How to Use the WordsLex Word Finder

1. Selecting the Word Length

If you know how many characters the word contains, start by selecting the appropriate length from the word-length dropdown menu.

Important: The dropdown only includes word lengths for which at least one word exists in the database. WordsLex searches the words available in its database, so not every theoretically possible word length will necessarily be available for selection.

When you select a word length, such as 9 characters, the search interface changes accordingly:

• Nine fixed-position character fields appear, allowing you to specify characters at their exact positions.
• The middle characters field remains available. Use it when you know a sequence of characters but do not know their exact positions in the word.
• The beginning and ending fields disappear because the first and last characters can be specified directly using the fixed-position fields.
• Fields for required and excluded characters appear below the fixed-position fields.

2. Entering Required Characters

If you know that certain characters must appear in the word, enter them in the required characters field.

The search will return only words that contain the specified characters.

How to use it:

1. Find the required characters field.
2. Enter the characters that must appear in the word.
3. Combine this filter with other conditions if you have additional information.

This filter is useful when you know which characters appear somewhere in the word but do not yet know their exact positions.

3. Excluding Unwanted Characters

If you know that certain characters cannot appear in the word, enter them in the excluded characters field.

The search will remove results containing any of the excluded characters.

How to use it:

1. Find the field labelled “The word must not contain these characters.”
2. Enter the characters you want to exclude.
3. Combine this condition with other filters to narrow down the results.

This feature is especially useful in word games when previous guesses have already revealed which characters are not part of the solution.

4. Searching When You Do Not Know the Word Length

If you do not know the exact length of the word, you can search by its beginning, middle characters, and ending.

Word Beginning

Use the word beginning field to enter the characters you know appear at the start of the word, in the correct order.

For example, if the word begins with K, enter K in the beginning field. If you know the first three characters, enter all three in the correct order.

Middle Characters

Use the middle characters field when you know a sequence of characters and their relative order, but do not know their exact positions within the word.

You can use the ? character as a wildcard to represent one unknown character.

Example: K?N

This pattern means that the word contains the following sequence:

• The character K.
• One unknown character, represented by ?.
• The character N.

In other words, exactly one character must appear between K and N. This three-character pattern can occur anywhere within the word; it does not have to appear at the beginning.

For example, if you know that the word contains K, followed by one unknown character, followed by N, you can search for K?N even if you do not know the rest of the word or the exact position of the pattern.

Important: The ? wildcard represents exactly one unknown character, not an arbitrary number of characters. If two unknown characters appear between known characters, use two question marks.

Word Ending

Use the word ending field to enter the characters you know appear at the end of the word, in the correct order.

For example, if the final two characters are A and T, enter AT in the word ending field.

You can combine the beginning, middle characters, and ending filters whenever you have information about multiple parts of the word.

5. Searching When You Know the Word Length

When you select a word length, WordsLex displays a separate field for each character position.

For example, selecting a 9-character word displays nine fixed-position character fields. You can enter the exact characters that must appear at specific positions.

If you know that the first character is A, the fourth is R, and the last is S, enter those characters in their corresponding fields. Leave the other fields empty until you know more.

The middle characters field remains available. Use it when you know a character pattern but do not know the exact position of each character.

Example: You know the word contains the pattern K?N, but you do not know where it occurs. You also know that the word contains 9 characters.

In this case:

1. Select the 9-character word length.
2. Enter any known fixed-position characters in their corresponding fields.
3. Enter K?N in the middle characters field.
4. Add required and excluded characters if you know them.

The beginning and ending fields are hidden in this mode because you can enter the known starting and ending characters in the fixed-position fields.

6. Combining Multiple Filters

Searching becomes more effective when you use all the information you know about the word.

WordsLex allows you to combine conditions such as:

• Word length.
• Characters at fixed positions.
• A pattern in the middle characters field.
• Required characters.
• Excluded characters.
• The word beginning and ending fields when the word length has not been selected.

The search returns words that match the specified conditions. Make sure every character and pattern you enter is consistent with the word you are trying to find.

7. Why Are There No Results?

If the search returns no results, it means that no word matching the specified conditions was found in the current WordsLex database.

This does not necessarily mean that the word does not exist. It may not yet be included in the database, or one of the search conditions may be too restrictive or incorrect.

If no results appear, try the following:

1. Check the selected word length.
2. Review the characters entered in the fixed-position fields.
3. Check the middle characters pattern, especially the number of ? wildcards.
4. Review the required and excluded characters.
5. If the word length is unknown, check the word beginning and ending fields.
6. Remove one condition at a time and try searching again.

If the search still returns no results after you have checked the conditions, the word may not be included in the database.

8. Characters and Letters: An Important Distinction

WordsLex uses character-based searching. This distinction is particularly important in languages where two or more characters can represent a single letter according to the language's spelling conventions.

In Hungarian, examples include cs, dz, dzs, gy, ly, ny, sz, ty, and zs. Similar examples exist in other languages:

• Slovak: ch is treated as a separate letter in the alphabet.
• Czech: ch is traditionally treated as a separate letter in the alphabet.
• Welsh: combinations such as ch, dd, ff, ll, ng, ph, rh, and th are treated as individual letters.
• Spanish: ch and ll were historically considered separate letters, but they are no longer classified as independent letters of the alphabet.

WordsLex treats every character separately:

• gy = g + y, which means two characters.
• sz = s + z, which means two characters.
• dzs = d + z + s, which means three characters.

Therefore, word length and character positions are based on individual characters, not on the number of letters counted according to the spelling conventions of a particular language.

9. Browsing Words Alphabetically

If you do not want to enter specific search conditions, you can also browse the word lists provided by WordsLex in alphabetical order.

This is useful when you want to discover new words or explore words beginning with a particular letter.

10. Tips for More Effective Searching

• Start with what you know. Enter the word length if known, followed by any confirmed characters.
• Choose the appropriate search mode. If the word length is unknown, use the beginning, middle characters, and ending fields.
• Use fixed positions for precision. Once you select the word length, enter known characters in their exact positions.
• Use the ? wildcard. It represents one unknown character in a middle-character pattern.
• Exclude characters you know are incorrect. This helps narrow down the results.
• Check your conditions if there are no results. If everything is correct, the word may not be in the database.
• Do not confuse letters with characters. WordsLex counts and filters individual characters.

Start Searching with WordsLex!

Now that you know how the search features work, try them with your own conditions.

Open WordsLex

Select the word length if you know it, enter the characters you are certain about, and combine the filters to find the word you are looking for.