If you’re an avid crossword puzzle solver, or “cruciverbalist,” then you know certain words come up time and time again. It might be hard to remember these words as you’re making puzzles, though. Sometimes you choose a word just because it fills a need; that’s where these twenty common crossword puzzle answers often come in.

What Kinds of Words are Common?

Before we get to our list of twenty common crossword puzzle answers, it’ll be helpful to know and watch out for the trends in these words.

According to Word Buff, common words are called “repeaters.” Alan Connor in The Crossword Century takes the definition a step further by stating that repeaters are, “words found more often in crosswords than real life.” Some repeaters are words we encounter on a regular basis and some are not. The ones we don’t encounter are also known as “crosswordese.” Most publishers do not like to see them in crossword puzzles.

So what kinds of words get deemed as “repeaters?” In addition to their obscurity, some of the most common crossword puzzle answers contain lots of vowels. They also tend to be shorter words.

Common Crossword Puzzle Answers

For the fans of the New York Times crossword puzzle, here are ten of the most used words in the crossword puzzles edited by Will Shortz.

1. Era – a distinct period of history with a unique characteristic.
2. Area – a region or part of the world; the extent or measurement of a surface.
3. Ere – an old English word meaning “before.”
4. One – half of two; a specific person or thing.
5. Eli – a Hebrew name meaning “High” or “elevated.”
6. Ore – a naturally occurring solid material from which a mineral can be extracted.
7. Ale – a type of beer which has a high alcoholic content and bitter flavor.
8. Ate – having consumed food.
9. Erie – a member of the Native American community living south of the lake with the same name, Lake Erie.
10. Ali – an Arabic name meaning “High” or “elevated.”

At XWord Info, you can find more common crossword answers along with the puzzles they’ve appeared in. Watch out for spoilers if you haven’t solved your New York Times crossword puzzle of the day!

Below are ten more words that appear consistently in other crossword puzzles according to Crossword Tracker. Most of the words above contained three letters, so this list features some common four letter words:

1. Odor – a distinctive smell, often unpleasant in nature.
2. Oboe – a woodwind instrument with a double-reed mouthpiece, a slender tubular body, and holes stopped by keys.
3. Aloe – a succulent plant with fleshy leaves and bell-shaped flowers on long stems.
4. Aria – a long, accompanied song for a solo voice in an opera or oratorio.
5. Else – in addition; besides.
6. Idea – a thought as to a possible course of action.
7. Eden – from the Biblical Garden meaning “delight.”
8. Oral – by word of mouth; spoken rather than written.
9. Ante – a stake put up by a player in poker and similar games before receiving cards.
10. Oreo – a brand of chocolate sandwich cookie with a creamy white filling.

Noah Veltman has another list of common crossword puzzle answers along with a list of the “crosswordiest” words.

Using This Information

This information will help you whether you’re solving or making crossword puzzles. For solving puzzles, learn the definitions of these words to help you solve crossword puzzles faster.

For puzzle creation, solve crossword puzzles with these words and take note of how the creator used the word. More often than not they are used to make a tough section work out. Remember these words so you, too, can use them in a bind.

Other words appear frequently in crossword puzzles beyond the twenty listed here. Look over various lists to learn more common crossword puzzle answers. Take note as you solve crossword puzzles of words that are unusual to you, shorter words, and words with multiple vowels. Even if you don’t see those words in a puzzle again, you will have had fun and learned something new.

What common crossword puzzle answers do you see over and over again? Share your favorites along with their definitions!