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Word tool

Five-letter word finder

Match a five-position pattern, then narrow it with letters that must appear or stay out. Repeated letters are counted correctly.

Find matching five-letter words

Each ? stands for one unknown letter. For example, A??LE finds APPLE, AMPLE, and ANGLE.
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Five-letter matches

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Enter what you know, then find matching words.

How to find the right five-letter word

Enter one character for each position. A known letter stays fixed; a question mark or blank accepts any letter. Use the include field for letters that can appear anywhere, and the exclude field for letters that cannot appear.

Repeated letters are not treated as one

If you require two Ls, the result must contain at least two Ls. A word is excluded when it contains any letter in the exclude field, even if that letter also appears in the pattern—so contradictory inputs are flagged before the search runs.

What “common words only” means

The common filter uses the smaller, reviewed core of the American English Speller Database. Turning it off searches the broader Version 1 list. Results are sorted by commonness and then alphabetically.

Common questions

Can I share a configured search?

Yes. Valid searches are reflected in the page URL so you can bookmark or share the same filters. The search still runs locally in the recipient’s browser.

Does this use an official game dictionary?

No. ClueMotive is independent and uses a permissively licensed American English spelling list. Acceptance rules differ between third-party games.

Why is a word missing?

The list excludes malformed entries, abbreviations, punctuation-heavy forms, and words longer or shorter than the selected shard. See the methodology page for limitations.

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