Disclaimer

The tool on Cryptic Crossword Solver finds words and patterns. It does not read a clue, understand its surface meaning, or reason about what a setter intended. Every result it returns is a candidate to be tested, never a confirmed answer.

A cryptic clue is only solved when the answer satisfies both the definition and the wordplay. That check is yours to make.

The solver searches a general English word list covering answers of two to fifteen letters. It will not contain every proper noun, abbreviation, phrase or piece of crossword shorthand that setters use, and it matches single words rather than multi-word answers.

If an answer you expected does not appear, that is a gap in the dictionary rather than proof the answer is wrong.

The guide is written to teach the mechanics of cryptic clues. It reflects the conventions of mainstream British and American cryptics, but setters vary and individual publications have house styles that depart from the general rules described here.

Every example clue published on this site is checked automatically before release: the enumeration must match the answer, the answer must be a real dictionary word, and the mechanic must genuinely work. If you find one that does not hold up, please tell us and it will be corrected.

This site describes and links to other crossword tools and to newspapers that publish cryptic puzzles. Those are named for reference only. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or responsible for any of them, and details such as pricing, database size or feature sets may change without notice.

All trademarks and publication names referred to belong to their respective owners.

This site and its solver are provided as they are, without warranty of any kind. We make no guarantee that the tool will be available without interruption, that its results will be complete, or that the guidance here will fit every puzzle you meet.

If something on this site looks wrong, write to hello@crypticcrosswordssolver.com. Corrections are welcome.