# Advanced Crossword Solver

> Advanced crossword and word puzzle solver with extensive search capabilities. (iPhone/iPad app by KuDaTa Software.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/advanced-crossword-solver/id329893913 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [KuDaTa Software](https://appshunter.io/developer/329893916)
- Category: Reference, Entertainment
- Price: $4.99
- Rating: 5.00/5 from 1 App Store ratings · 17 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 12+
- Requires: iOS 12.0 · 4 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2009-09-15
- Data updated: 2026-08-24
- Monetization: paid
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/advanced-crossword-solver/id329893913/reviews.md

## What is Advanced Crossword Solver?

"...anyone grappling with the sort of evil cryptics with no black squares will appreciate its power." - The Sunday Times

The Advanced Crossword Solver is a combination of a powerful regular expression-style word matcher and a user-customisable database of nearly 300,000 words and phrases. 

It is specifically designed to help with solving advanced thematic crosswords such as The Times’ Listener and The Sunday Telegraph’s Enigmatic Variations, but is also useful for word games such as Scrabble and Boggle, and indeed for any other word puzzles or games, for logic problems and as an aid to crossword setting.

Unlike most crossword solving programs, this is far more than a simple pattern matcher for unknown letters. It can be used as a pattern matcher, and can solve simple anagrams, but in addition, some of its more powerful features include:

• search for a combined pattern and anagram, when you know the answer is an anagram, and you also know where some of the letters are.
• search with wildcards, when you know that an answer includes a particular letter or string of letters, but not where in the word they are.
• solve partial anagrams, when you know that some of the letters of an answer are an anagram, but other letters are unknown. 
• solve subset anagrams, when you want to find the longest word you can make from a given set of letters.
• search with multiple possibilities for letters, when you know a letter is one of a few possibilities, but not which one it is.
• search with letter variables, when you know that several letters are the same, but not which letter it is.
• search with vowel and consonant symbols, when you know that a letter is either a vowel or a consonant, but not which letter it is.
• search for all the words which are one misprinted letter away from another word.
• search for words which match a given pattern but which have one or more misprinted letters.
• search for pairs of words (across and down) which cross at an unknown letter.

Using the simple input syntax, complex combinations of the above can be searched to quickly narrow down to a solution. Even the most complex search takes no more than a few seconds, and results are clearly presented in a scrollable list.

Tapping on a result from the solver shows a menu which allows the result to be looked up in a choice of iPhone dictionary and thesaurus applications, including Chambers and WordWeb, or online. This menu can be customised to add your own choice of applications and websites. (Note that in order to link to a dictionary, it must offer a URL that can be used by other apps - check with the publisher of your chosen dictionary that this is the case.)

The word list used by the Solver is a combination of  the UK Advanced Cryptics Dictionary (UKACD) and the Enhanced North American Benchmark LExicon (ENABLE). The UKACD is compiled by a crossword puzzle enthusiast from the words and phrases that are found in typical British advanced cryptic puzzles. ENABLE is an authoritative list of Scrabble words valid in both US and UK games. Between the two lists, the program searches a database of over 298,000 words and phrases.

The word list used by the solver is stored as plain text files, and the files can be accessed via iTunes to allow them to be customised to your own requirements - words can be added or removed, or the entire word list can be replaced if desired. In addition, the symbols used to denote the input syntax can also be changed, making the entire operation of the solver customisable to your own requirements.

If your taste in puzzles extends to the truly challenging, this is the application for you.

## Key features

- Advanced pattern matching with regular expressions
- Combined pattern and anagram searches
- Wildcard and partial anagram solving
- Subset anagrams for longest word generation
- Search with multiple letter possibilities
- Vowel/consonant symbol searches
- Find near-miss words

## Recent user reviews (10 of 17)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/advanced-crossword-solver/id329893913/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Perfect

*2023-02-24*

This app is outstanding. It is truly powerful with a comprehensive set of wildcards and other functions. The bracket function to use just one of these letters (abc) is just what I was after. It has a clean minimalist interface and if you press help it flips to an extensive set of instructions and syntax. Get this one, it can be as simple or advanced as you need.

### 1/5 — Rubbish

*2022-02-01*

Absolute Rubbish don’t buy it

### 5/5 — Great - best aid to crossword solvers

*2019-09-30*

This is definitely my number one app for aid with solving crosswords -  very powerful and very flexible.

### 5/5 — More than just crosswords

*2016-05-23*

Fast, flexible tool for finding words in a number of ways. This is an advanced tool to assist with a variety of word puzzles, and the interface is perfect for this sort of use.

