Universal Crossword

December 17, 2025

Mike Graczyk

ONE IN FIVE

 

Answer each clue using a single vowel - A, E, I, O, and U for numbers 1-5 respectively. (Ignore Y and W.)

 

1. Seasonal worker who might wear a fake beard

 

2.  "At what place did I leave off?"

 

3. Climactic conclusion

 

4. Keep your eyes averted

 

5.  Busy midday period for diners

 

Answers:

 

1. FAKE SANTA

2. WHERE WERE WE?

3. BIG FINISH

4. DON'T LOOK NOW

5. LUNCH RUSH  

The clues below can be answered by five or six-letter words that have three or more vowels each.

1. Topic for discussion 

2. One-celled organism

3. Room for heat-induced sweating

4. Australian animal related to the bear

5. A pale, sandy, yellowish-brown color

6. Grace and elegance in personal bearing 

7. An imagined place or state of perfection

8. South American animal related to the camel   

 

Answers: 

1. ISSUE

2. AMOEBA

3. SAUNA

4. KOALA

5. BEIGE

6. POISE

7. UTOPIA

8. ALPACA 

VOWEL-LESS 

Joseph Appel

The one, two, or three consonants below are all that's left when all the vowels in their words/names have been dropped. The number in ( ) shows the original number of letters. Can you replace the vowels and restore each word or name?

1. Q        (5)

2. L         (4)

3. D         (5)

4. L          (4)

5. M         (4)

6. H          (4+

7. R          (5)

8. SQ        (7)

9. BR        (6) 

10. GN        (6)

11. LTL     (8)

 

HINTS:

1. A line

2. A Hawaiian party

3. Farewell

4. Flavored mayonnaise

5. An island

6. An island

7. A nest

8 A tree

9. An airline

9. A reptile

10.  An airline 

Answers:

 

1. QUEUE

2. LUAU

3. ADIEU

4. AIOLI

5. MAUI

6. OAHU

7. AERIE

8. SEQUOIA

9. IBERIA (Spain)

10. IGUANA

11. ALITALIA (Italy)

How many words or names can you think of that have four letters - three of them vowels? Eight are listed below.

(Possible) Answers:

1. LUAU

2. BEAU 

3. ROUE

4. LIEU 

5. MOUE (pronounced moo - a pouting expression)

6. ERIE

7. OISE - River in France

8. AARE - River in Switzerland (also AAR) 

******************************************

How many words can you think of that have five letters - four of them vowels? Three are listed below.

(Possible) Answers:

1. EERIE

2. QUEUE

3. AIOLI (kind of sauce)

 

GAMES Magazine

December, 1993

Harry Simon

The only vowel in the answers to the clues below is O, and every answer has at least four of them.

1. John Lennon's widow

2. Place to find a billiard table

3. Like many salesmen, once

4. Recipe source

5. Twelve-inch frankfurter

6. Object used in occult religion

7. Red Cross supporter

8. Rap on the wall for luck

9. Locomotive in baby talk

10. Infallible, as a plan

11. Diction-practicing question

12. Ottoman

13. Pennsylvania disaster of 1889

14. Dismiss as not important

15. Book after Ecclesiastes

16. Session spent with a camera

17. LDS Church sacred text

18. '60s footwear worn at discos

19. Solemn pledge

Answers:

 

1. Yoko Ono

2. Poolroom

3. Door-to-door

4. Cookbook

5. Footlong hot dog 

6. Voodoo doll

7. Blood donor

8. Knock on wood

9. Choo-choo

10. Foolproof

11. "How now brown cow?"

12. Footstool

13. Johnstown Flood

14. Pooh-pooh

15. Song of Solomon

16. Photo shoot

17. Book of Mormon

18. Go-go boots

19. Word of honor

GAMES/World of Puzzles

September, 2017 

Ed Karasek

1. Using only the vowel O, can you think of a three-word phrase describing an uninspired but elaborate company symbol?

HINT:

The word for "elaborate" is ROCOCO

 

2. Using only the vowel O, can you think of a three-word phrase describing a wacky transient from a land-locked Balkan country? 

