Word Finder

Best Word Finder for Scrabble and Word with Friends

There are few things more frustrating in everyday life than having a word get stuck at the tip of your tongue, right? It's like being given something delicious to eat, but it's laminated so you can't bite into it. This is especially frustrating when you're playing word games. The stakes are higher, and remembering the word could mean the difference between a thrilling, exciting victory or an agonizing, humbling defeat!

I personally love word games, and feel that it helps keep my thinking quick, and my speaking and writing skills sharp. Whenever I play them, using Word Finder in tandem improves the experience greatly. If you and your loved ones are also word game enthusiasts, I'm sure you'll greatly appreciate having Word Finder at your disposal.

In what ways can I use word finder sites?

A word finder site primarily serves two purposes. The first is to let you unscramble letters to find a particular word that will satisfy the parameters of a word game in any given situation. The second is as a point of reference for certain games.

Word Finder can be used in many different ways:

As a word game helper

When playing Scrabble, Words With Friends, or other similar word games, you may be required to find words that you do not use on a regular basis. Given a handful of random letters - which can even include blank tiles, it is not always easy to come up with a particular valid word that fits the situation. Additionally, the layout of the letters in board games will play a huge part in dictating what valid words you can or cannot play. Word length is also an issue, as you may not have space on the board for words of a specific length even if you can make something great with your current letter tiles.

In such a set of circumstances, it helps when you have something up your sleeve that will bring out that missing word from the word list inside your head, or reveal new words that you didn't even know. A tool to help you find the best possible high scoring words to give you the most points attainable. This is where word finders come in.

A word finder can find out all the possible permutations of the letters available to you (plus those on the board) in seconds. You get to see every word you can make sorted by length, which makes it easier to determine what word suits your situation best based on the bonuses present on the board.

Not everyone has an extensive vocabulary, and it's not exactly convenient to sit with word lists and/or a dictionary - especially when using either is extremely time-consuming. Word Finder can help you get much better at your favorite word games.

As a reference tool

Have you ever been in the middle of a popular word game such as Scrabble or Words With Friends when someone came up with a dubious word that the others aren't familiar with? You probably ended up arguing over it before looking the word up in an online dictionary, only to realize it has some obscure application that puts it in a grey area for the game.

This tool makes it easy to settle disputes with its built-in Scrabble word finder and Words With Friends dictionary. It instantly scans the databases of both games, letting you find out whether the word is allowed in the game or not immediately. Bear in mind that both Scrabble and Words With Friends have dictionaries that differ from common English dictionaries.

The main difference between the two is that dictionaries for word games do not require the definition of the word to be included. Moreover, traditional English dictionaries add new words or remove archaic, obsolete ones on an annual basis while dictionaries for word games add or remove words at their own pace, separate from any official bodies.

To improve your vocabulary

Anybody who actively plays word games surely enjoys learning new words. With Word Finder, you will get definitions for the words you look up so that you can expand your knowledge while playing. This is especially useful if the person playing the game is either young or isn't a native English speaker. They can learn new words while enjoying themselves in a game they don't feel handicapped in.

To solve crosswords and other word puzzles

Anybody who has ever solved crossword puzzles knows what it's like to be stuck on a word - especially one that you only need a letter or two to decipher. Don't go through a brain drain trying to extract a word from your brain that might not even be there in the first place. Apart from being amazing for board games, Word Finder is also a great word solver for crossword clues. It lets you figure out all possible words with a few given letters, and categorizes words by length so you know exactly where to look for your word puzzle answer. The tool can also unscramble words from scrambled letters, providing an easy solution to even the most difficult letter scramble puzzle.

How to use Word Finder

There are two ways of using Word Finder so that it acts as more of a word unscrambler or source for word tips, and not as a cheat tool. One is as a point of reference after rounds of play, and the other is to even the odds when playing with players on a lower skill level.

Before we get to that, let me describe the basics.

The basics

Once you're on the website, you can use the input box to enter the letters you have at your disposal. This could be the contents of your tray (or the letters you'd like to use from that lot) or any letters you've uncovered by answering other clues correctly in a word puzzle.

You will be shown all the possible words formed from the letters you have, with all letter combinations sorted by points (for Scrabble/Words With Friends) for you to choose from. You can also choose to change the order the results are displayed in to alphabetical or reverse-alphabetical order, and even check or uncheck the option to group the words by length. This is the very basic level of the service, as you can customize the results greatly by adding more details.

