Cryptic Crosswords

Often there will be two types of crossword that you’ll see in an English newspaper. One is fairly straightforward with clues like a long orange vegetable (answer: carrot).

The other is the cryptic crossword. Its clues will seem impossible at first, but with guidance you’ll be able to solve them.

Many cryptic clues play with the sounds of the English language. Deciphering them can help us appreciate and learn things about English pronunciation!

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Let’s tackle a clue

In cryptic crosswords, one half of the clue is usually the definition and the other half is a hint. The number in brackets tells you how many letters are in the answer. Here’s an example:

Pronouncedly feeble for a time (4)  source

Definition: a time. The answer is a word that signifies a time.

Hint: pronouncedly feeble. This suggests that if you pronounce a word meaning feeble, you’ll get the answer. In other words, the answer sounds like a word meaning feeble.

Answer: WEEK /wiːk/. This word describes a period of time and sounds exactly the same as the word weak /wiːk/ (which means feeble).

The symbols between slashes // are International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) symbols representing pronunciation. You can find an interactive chart on my website for the vowel and consonant IPA symbols and sounds in English.

Homophones

Homophones /ˈhɒ mə fəʊnz/ are words that sound the same – like week and weak. English has many of them! Discovering homophones can be fun for both native speakers and English learners alike.

Words like hears and sounds in a cryptic crossword clue indicate that the answer is probably a homophone.

The answers to the following clues are all homophones:

Country for the starving, we hear (7) source

Definition: the name of a country.

Hint: it sounds like another word for starving.

The answer has 7 letters.

The answer is the name of a country beginning with H.

HUNGARY. This is the name of a country.

Another word for starving is hungry.

The words Hungary and hungry are usually homophones and pronounced /ˈhʌŋɡri/. However, some speakers may make a distinction between Hungary /ˈhʌŋ ɡə ri/ (3 syllables) and hungry /ˈhʌŋ ɡri/ (2 syllables).

Pretty part of a plant sounds like a cake ingredient (6) source

Definition: the pretty part of a plant.

Hint: the answer sounds like something you would use to make a cake.

The answer has 6 letters.

The answer begins with F.

FLOWER/ˈflaʊə/. The word refers to the pretty part of a plant.

A cake ingredient is flour /ˈflaʊə/. This is pronounced exactly the same as flower, which means that flour and flower are homophones.

crossword addict

The visitor was heard to have estimated (5)   source

Definition: another word for visitor.

Hint: the answer sounds like another word for estimated.

The answer has 5 letters.

The answer begins with G.

GUEST /ɡɛst/. This word can refer to a visitor.

Another way of saying estimated is guessed /ɡɛst/. This is pronounced exactly the same as guest, which means that guessed and guest are homophones.

Try these!

If you don’t get the answers right, don’t worry. Most native English speakers will find them challenging. Use them as an opportunity to learn new English words and how they are pronounced.

The answers to the following clues are all homophones.

Fruit that’s put in the ground, we hear (5)  source

Definition: a type of fruit.

Hint: the answer sounds like another word for put in the ground.

The answer has 5 letters.

The answer begins with B.

BERRY /ˈbɛri/. The word refers to a type of fruit.

Another word for to put in the ground is to bury /ˈbɛri/. This is pronounced exactly the same as berry, which means that bury and berry are homophones.

(These words are pronounced the same in Standard Southern British English, but are pronounced differently in Standard American English.)

A hint heard from the botanical gardens (3)  source

Definition: the name of a famous botanical garden.

Hint: the answer sounds like another word for a hint.

The answer has 3 letters.

The answer begins with K.

KEW /kjuː/. The name of the botanical gardens in London is called Kew Gardens.

Another word for hint is cue, which is also pronounced /kjuː/. The word cue has different meanings, but it can mean hint or indication in the phrase he followed her cue.

The words Kew and cue are homophones.

Prune – or other fruit, we hear (4) source

Definition: prune (the verb, not the noun!)

Hint: the answer sounds like the name of another fruit.

The answer has 4 letters.

The answer begins with P.

PARE /pɛː/. The verb to prune means to trim or cut back and this is what to pare means as well.

Another fruit is pear /pɛː/. This is pronounced the same as pare, which means that pare and pear are homophones.