### 5/5 — Great for Cheating at Scrabble!

*2014-10-04*

Easy to use. Helps expand vocabulary

### 1/5 — Mr

*2013-10-05*

I would like a refund this versions is way below standard

### 1/5 — not what expected

*2013-01-04*

thought this would be similar to crossward heaven thru Internet.  cannot put the 'across' or 'down' clues.  this is scam. do not purchase.  $4.99 wasted.  shame on this provider.

### 5/5 — Best in its class

*2012-07-06*

What a powerful app! I used to use crosswordsolver.org, but it proved too limited and had faults. This app is incredible. The speed is impressive. You have to learn the syntax, but basic searches are easy to remember. To use the more complex features, I had to refer to the excellent help page. This app can not only find words that fit a pattern, some of whose letters you know, but you can also specify if it has more than one word. There are an unbelievable range of options to help solve many types of more complex crosswords if you need them. I have yet to find a word it does not know in its dictionary. Install the free Wordweb dictionary and you can get definitions for most of these words as well. As long as you're prepared to work out the syntax (which makes it slightly more difficult to use), this is undoubtedly the best app of its kind. Well worth the money; well done KuDaTa!

### 1/5 — Big disappointment

*2012-05-17*

I still can't figure this out. All i want is some help, I type in a word and 4different dictionaries pop up to chose from, I just want best crossword answer. This is way to complicated if it even works at all!

### 1/5 — Rubbish

*2012-01-17*

Look at my title - rubbish, can't even access the websters or other dictionary.

## Frequently asked questions about Advanced Crossword Solver

### What types of crosswords can Advanced Crossword Solver help with?

Advanced Crossword Solver is specifically designed for advanced thematic crosswords like The Times’ Listener and The Sunday Telegraph’s Enigmatic Variations. It can also assist with general word games and logic problems.

### How large is the word database in Advanced Crossword Solver?

The app utilizes a user-customizable database containing nearly 300,000 words and phrases, combining the UK Advanced Cryptics Dictionary (UKACD) and the Enhanced North American Benchmark Lexicon (ENABLE).

### Can Advanced Crossword Solver handle anagrams?

Yes, it can solve simple anagrams and also offers advanced features like searching for combined patterns and anagrams, or solving partial anagrams where some letters are known and others are not.

### What are the advanced search options available?

Advanced search options include wildcard searches, partial anagrams, subset anagrams, searches with multiple possibilities for letters, letter variables, vowel/consonant symbols, and finding words with misprinted letters.

### How fast are the searches in Advanced Crossword Solver?

Even the most complex searches are completed in a matter of seconds, with results clearly presented in a scrollable list.

### Can I link results to dictionaries or thesauruses?

Yes, tapping on a result opens a menu to look up the word in various iPhone dictionary and thesaurus applications, including Chambers and WordWeb, or online. This menu can be customized.

### What is the price of Advanced Crossword Solver?

Advanced Crossword Solver is a paid application, priced at $4.99.

### Is Advanced Crossword Solver available on Android devices?

Based on the provided data, Advanced Crossword Solver is supported on iPhone, iPad, and iPod. Information regarding Android availability is not specified.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 6.1 — 2024-11-17

Added the ability to define the length of an anagram as being a certain number of characters longer or shorter than the supplied letterset.

### 6.0 — 2022-11-28

Updated for latest versions of iOS

### 5.0 — 2019-10-04

• Dark mode added
• Accessory keyboard tidied to better match main keyboard on all devices

### 4.9 — 2019-10-01

• Screen layout fixes for various platforms

### 4.8 — 2019-09-30

• Fix for accessory keyboard not appearing on iOS 13
• Screen layout fixes for recent devices such as iPhone X

## Apps similar to Advanced Crossword Solver

| App | Rating | Price | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Chambers Thesaurus](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chambers-thesaurus/id342112144) | 4.9 (11) | $4.99 | Reference |
| [Collins English](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/collins-english/id292235556) | 4.6 (5) | $11.99 | Reference |
| [Chambers Dictionary](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chambers-dictionary/id314269183) | 4.8 (13) | $9.99 | Reference |
| [Crossword Solver +](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crossword-solver-plus/id650469164) | 4.0 (6) | $4.99 | Reference |
| [EngCross crossword helper](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/engcross-crossword-helper/id542152010) | — | $1.99 | Reference |
| [Collins French-English](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/collins-french-english/id623954205) | 4.7 (340) | $17.99 | Reference |

## More apps by KuDaTa Software

- [POI Nearby](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/poi-nearby/id444455039)

All apps by KuDaTa Software: https://appshunter.io/developer/329893916

## Related topics

[advanced crossword solver](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/advanced-crossword-solver)

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-24.*