Imagine you find a screenshot of a private key for a bitcoin wallet with money in it, but some of the characters are censored. Here is how you crack it.
First, note down the public address and private key: 1KtcmtacFsN5SR2Lt5rn1gfHe9enEHaBoZ L43kTaWVaQGZNfsCrRtZv9n7JUsXimR3x7pqKn??...??1km
Remember, private keys (WIF's) usually have 52 characters in them and only occasionally 51. Use this to figure out how many characters you are missing in the private key.