If widget.com is gone, would widget-.com do?

Or any other combination?

[Algebrator]

I get 80% of my traffic on a single keyword (widget) and all the
other searches that are relevant to my site have to contain
"widget" as a part of the search phrase.(i.e. widget help,
widget problem, widget solver ...)
My current domain name is unrelated to widget; I am thinking
about registering another one but widget.com is, of course,
gone. Ideally I would like not to dilute widget with any
secondary keyword. Could I do it by registering widget-.com
or some similar combination?
In other words do search engine algorithms simply discard
separators such as "-" (in which case I have another question -
which are other good separators?)

Thanks for the help

[deejay]

I'd take one look at that URL and assume it was a broken link. Wouldn't waste a click on it.

Keyword domains are not a huge factor for SE algos and never will be... for exactly the reason you state here. Only one person can ever have the 'perfect' keyword domain.

Forget the single word domain, throw in another keyword on the domain name and improve the targetting of your customers, or throw in a funky word and go brandable.

[piskie]

My first alternative would be widget-on.com

[deejay]

:) Excellent call piskie