Heteronyms

In the previous clues, the answers were homophones. But some clues may have heteronyms /ˈhɛ trə nɪmz/.

Heteronyms are words that are spelled the same but pronounced differently with different meanings. For example, the metal lead /lɛd/ (rhymes with head) is pronounced differently to the verb lead /liːd/ (rhymes with heed).

The answers to the following two clues are heteronyms:

Looks like a line of argument (3) source

Definition: another word for an argument.

Hint: the answer is spelled the same as another word for line.

The answer has 3 letters.

The answer begins with R.

ROW. Another word for argument is row /raʊ/ (rhymes with now).

This word is also used to mean a line, but it is pronounced differently: row /rəʊ/ (rhymes with no).

Row and row are heteronyms.

It appears nearby, but it’s shut (5) source

Definition: another word for shut (the verb to shut).

Hint: the answer is spelled the same as another word for nearby.

The answer has 5 letters.

The answer begins with C.

CLOSE. Another word for to shut is to close /kləʊz/.

This word is also used to mean nearby, but it is pronounced differently: close /kləʊs/.

close /kləʊz/ = to shut

close /kləʊs/ = nearby

They are heteronyms.

Playing with Sounds

Sound of the seaside? Yes! (4) source

Definition: another word for yes!

Hint: the answer is pronounced the same as another word for seaside.

The answer has 4 letters.

The answer begins with S.

SURE /ʃɔː/. This word can be used to say yes!

Another word for the seaside is the shore /ʃɔː/.

In modern British English, sure and shore are usually pronounced the same. However, some speakers will pronounce sure as /ʃʊə/ “SHOO-uh” and so this clue won’t work for them.

Wander around like me and that cockney woman (7) source

Definition: another word for wander around.

Hint: think about how you would refer to that woman in a Cockney accent. Combine this with two other words from the clue.

The answer has 7 letters.

Put these words together:

me

+ and

+ a pronoun to refer to a woman (but without the /h/ sound to make it sound Cockney).

MEANDER /miˈandə/. This word means to wander around.

Her is a word used to refer to a woman. Cockney speakers are known for not pronouncing the /h/ sound. So if we pronounce her in a Cockney accent it becomes ‘er. 

Combine the words me + and from the clue to the Cockney ‘er to get meander.

What some people may say as they hiss the truth (7) source

Definition: a word that people say – perhaps when they hear a shocking truth. For example, an exclamation like Gosh! Oh my!

Hint: use a letter that sounds like a hiss, then add the word truth.

The answer has 7 letters.

The answer starts with S.

STREWTH /struːθ/. This word is used to express surprise or dismay (though it’s not commonly used nowadays).

When you pronounce the letter S, it sounds like a hiss. If you pronounce /s/ plus the word truth /truːθ/ you end up with strewth /struːθ/.

crossword puzzled

He’s handy albeit breathless (4) source

Definition: a male name (the words he and she in cryptic crossword clues suggest the answer will be a name).

Hint: think about an English sound that is made by simply breathing out. Then take this sound away (breathless) from a word in this clue.

The answer has 4 letters.

(P.S. the word albeit /ɔːl ˈbiː ɪt/ “all-BEE-it” means though.)

Take away a breathy sound from the word handy.

ANDY /ˈandi/. This is the male name indicated by he.

The /h/ sound in English is made by breathing out. If you take this away (breathless) from handy you are left with Andy.

Brainwave said in response to “what goes with a grey suit, darling?” (5, 4) source

Definition: a brainwave.

Hint: how would you answer what goes with a grey suit? (Think about what you would wear with a grey jacket…)

Combine this with a different word for darling.

Read these words out loud and it will sound like another way of saying brainwave.

The answer comprises two words: one is 5 letters, the other is 4 letters.

The first word begins with G, the second word begins with I.

In terms of the hint, the answer to the question comprises two words. The first begins with G and the second with T. The other word for darling begins with D.

GREAT IDEA. This means a brainwave.

Grey tie, dear is the answer you might give to the question What goes with a grey suit, darling?

If you read great idea out loud /ɡreɪt ʌɪˈdɪə/, it sounds very similar to grey tie, dear /ɡreɪ ˈtʌɪ dɪə/. The difference would be in the stress: great iDEA vs grey TIE, dear.

