What the word unscrambler does
The unscrambler takes the letters you have and finds every word that can be spelled from them, using some or all of the tiles. It checks each candidate against the ENABLE word list, the public-domain dictionary that most word-game helpers rely on, and returns the matches grouped by length with the longest words first. Each result shows a score computed from standard tile values, so you can compare plays at a glance. Everything runs in your browser: no account, no server round-trip, and the search updates instantly once the word data has loaded.
How to use it
- Type your letters into the box. Order does not matter, and you can enter up to fifteen letters.
- Add a question mark for each blank tile, up to three. The tool treats a blank as any letter and underlines the letter it stood in for in each result.
- Press Search or hit Enter. Results appear grouped by length, longest first, with the highest scores at the top of each group.
- Open the filters to keep only words that start with, end with or contain certain letters, to fix the length, or to limit results to common words.
- Click any word to copy it or to open its own page, which lists every shorter word hidden inside it.
Examples
Enter retain and you get 87 words, including the full-length anagrams RETINA and RATINE, five-letter words such as TRAIN and INERT, and a long tail of shorter plays. Enter cat? and the blank opens up CATS, CART, COAT, CHAT and TACK, with the borrowed letter underlined in each. Enter qzx and you get nothing at all, which is a useful answer in itself: it is time to swap tiles. For the full breakdown of any six- or seven-letter rack, follow the link on a result word to its unscramble page.
Tips for better plays
- Use the contains filter with the letter you want to play through on the board. The results will only include words that can cross that tile.
- Sort by score when you are chasing points and by length when you are trying to empty your rack for the bonus.
- Switch the tile set to match the game you are playing. The values differ for several letters, and the difference changes which word is best.
- Turn on the common-words filter when you want a play that will not be challenged, or when you are learning vocabulary and want to skip the obscure entries.
- Keep a blank for a long word or a premium square. Spending it on a three-letter play is nearly always a mistake.
Questions
Which dictionary does this use?
ENABLE, a public-domain list of roughly 172,000 English words, restricted to words of two to fifteen letters. It is the list most word-game helpers use, but individual games have their own dictionaries, so an unfamiliar word is worth checking against your game's rules. The commonness tiers come from the SCOWL project and the definitions from WordNet; see how it works.
How are scores calculated?
The score is the sum of the tile values in the word, with blanks counting zero. Board multipliers are ignored because the tool does not know where you will place the word. The classic tile values and the alternative set are listed on the how it works page.
Does it work for daily five-letter puzzles?
It does, but the 5-letter word finder is built for that job: it understands known positions, misplaced letters and excluded letters, and lists common words first.