word.py

import copy
import pdb
import re

file_loc = '/usr/share/dict/words'
words = {}
with open(file_loc) as f:
    word = f.readline()
    while word != '':
        words[word[:-1]] = True
        word = f.readline()

def test_for_blanks(a_list):
    for i in a_list:
        if i != '.':
            return False
    return True

the_word = ''
while True:
    print "What's the word?"
    the_input = raw_input()
    nums = ['4','5','6','7','8']
    nums.reverse()
    if re.search('^[0-9]+$', the_input):
        nums = the_input.split()
    elif the_input == "no":
        break
    else:
        the_word = the_input
    #pretty hacky
    word_chars = list(the_word)
    word_chars.sort(reverse=True)
    blanks = 0
    for i in word_chars:
        if i == '.':
            blanks += 1

    for num in nums:
        valid = []
        count = 0
        for word in words.iterkeys():
            count += 1
            if len(word) == int(num):
                chars = list(word)
                new_word = copy.copy(word_chars)
                errors = 0
                for (i, letter) in enumerate(chars):
                    try:
                        new_word.remove(letter)
                    except ValueError:
                        errors += 1

                if errors <= blanks:
                    valid.append(word)

        valid.sort()
        for i in valid:
            print i

print count