How to find missing words in the middle of a phrase

Playphrase.me editorial

If you remember the beginning and end of an English phrase but not the middle, put * between the two known parts. This wildcard stands for one or more words. For example, carry * forward searches for phrases where carry comes first, followed by one or more words and then forward.

Search with two known parts and a wildcard

Open Playphrase.me, select the Search phrases field, enter carry * forward, and press Enter.

The wildcard sits between the two parts of the phrase you remember.

One result contains carry our work forward. Here the wildcard matches the two words our work.

Playphrase.me shows the result carry our work forward — The result shows which words fill the missing middle.

Open the ready-made carry * forward search in Playphrase.me, then replace the beginning and end with the two parts of your own phrase.