Advanced search functions

When using the search box, you can customize the advanced options to add the start or end letter, and also include what other letters you have and add the length of the word you're looking for to further fine-tune the results. Additionally, you can choose to find words for only Scrabble, just Words With Friends, or both before clicking the search button.

For example, if you get the letters E-R-T-S-R-T-A, you might think of TREATS, RATES, STAR, or TASER, but the tool will show you much better words with these letters. RATTERS, RESTART, and STARTER are all possible. Using all 7 letters grants you a massive bonus on both Scrabble (50) and Words With Friends (35), and the result would be a far cry from the 4 to 20-odd points you would have gotten from any other combination.

Now that you know how the search function works, let's get back to the usage.

Point of reference mode

Once you've set up Scrabble, Words With Friends, Boggle, or whatever other word games you like, let everyone keep Word Finder as a constant companion.

Each time someone plays their hand, they enter the hand they just had into the search bar along with the other letters on the board available for use. Adjusting for length and placement, they can find out what they could have done better, and improve at the game while quite possibly also learning some new words. Plus, any leftover tiles become sources of words instead of a question mark.

Creating a level playing field

Word games are a great pastime when enjoyed with family and/or friends. Whether you're having a Christmas morning battle of wits with your kids or a Saturday night session with a group of board gaming buddies, you might find yourself playing an uneven game.

One-sided games are not fun for anyone. If some players are triumphantly rampaging ahead while others are struggling to get by with only minor contributions, the game just isn't being played right. Your kids obviously won't be as skilled as adults, and you might have a friend or two who aren't really into word games (but you're trying to change that).

In such a scenario, you can give them access to Word Finder. This way, they can first try to make words on their own. If they fail to come up with something substantial, they have the failsafe tool to fall back on. This way, they can get the ropes of the game and actually keep up with you without feeling like you're going easy on them or dumbing yourself down to let them win. Alternatively, this is also a great way to help a non-native English speaker expand their vocabulary via games.

Benefits of playing word games

If you have time to spare, a word game is one of the best possible uses of time, combining learning with leisure with a healthy dose of thrill thrown in. There are a number of advantages of being a regular at word games, and literally no disadvantages.

Expanding your lexicon

Your lexical resource, or basically your vocabulary, is the number of words your brain has available for regular use. By coming into regular contact with more words - big and small - on a daily basis, you are improving a vital soft skill that can come handy in just about any situation. Moreover, by using Word Finder, you'll also be informed of the meaning of the word, which will help you incorporate it into your speech and written word.

Improving at the game itself

Of course, the more you play such word games, the better you get at them. Your increased vocabulary will have you destroying the competition.

For instance, have you ever drawn a Q in Scrabble and been unable to use it in lieu of a free U or blank tile? "Qi" is a great little word which means "the circulating life force that Chinese philosophy and medicine draws greatly from." Considering how abundant the letter "I" is in scrabble, you can go from dreading Q to using it for an easy extra 10-60 points (if you're lucky enough to find a Triple Word/Letter Score box in the right place) per game.

Alternatively, "Qadi" (judge, Arabic) and "Qila" (Urdu) are both legitimate words, as is "Za" (colloquial American shortened form of "pizza") if your problem is a Z instead.

Improving problem-solving skills

Your brain relies on problem-solving skills on a day-to-day basis. This comes in handy in a variety of ways, such as figuring out how to untie a knot, improvising in your exam hall, or giving a friend career advice. The only way to polish these skills is via critical thinking, and word games are an excellent way to whet the sharpness of your mind.

Making learning fun

As I have stated before, word games are a fantastic way to polish up your vocabulary. The important difference is that instead of memorizing from flash cards and books, you get to immediately implement the word, which makes it easier for you to remember it.

Additionally, the importance of learning through a "game" takes away from the negative effect the word "study" has on the concentration of many students. The former is associated with entertainment and happiness, while the latter is often considered toil or drudgery.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Word Finder a word cheat?

While this tool can be used to essentially 'cheat' in games, it was created to be a helpful instrument, and not one of dishonesty. It's important to inform your opponent(s) that you're using Word Finder, and whether you're using it before or after you take your turn.

What can I use Word Finder for other than games?

Yes, Word Finder can also be used to solve word scrambles and anagrams.

Does the unscramble tool work for words from other languages?

With Word Finder's intuitive database, as long as the word is in any English or word game dictionary, it will be unscrambled.