Codeword Solver

Codeword Solver is a free online tool that finds the words in a codeword puzzle, also called a code cracker or code breaker, from the numbers in each word and any letters you have already cracked. It is a codeword puzzle helper that turns a grid of numbers 1 to 26 into a short list of words that fit. It runs in your browser, and no sign-up is needed.

The solver works on one word at a time. You give it the numbers and letters from one line of the grid, and it returns the possible matches along with what each number could stand for. Because you add letters as you crack them, each run narrows the list. Nothing you type is sent to a server, so you can use it while you work through a puzzle from a book or your own copy.

How to use the Codeword Solver

1. Write the number for each empty square and the letter for each square you have already solved, in order.
2. Type the squares into the first box with spaces or dashes between them, for example 12 5 E 12 3 or 12-5-E-12-3. Use ? for any square you cannot read.
3. If you have already cracked letters, type them in the second box as pairs such as 5=A, 9=T. You can also write 5A or A=5.
4. To solve several words at once, put each word on its own line. Press Shift+Enter in the box to start a new line. You can enter up to 10 lines, and each line gets its own result block.
5. Click Find Words, or press Enter.
6. The match count comes first, then a line for each unknown number showing its possible letters. A letter marked (certain) is the only option for that number. The numbered list below shows matching words, most common first, with the letters each number would take.
7. When you find the word you want, write its letters into every square with the matching number in your grid. Then type the next word with the new letters in place and run it again.

Keep two limits in mind. A word can have at most 20 squares, and only the first 200 matches are shown, so adding a known letter helps when a list is long. If a word you expect does not appear, check the numbers and any known letter, since one wrong entry will remove every match.

What is a codeword puzzle

A codeword is a puzzle drawn as a crossword-shaped grid. Every square holds a number from 1 to 26, and each number stands for one letter of the alphabet. A cryptogram, by contrast, codes a whole sentence with symbols or numbers, while a codeword gives you a grid and asks you to crack its words one at a time.

Codeword rules

The same number is always the same letter, and no two numbers share a letter. Nearly every letter of the alphabet is used, so every number appears somewhere in the grid. A few letters are given at the start to get you going. There are no clues, so the words are found only from the letters you know and the squares where words cross.

How to play codeword

Look for a word that has a given letter or a repeated number in it, since those give you a foothold. Guess a word that fits the pattern, then check it against every crossing word. If it holds, write its letters into every square with the same number. Each solved letter helps with the other words, so one correct answer often unlocks the next.

Codeword tips

Repeated patterns cut the list of possible words fast, so look for numbers that appear twice or more in the same word. E, T, A and O are the most common letters, so the most frequent numbers in the grid are often one of these. Common endings such as -ED, -ER, -LY and -ING are good guesses for the last squares of a word. Before you write a letter in, check it against each crossing word, because one wrong letter spreads through the whole grid.

Where should I start a codeword

Start where you have the most information: a word with a given letter and a repeated number. Short words are easier to test than long ones, because a long word with no letters yet has too many possibilities. Once you have one answer, move to the words that cross it, since each crossing gives you a new letter to check.

Is a codeword the same as a code cracker

Yes. Codeword is the usual name, and code cracker and code breaker are other names for the same grid puzzle with the same rules. The solver treats all three the same way, so the steps on this page work for each of them.

Frequently asked questions

What does “(certain)” mean in the results?

It means every matching word gives that number the same letter, so you can write that letter into every square with that number. For example, 2 14 14 2 3 1 E has only four matches, and number 2 is A in all of them.

Why does a word I know is right not appear?

The solver uses a general English word list, so a few names, rare plurals or British spellings may be missing. Check that the numbers are right and that every letter you listed as known really is correct. One wrong entry removes every match.

Is the Codeword Solver free?

Yes. It is a free browser-based tool with no sign-up. Everything runs in your browser, and nothing you type is sent anywhere.

Is there a codeword printable version?

No. This site cannot print codewords or generate a codeword puzzle, and you cannot enter a whole grid. Use the solver on screen with the grid from your puzzle book, one word at a time.

Can I use this as a code cracker solver?

Yes. Type the squares of one word with numbers for empty squares and letters for solved ones, then press Find Words. Code cracker and code breaker puzzles use the same grid rules, so the same steps apply.

Related tools

• Cryptogram Solver: use it when the puzzle is a whole coded sentence rather than a grid of numbers.
• Crossword Solver: use it for a normal crossword, where you have clues to work from.
• Word Finder: use it to list words that match a pattern of letters you already have.
• Cryptogram Maker: use it to write your own coded sentence.
• Anagram Solver: use it when you have a set of letters and need to rearrange them into a word.
• Caesar Cipher: use it for a shifted-alphabet code, where each letter moves a fixed number of places.
• Word Unscrambler: use it when you have a scrambled word and want its possible answers.
• Criss-Cross Puzzle Maker: use it to make a word grid puzzle. It is not a codeword maker.