not in the word at all.
- 4
Pick from the list, common words first, or try one of the best next guesses to narrow it down fastest.
Features
Every clue type
Right spot, wrong spot and not in the word, including repeated letters handled the way guessing games score them.
Common words first
Answers to word puzzles are usually everyday words, so they come first; rare ones are a click away.
Best next guess
Ranks the remaining words by how many others each one would rule out, so your next try counts.
4 to 7 letters
Works for four, five, six and seven-letter puzzles, on your phone or computer, even offline once loaded.
How the word finder works
Every five-letter guessing game gives you three kinds of clue: a letter in the right place, a letter that belongs somewhere else, and a letter that isn't there. The finder keeps every word that agrees with all of them. It knows 12,549 five-letter words, of which 3,431 are everyday words shown first, because puzzle answers are almost always familiar words.
The best next guesses are not always possible answers you would pick first. They are the words whose letters appear in the most remaining candidates, in the most common positions, so whatever colors come back, the list shrinks the most.
The most common letters in five-letter words
The share of common five-letter words that contain each letter at least once, counted from this dictionary:
| Letter | In this share of words |
|---|---|
| S | 51% |
| E | 48% |
| A | 37% |
| R | 32% |
| O | 28% |
| L | 27% |
| T | 26% |
| I | 26% |
| N | 21% |
| D | 21% |
Good starting words
Words with five different letters that cover the most frequent letters and positions, ranked the same way as the best next guesses: DARES, RATES, CARES, TALES, PARES, LANES, HARES, BARES, MARES, RACES. Follow one with a second word that uses five different letters, and most puzzles are down to a handful of answers after two guesses.
Tips when you are stuck
- Think about endings: many answers end in -ER, -ED, -LY, -CH, -SH or -TH, or in a silent E.
- Remember double letters: words like APPLE, GEESE and SHALL catch people out.
- Spend a guess on new letters when five or six words are left that differ by one letter, such as -ATCH words: a word using several of those first letters at once rules them out faster.
For other puzzles, try the word unscrambler, the crossword solver for patterns with gaps, or the word finder for tile games.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find 5-letter words with certain letters?
Put letters you know the position of in the right-spot boxes, letters you know are in the word (but not where) in the boxes under the spots you tried them, and letters that are out in the last box. The list updates as you type.
What happens with repeated letters?
If a letter is in the right spot and also marked as not in the word, the finder assumes there is only that one copy, which is how most guessing games color a second copy that isn't there. Letters in the wrong spot only prove one copy somewhere else.
What is a good starting word?
One with five different, frequent letters: three or more of E, A, R, O, T, L, I, S and N. The table on this page lists the starting words that cover the most common letters in this dictionary.
Why does the list include words I have never heard of?
The dictionary has about 274,000 words, including rare ones that word games accept. Common words come first; turn on "Show less common words" only if the usual answers run out.
Is this cheating?
That is up to you. Many people use a word finder only after they are stuck, or to check what they missed once the puzzle is over. It is also a good way to learn new words.
More free tools
- Word UnscramblerEvery word your letters make.
- Word FinderBest-scoring words from your rack.
- Crossword SolverWords that fit a letter pattern.
- Word Search MakerPrintable word searches from your words.
- SudokuFree puzzles, easy to expert.
- MinesweeperThe classic mine-clearing logic game.
- SolitaireClassic Klondike, draw 1 or 3.