“It’s not fair!”, shouted fish out loud (3, 4) source

Definition: a phrase that describes an unfair situation.

Hint: you need to think of another word for shouted out loud and a word for a type of fish. If you put them together it sounds like a phrase for an unfair situation.

The answer comprises two words: one is 3 letters, the other is 4 letters.

The first word begins with R, the second word begins with D.

For the hint, the word for shouted out loud begins with R and the type of fish begins with E.

RAW DEAL. This phrase is used to describe unfair treatment.

A synonym for shouted out loud is roared. (A synonym /ˈsɪ nə nɪm/ is a word that has the same or a similar meaning to another word.)

A type of fish is an eel.

If you read raw deal out loud /rɔː ˈdiːl/, it sounds very similar to (or the same as) roared eel /rɔːd ˈiːl/.

Of course, this works in a Standard Southern British English accent. But if you’re American/Scottish/Irish, then this clue won’t work. In these accents, the words raw and roar are pronounced quite differently (they may have different vowels and the the final R will be pronounced in roar).

A Crossword Aside

In 1922, an English reporter noted that medics believed the dazzling patterns of the crossword would lead to neuroses and eye trouble. From my experience, it has mainly caused brain pain.

don't get 2 down

Phonetics

The following clues are phonetics-related! Credit goes to Professor John Wells who solved these and shared them on his Twitter account.

Dim friend put away oral part (4, 6) source

Definition: part of the mouth.

Hint: synonym for dim + synonym for friend + synonym for put away. If you put these three synonyms together, it sounds similar to a part of the mouth.

The answer comprises two words: one is 4 letters, the other is 6 letters.

The first word begins with S, the second word begins with P.

For the hint, think about a synonym for:

dim beginning with S

friend beginning with P

put away beginning with A

SOFT PALATE /sɒft ˈpalɪt/. This term is used to describe the fleshy, flexible part towards the back of the roof of the mouth. It is also known as the velum /ˈviːləm/.

A synonym for dim is soft.

A synonym for friend is pal.

A synonym for put away is ate (for example in the phrase they put away vast quantities of cake between them, the verb put away means ate).

Putting those words together gets soft palate.

The word ate (past tense of to eat) can be pronounced /ɛt/ (more old-fashioned) or /eɪt/ (more modern). But these letters at the end of soft palate are pronounced /ɪt/ or /ət/. This means the clue works better written down rather than spoken out loud.

‘Uh’ sound elicited by kitsch wardrobe (5) source

Definition: the name for the uh sound.

Hint: the answer is hidden within the words by kitsch wardrobe.

The answer is 5 letters.

The answer begins with S.

SCHWA /ʃwɑː/. This is the name given to the unstressed vowel sound /ə/ like in the words correct, moment, data. 

The answer can be found within the clue: kitsch wardrobe.

Said Buzz, said Mark (8) source

Definition: said. Think about a way of describing what is said rather than written.

Hint: a word meaning buzz + the sound* of a word meaning mark.

The answer is 8 letters.

* this is indicated by the word said at the end of the clue.

The answer begins with P.

For the hint, think of a word beginning with P that means to buzz someone, then a word beginning with T that means to mark. Put them together to get the answer.

PHONETIC /fəˈnɛtɪk/. If something is said, it is relating to speech sounds and therefore phonetic.

A synonym for buzz is phone (to buzz someone = to phone someone).

A synonym for mark is tick (when marking something as complete, you may put a tick). The final word said suggests you should pronounce the word tick to get the required letters tic.

Put it together and you have phonetic.

I hope you enjoyed reading this post and tackling the clues!

7 up is lemonade

If you’re getting started with cryptic crosswords, please note that newspapers vary in difficulty. The Evening Standard is easier, The Guardian and The Times are much more challenging.

If you’d like to learn more about cryptic crosswords, then I’d recommend How to Crack the Cryptic Crossword by Val Gilbert or How to Solve Cryptic Crosswords by Kevin Skinner.

For crossword aficionados /ə ˌfɪ sjə ˈnɑː dəʊz/, I’d recommend Two Girls, One on Each Knee: The Puzzling, Playful World of the Crossword by Alan Connor.

Disclaimer: I will receive a very small amount of money if you make a purchase using the above links. I own all three books and they helped me improve my cryptic crossword solving skills immeasurably.