What is a Scrabble word finder?
A Scrabble word finder searches an official tournament word list for every word you can build from specific letters. The Unknot Words finder goes a step further: you describe the word as a series of segments, say which letters can fill each segment, and it returns every valid word that fits, in alphabetical order, from the US (NWL) or UK (CSW) dictionary.
By Unknot Words · Last updated
How to use the word finder
- Choose a dictionary. Pick US (NWL) for North American play or UK (CSW) for British and international play.
- Enter the letters for the first segment. Type the letters that could appear at the start of the word. Repeat a letter to allow it more than once, exactly like duplicate tiles on a rack.
- Set how many letters that segment uses. A segment can use some or all of its letters, but never more than you typed.
- Add more segments (up to six) for the middle and end of the word. Segments are joined in order, and the word length is the total of all segment lengths.
- Search. Every matching word appears instantly, alphabetically, with the number of results.
A worked example
Suppose a four-letter word must start with an S or a T already on the board, and your rack holds A, E and R. Create two segments:
| Segment | Available letters | Letters to use |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (start) | st | 1 |
| 2 (end) | aer | 3 |
The finder returns SEAR, SERA, TARE and TEAR — every four-letter word that starts with one of the first segment's letters and finishes with all three rack letters in any order. Run the same search in both dictionaries to see how the word lists compare.
When segments are useful
A plain anagram tool tells you which words your rack can spell, but board games are about where a word fits. Segments let you model the board directly:
- Building off a fixed letter. Put the board letter in its own one-letter segment and your rack in the segments around it.
- Hooks and extensions. Add a final segment containing
sordto find words that can be pluralised or put into the past tense onto an existing word. - Crossword-style gaps. When you know which letters can go in each part of a word, segments rule out everything else, which keeps the result list short and relevant.
- Spelling practice. Teachers can give students a set of letters for the start and end of a word and challenge them to find every answer before checking the list.
If you simply want every word hidden in a jumble of letters, the word unscrambler is faster. For a five-letter mystery word with colour clues, use the Wordle solver.
Tips for finding better plays
- Try the high-value letters first. J, Q, X and Z score 8 or 10 points in Scrabble. Searching for short words that use them (QI, ZA, JO, XU, AX, EX, OX) often beats a longer, low-scoring word.
- Look for seven-letter words. Using all seven tiles earns a 50-point bonus. Give one segment your whole rack with a length of 7 to check for a bingo.
- Keep a balanced rack. A word that leaves you with a mix of vowels and common consonants (E, R, S, T, N) sets up your next turn. Read our Scrabble strategy basics for more.
- Check the other dictionary. CSW contains roughly 84,000 more words than NWL, including two-letter words such as CH, EE, KY, OU and ZO. Learn the differences in NWL vs CSW explained.
About the dictionaries
The US dictionary is the NASPA Word List (NWL2023), the official list for club and tournament Scrabble in the United States and Canada, with 196,601 words of 2 to 15 letters. The UK dictionary is Collins Scrabble Words (CSW24), used in the UK and most international competitions, with 280,887 words. Every search runs against the complete list, so if a word is valid in the game, it appears in the results.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use the word finder for crosswords?
Yes. If you know which letters can appear in each part of the answer, give each part its own segment and the finder lists every word that fits. For a plain jumble with no positions, the word unscrambler is quicker.
What is a segment?
A segment is a consecutive run of letters inside the word. For each segment you list the letters that could go there and how many of them to use. Segments are joined in order, so the first segment is the start of the word and the last segment is the end.
Does it matter how many times I type a letter?
Yes. Letter counts are respected: if you type one E, a matching word can use at most one E in that segment. Type a letter twice to allow it twice, just like having two of the same tile on your rack.
Which dictionary should I choose?
Choose US (NWL) for games in the United States and Canada, and UK (CSW) for the UK and most international tournaments. CSW contains every common English word plus many British, Commonwealth and archaic words, so it returns more results.
How many segments can I use?
You can use up to six segments. A segment cannot use more letters than you list for it, and the total word length is the sum of the segment lengths.
Is the word finder free?
Yes. All of the solvers on Unknot Words are free to use in any modern browser, with no account or download required.