Cryptic Crossword Solver

Enter a cryptic clue. Get the parse.

See a proposed answer separated into definition, wordplay, indicators, and confidence.

Open-ended utility. Results can be wrong; check the parse.

Enter your clue

Teach me?

Reveal the solving method one click at a time, keeping the answer hidden until the final step.

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Awaiting a clue

The result will appear here with a defensible parse and confidence level.

A crossword clue solver for the way cryptics actually work.

A strong cryptic answer needs more than a dictionary match. The clue should contain a direct definition and fair wordplay, with indicators that explain how the answer is built. Cryptic Crossword Solver is designed around that standard: it gives you the answer, but also shows why the answer fits.

1

Enter the clue as written

Include punctuation and the enumeration if you have it, such as (4) or (3,5).

2

Add constraints

Known letters like _O_E help reject plausible answers that do not fit your crossword grid.

3

Check the parse

Use the explanation, clue type, indicators, and confidence score to decide whether the solution is fair.

Help for common cryptic crossword clue patterns.

Use these guides when you want a second pass on the wordplay behind a proposed solution.

Anagram clues

Look for words that suggest disorder, movement, repair, damage, or rearrangement. Then identify a nearby word or phrase with exactly the right letters for the answer length.

Hidden word clues

Watch for containment language such as some, part of, held by, seen in, or contains. Then scan the clue text itself before trying more complex wordplay.

Reversal clues

Look for words such as backward, returned, rising, coming up, westbound, or reversed. In down clues, words like up or rising are often fairer than they are in across clues.

Charade clues

Look for a clue that can be split into several small components. Common abbreviations such as R for right, L for left, and E for energy often appear in charades.

Homophone clues

Look for hearing-related indicators such as reportedly, we hear, said, spoken, on the radio, or audibly. Then test whether the sound-alike answer matches the definition.

Double definition clues

Look for short clues where two parts can independently define the same word. The surface may read naturally, but the clue is solved by recognising both definitions.

Browse all clue-type guides

Cryptic clue examples with answer logic.

These examples show the kind of verification good cryptic crossword solutions should provide: answer, wordplay, and definition fit.

Clue

Mixed tone gives message (4)

NOTE

An anagram solution where TONE is mixed to make NOTE, matching the definition message.

Clue

Backward live becomes wicked (4)

EVIL

A reversal solution: LIVE read backward gives EVIL, which means wicked.

Clue

Some rival idol gives proper (5)

VALID

A hidden-word solution where VALID is concealed across rival idol and means proper.

Use the solution archive, clue-type guides, and methodology when you want another worked example or a closer look at the wordplay.

Cryptic crossword solver questions.

What the utility accepts, how it reasons, and when to be sceptical of an answer.

What does this cryptic crossword solver do?

It provides cryptic crossword solutions with the likely definition, clue type, wordplay indicators, synonym checks, verification steps, and confidence level.

Can I use known letters or an answer length?

Yes. Add the answer length and any known letters to narrow the parse and reject answers that do not fit the grid.

Does it only solve anagrams?

No. It is designed to reason through common cryptic mechanisms including anagrams, hidden words, reversals, charades, containers, and deletions.

Should I trust every answer?

Treat the result as a reasoned clue explanation, not a final authority. The confidence label and verification steps help you decide whether the parse is defensible.