diff --git a/src/frontend/com_alias.c b/src/frontend/com_alias.c
index 11fe98e44..9835cd898 100644
--- a/src/frontend/com_alias.c
+++ b/src/frontend/com_alias.c
@@ -66,15 +66,13 @@ cp_doalias(wordlist *wlist)
         int ntries;
         wordlist *end, *nextc;
 
-        if (eq(comm->wl_word, cp_csep)) {
+        nextc = wl_find(cp_csep, comm);
+
+        if(nextc == comm) {     /* skip leading `;' */
             comm = comm->wl_next;
             continue;
         }
 
-        for (nextc = comm; nextc; nextc = nextc->wl_next)
-            if (eq(nextc->wl_word, cp_csep))
-                break;
-
         /* Temporarily hide the rest of the command... */
         end = comm->wl_prev;
         wl_chop(comm);
diff --git a/src/frontend/control.c b/src/frontend/control.c
index 9bb8ae901..7dfc9af5a 100644
--- a/src/frontend/control.c
+++ b/src/frontend/control.c
@@ -163,15 +163,13 @@ docommand(wordlist *wlist)
         struct comm *command;
         wordlist *nextc, *ee;
 
-        if (eq(wlist->wl_word, cp_csep)) {
+        nextc = wl_find(cp_csep, wlist);
+
+        if (nextc == wlist) {   /* skip leading `;' */
             wlist = wlist->wl_next;
             continue;
         }
 
-        for (nextc = wlist; nextc; nextc = nextc->wl_next)
-            if (eq(nextc->wl_word, cp_csep))
-                break;
-
         /* Temporarily hide the rest of the command... */
         ee = wlist->wl_prev;
         wl_chop(nextc);
diff --git a/src/frontend/device.c b/src/frontend/device.c
index c09b07ff6..ae4816898 100644
--- a/src/frontend/device.c
+++ b/src/frontend/device.c
@@ -994,9 +994,7 @@ old_show(wordlist *wl)
     }
 
     devs = tw;
-    for (tw = parms; tw; tw = tw->wl_next)
-        if (eq(tw->wl_word, "all"))
-            break;
+    tw = wl_find("all", parms);
     if (tw)
         parms = NULL;
 
diff --git a/src/frontend/plotting/plotit.c b/src/frontend/plotting/plotit.c
index da3e40e19..3d6d2bcd4 100644
--- a/src/frontend/plotting/plotit.c
+++ b/src/frontend/plotting/plotit.c
@@ -38,9 +38,7 @@ getlims(wordlist *wl, char *name, int number)
     if(number < 1)
         return NULL;
 
-    for (beg = wl; beg; beg = beg->wl_next)
-        if (eq(beg->wl_word, name))
-            break;
+    beg = wl_find(name, wl);
 
     if(!beg)
         return NULL;
@@ -197,9 +195,7 @@ compress(struct dvec *d, double *xcomp, double *xind)
 static bool
 getflag(wordlist *wl, char *name)
 {
-    for (; wl; wl = wl->wl_next)
-        if (eq(wl->wl_word, name))
-            break;
+    wl = wl_find(name, wl);
 
     if (!wl)
         return FALSE;
@@ -221,9 +217,7 @@ getword(wordlist *wl, char *name)
     wordlist *beg;
     char *s;
 
-    for (beg = wl; beg; beg = beg->wl_next)
-        if (eq(beg->wl_word, name))
-            break;
+    wl = wl_find(name, wl);
 
     if (!beg)
         return NULL;
diff --git a/src/frontend/subckt.c b/src/frontend/subckt.c
index 97a1e4c62..db1d5b39b 100644
--- a/src/frontend/subckt.c
+++ b/src/frontend/subckt.c
@@ -1601,13 +1601,9 @@ numnodes(char *name, struct subs *subs, wordlist const *modnames)
 
     /* Now, is this a model? */
     t = gettok(&s);
-    for (wl = modnames; wl; wl = wl->wl_next)
-        if (eq(t, wl->wl_word)) {
-            tfree(t);
-            return (3);
-        }
+    wl = wl_find(t, modnames);
     tfree(t);
-    return (4);
+    return wl ? 3 : 4;
 }
 
 
@@ -1788,19 +1784,11 @@ devmodtranslate(struct line *deck, char *subname, wordlist * const submod)
             }  /* while  */
 
 
-            /* Now, is name a subcircuit model?
-             *  Note that we compare against submod = untranslated names of models.
+            /*
+             *  Note that we compare against submod,
+             *    which is the list of untranslated names of models.
              */
-            for (wlsub = submod; wlsub; wlsub = wlsub->wl_next) {
-
-#ifdef TRACE
-                /* SDB debug statement */
-                printf("In devmodtranslate, comparing model name against submod list item %s\n", wlsub->wl_word );
-#endif
-
-                if (eq(name, wlsub->wl_word))
-                    break;
-            }
+            wlsub = wl_find(name, submod);
 
             if (!wlsub)
                 (void) sprintf(buffer + strlen(buffer), "%s ", name);
@@ -1835,10 +1823,7 @@ devmodtranslate(struct line *deck, char *subname, wordlist * const submod)
 
