Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

crossword enigma

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.89 in modern English

Syllables
cross-word enig-ma
IPA
24
Scrabble Score
15
Letters
3
Syllables
12
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A puzzle in the form of a poem with successive lines hinting at the individual letters of a word.

Dated

Etymology

From crossword + enigma. The term predates the modern crossword puzzle and takes its name from an older meaning of crossword, referring to the words from which the letters of an acrostic are to be taken.

Usage

Inflected Forms

crossword enigmas (plural)

Questions

What does crossword enigma mean?
A puzzle in the form of a poem with successive lines hinting at the individual letters of a word.
Where does crossword enigma come from?
From crossword + enigma. The term predates the modern crossword puzzle and takes its name from an older meaning of crossword, referring to the words from which the letters of an acrostic are to be taken.

How to pronounce crossword enigma

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “crossword enigma”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “crossword enigma”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “crossword enigma” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.