What This Tool Does
Find Words Fast gives you two tools in one. The word finder lets you search using wildcard patterns — enter the letters you know, use ? for one unknown and * for any number, and get matching words back. The anagram solver takes a set of letters and finds valid words you can make from them, grouped by length.
Both tools return results in under a second and work on any device — phone, tablet, or desktop. No app to download. No account to create. No paywall of any kind.
Who It's For
The tool was built with a few specific players in mind:
- Scrabble players — Use wildcard patterns to find words that fit specific board positions. Use the anagram solver to find valid words your rack can make. Filter by length to match the exact number of squares available.
- Crossword enthusiasts — Enter the letters you've solved and use ? for empty boxes. Get a list of words that fit the pattern in seconds.
- Words With Friends players — Same principle as Scrabble. Pattern matching and anagram solving work equally well for any tile-based word game.
- Puzzle solvers — Whether it's a newspaper cryptic, a word jumble, or an online game, the pattern matcher handles any combination of known and unknown letters.
- Teachers and students — A useful tool for vocabulary exercises, spelling practice, and exploring the English language.
How the Search Works
The word finder uses a pattern-matching search powered by the Datamuse API, a fast and comprehensive word-finding engine that searches across hundreds of thousands of English words. When you enter a pattern like sc?re or *tion, the query goes to Datamuse and results come back almost instantly.
The anagram solver combines a built-in list of short words — covering all standard two- and three-letter Scrabble words — with live Datamuse lookups for longer results. Every word returned is checked against your available letters before it appears in the results, so you only ever see words you can actually make.
Advanced Filters
Beyond the basic pattern and length controls, the word finder includes advanced filtering options. You can require results to start with specific letters, end with specific letters, must include certain letters anywhere in the word, or exclude letters entirely. These filters are stackable — combine them with your wildcard pattern for very precise results when you need them.
Privacy and Advertising
Find Words Fast is funded by Google AdSense advertising, which is what keeps the tool free for everyone. We do not collect personal data, require sign-ups, or run any tracking beyond what standard analytics and advertising platforms use. A consent notice is shown on your first visit in regions where required by law.
Your searches are sent to the Datamuse API to retrieve word results. We do not log or store your search queries on our end.
About the Author
Find Words Fast was built by David Alexander, a word puzzle enthusiast based in New Zealand. The idea came out of a long-running frustration with cryptic crosswords — the kind where you have four of the seven letters and the clue is no help at all. After spending one too many evenings staring at the same half-solved grid, David went looking for a clean, fast word lookup tool. He couldn't find one he liked, so he built it.
The site is designed around how puzzle players actually think: enter what you know, get back a usable list of options, move on. No accounts, no clutter, no friction. Every feature here was tested against real puzzles, real Scrabble racks, and real Wordle grids before it shipped. If a tool doesn't make solving easier, it doesn't make it onto the site.
David maintains Find Words Fast personally and reads every message that comes in through the Contact page. Feature ideas, bug reports, and the occasional kind word are all welcome.
What's Coming
The tool is actively being developed. Planned additions include more game-specific word lists, a Scrabble score calculator, and additional puzzle aids. If there's a feature that would genuinely help your word game, let us know — the best ideas have come from users.