             if (*t) {    /* if there is a model, process it. . . . */
                 name = gettok(&t);
-                /* Now, is this a subcircuit model? */
-                for (wlsub = submod; wlsub; wlsub = wlsub->wl_next)
-                    if (eq(name, wlsub->wl_word))
-                        break;
+                wlsub = wl_find(name, submod);
 
                 if (!wlsub)
                     (void) sprintf(buffer + strlen(buffer), "%s ", name);
@@ -1849,10 +1834,7 @@ devmodtranslate(struct line *deck, char *subname, wordlist * const submod)
 
             if (*t) {
                 name = gettok(&t);
-                /* Now, is this a subcircuit model? */
-                for (wlsub = submod; wlsub; wlsub = wlsub->wl_next)
-                    if (eq(name, wlsub->wl_word))
-                        break;
+                wlsub = wl_find(name, submod);
 
                 if (!wlsub)
                     (void) sprintf(buffer + strlen(buffer), "%s ", name);
@@ -1878,10 +1860,7 @@ devmodtranslate(struct line *deck, char *subname, wordlist * const submod)
             tfree(name);
             name = gettok(&t);
 
-            /* Now, is this a subcircuit model? */
-            for (wlsub = submod; wlsub; wlsub = wlsub->wl_next)
-                if (eq(name, wlsub->wl_word))
-                    break;
+            wlsub = wl_find(name, submod);
 
             if (!wlsub)
                 (void) sprintf(buffer + strlen(buffer), "%s ", name);
@@ -1896,17 +1875,13 @@ devmodtranslate(struct line *deck, char *subname, wordlist * const submod)
 #if ADMS >= 3
         case 'u': /* urc transmissionline */ /* hijacked for adms */
             name = gettok_node(&t);  /* this can be either a model name or a node name. */
-            for (wlsub = submod; wlsub; wlsub = wlsub->wl_next)
-                if (eq(name, wlsub->wl_word)) /* a three terminal bjt */
-                    break;
+            wlsub = wl_find(name, submod);
 
             while (!wlsub) {
                 (void) sprintf(buffer + strlen(buffer), "%s ", name);
                 tfree(name);
                 name = gettok_node(&t);  /* this can be either a model name or a node name. */
-                for (wlsub = submod; wlsub; wlsub = wlsub->wl_next)
-                    if (eq(name, wlsub->wl_word)) /* a three terminal bjt */
-                        break;
+                wlsub = wl_find(name, submod);
             }
 
             if (wlsub)
@@ -1933,10 +1908,7 @@ devmodtranslate(struct line *deck, char *subname, wordlist * const submod)
             (void) sprintf(buffer + strlen(buffer), "%s ", name);
             name = gettok(&t);
 
-            /* Now, is this a subcircuit model? */
-            for (wlsub = submod; wlsub; wlsub = wlsub->wl_next)
-                if (eq(name, wlsub->wl_word))
-                    break;
+            wlsub = wl_find(name, submod);
 
             if (!wlsub)
                 (void) sprintf(buffer + strlen(buffer), "%s ", name);
@@ -2022,20 +1994,14 @@ devmodtranslate(struct line *deck, char *subname, wordlist * const submod)
             tfree(name);
             name = gettok_node(&t);  /* this can be either a model name or a node name. */
 
-            /* Now, is this a subcircuit model? */
-            for (wlsub = submod; wlsub; wlsub = wlsub->wl_next)
-                if (eq(name, wlsub->wl_word)) /* a three terminal bjt */
-                    break;
+            wlsub = wl_find(name, submod);
 
             if (!wlsub) {
                 if (*t) { /* There is another token - perhaps a model */
                     (void) sprintf(buffer + strlen(buffer), "%s ", name);
                     tfree(name);
                     name = gettok(&t);
-                    /* Now, is this a subcircuit model? */
-                    for (wlsub = submod; wlsub; wlsub = wlsub->wl_next)
-                        if (eq(name, wlsub->wl_word)) /* a four terminal bjt */
-                            break;
+                    wlsub = wl_find(name, submod);
                 }
             }
 
@@ -2045,10 +2011,7 @@ devmodtranslate(struct line *deck, char *subname, wordlist * const submod)
                     (void) sprintf(buffer + strlen(buffer), "%s ", name);
                     tfree(name);
                     name = gettok(&t);
-                    /* Now, is this a subcircuit model? */
-                    for (wlsub = submod; wlsub; wlsub = wlsub->wl_next)
-                        if (eq(name, wlsub->wl_word)) /* a five terminal bjt */
-                            break;
+                    wlsub = wl_find(name, submod);
                 }
             }
 #endif
@@ -2087,10 +2050,7 @@ devmodtranslate(struct line *deck, char *subname, wordlist * const submod)
                 }
             }  /* while  */
 
-            /* Now, is this a subcircuit model? */
-            for (wlsub = submod; wlsub; wlsub = wlsub->wl_next)
-                if (eq(name, wlsub->wl_word))
-                    break;
+            wlsub = wl_find(name, submod);
 
             if (!wlsub)
                 (void) sprintf(buffer + strlen(buffer), "%s ", name);