Editorial layer
Not just a word list: our own clues
51,757 crossword clues for 38,547 different answers, created and quality-graded for this site rather than copied from a dictionary.
Most of them come from our own editorial work; 218 are imported from open Wikidata data and are included where they pass the same quality check.
What a curated clue is
A dictionary tells you what a word means. A crossword clue shows how a setter would hint at it, in a few words and often from an angle you would not expect. Most word-finder sites only give you matching words. Crossword Path also keeps a clue layer: original clue-and-answer pairs that we created and quality-graded ourselves, so you can search by how puzzles actually phrase things.
How we keep them useful
Only clues that pass our quality grading (3 or higher on our internal scale) are shown. A clue that fits more than eight different answers is left out, because it is too vague to help anyone narrow down a solution. Clues are kept short and in the style of a real grid.
Where you will meet them
Clues power the clue tables on the word-length pages, the example clues next to answers, and the daily Mini puzzle. When you search by pattern, the answers that also have clues are the ones most likely to appear in a real crossword.
A few real examples
| Answer | Letters | Clue |
|---|---|---|
| HALL | 4 | Long indoor passage |
| FOOT | 4 | Lower body part |
| CHART | 5 | Diagram or table |
| MORAL | 5 | Lesson of a fable |
| RECIPE | 6 | Instructions for a dish |
| LAPTOP | 6 | Portable computer |
| SOMEDAY | 7 | Eventually |
| SHOOTER | 7 | Marksman |
| DEVELOPS | 8 | Grows or creates |
| EXCLUDED | 8 | Left out |