Anagram Solver for Cryptic Crosswords
Enter a set of letters and this tool will instantly find every valid English word that can be formed from them. It handles both exact anagrams (using all letters) and sub-anagrams (using a subset). Everything runs in your browser — no data leaves your device.
How to use this anagram solver
- Identify the anagram fodder in the cryptic clue. This is the group of letters next to the anagram indicator word (e.g., “wild,” “broken,” “crazy”).
- Type the letters into the search box above. Spaces and punctuation are ignored — only letters matter.
- Choose your mode. Check “Include shorter words” if you want sub-anagrams, or uncheck it for exact anagrams only. Set a minimum word length to filter short results.
- Browse the results grouped by word length. Exact anagrams are highlighted in bold. Match the result against the definition in your clue to confirm the answer.
Anagram examples from Parseword
- Clue: “Wild ORGAN plays music” → “wild” is the indicator, “ORGAN” is the fodder → enter ORGAN → find GROAN (which means “music” in context, or the answer matches the definition).
- Clue: “Broken LISTEN without sound” → enter LISTEN → find SILENT (matching “without sound”).
- Clue: “Crazy ALERTING shape” → enter ALERTING → find TRIANGLE (a shape).
When to use the anagram solver
- You have identified an anagram indicator in a Parseword or cryptic crossword clue and need to rearrange the fodder letters.
- You can see the fodder but cannot spot the answer word by mentally rearranging. Longer anagrams (8+ letters) are especially hard to solve by eye.
- You want to verify that a candidate answer genuinely uses all the fodder letters. This tool confirms exact anagrams instantly.
- You are practising anagram recognition and want to see all possible words from a given set of letters.
Common anagram indicator words
These words signal that the nearby letters should be rearranged:
Frequently asked questions
What is an anagram in cryptic crosswords?
An anagram is a word or phrase formed by rearranging the letters of another word or phrase. In cryptic crosswords and Parseword, anagram clues contain indicator words (like 'wild', 'broken', 'mixed') that signal you should rearrange the letters of the nearby fodder to find the answer.
What is the difference between an exact anagram and a sub-anagram?
An exact anagram uses all the given letters exactly once (e.g., LISTEN → SILENT). A sub-anagram uses only some of the letters (e.g., from LISTEN you can also make TEN, LIT, LINE). Sub-anagrams are useful when solving cryptic clues where only part of the fodder contributes to the answer.
How does this anagram solver work?
This tool loads a dictionary of over 150,000 English words into your browser. When you enter letters, it uses letter-frequency analysis to instantly find every valid English word that can be formed from those letters. All processing happens locally — no data is sent to any server.
How do I spot an anagram clue in Parseword?
Look for indicator words that suggest disorder or rearrangement: 'wild', 'broken', 'crazy', 'mixed', 'confused', 'tangled', 'drunk', 'shattered', 'new', 'reformed'. The letters to rearrange (the fodder) are always adjacent to the indicator word.