HINT:

The country is KOSOVO.

Answers:

 

1. SO-SO ROCOCO LOGO

2. LOCO KOSOVO HOBO

 EEEEEE-Z DOES IT

The answers to clues 1-4 below are words or phrases that contain 4 E's - and no other vowels. 

1. Experience regret

 

2. Loan where only the principal has to be paid back

 

3. Be completely at a loss as to what to do

 

4. Phrase often used to answer an obvious question, with "I'll give you ....." 

The answers to clues 5-11 are words or phrases containing 5 E's and no other vowels:

5. Apiarist

6. Getting even

7. Traditional English song

8. Fizz, Vivacity and enthusiasm 

9. Ice Age, for example

10. Tot's trike

11. Through the Looking Glass character

 

The answer to Clue 12 is a two-word phrase containing 5 E's and an A:

12.U.N. "soldier" - at times

The answer to Clue 13 is a three-word phrase containing 6 E's and an O:

 

13. Agree

Answers:

 

1. FEEL REMORSE

2. INTEREST FREE

3. FEEL HELPLESS

4. THREE GUESSES

5. BEEKEEPER

6. SWEET REVENGE

7. GREENSLEEVES

8. EFFERVESCENCE

9. DEEP FREEZE

10. THREE-WHEELER

11. TWEEDLEDEE

12. PEACE KEEPER

13. SEE EYE TO EYE 

 Precede each word below with a word that has at least four vowels.

1. _______ sauce

2. _______ harp

3. _______ board

4. _______ visual 

5. _______ up

Answers:

1. AIOLI sauce 

2. AEOLIAN harp

3. OUIJA board 

4. AUDIO-visual 

5. QUEUE up

 EXCHANGING VOWelS

 

GAMES/World of Puzzles

August, 2022

Scott Erdman

 

The answers to each pair of clues below are anagrams in which the only two vowels involved are switched. For example, the clues "Ski resort" and "Pill container" would point to VAIL and VIAL. Proper names are fair game.

 

1. Pathway / Court hearing

2. IRS concerns / Lone Star State

3. Kidney, for one / A noble gas

4. Exists /  Classic blue jeans

5. Destiny / Greek cheese

6. Shorthand pro / 14 lbs., in England

7. Basement / Telemarketer

8. Lima locale / Unsullied

9. Cast a ballot / Presidential power

10. Feral felines / They may be girded

11. Mine finds / Greek god of love

12. Mr. Lugosi / Hay bundle

13. Army garb, at times - briefly / Prolonged unconsciousness

Answers:

 

1. Trail - Trial

2. Taxes - Texas

3. Organ - Argon

4. Lives - Levis

5. Fate - Feta

6. Steno - Stone

7. Cellar - Caller 

8. Peru - Pure

9. Vote - Veto

10. Lions - Loins

11. Ores - Eros

12. Bela - Bale

13. Camo - Coma

 

 

The vowels and spaces have been removed from six common proverbs. Can you restore them? The number in ( ) indicates the number of words in the phrase. 

1. BTTRLTTHNNVR (4)

2. RMWSNTBLTND (6)

3. HSTRRPTSTSLF (3)

4. LTBGNSBBGNS (4)

5. TMNDTDWTFRNMN (7)

6. TVRTHNGTHRSSSNN  (7)

Answers:

 

1. Better late than never

2. Rome wasn't built in a day.

3. History repeats itself.

4. Let bygones be bygones.

5. Time and tide wait for no man.

6. To every thing there is a season.

 

NPR Weekend Edition Sunday Puzzle

September 5, 2021

Will Shortz

 

The answer to each clue below is a word that contains only the consonants N and S. All the other letters are vowels. For example, given the clue "squeak and creak", the answer would be NOISES.

 

1. Japanese car manufacturer

2. People living in China and India

3. Capital of the Bahamas

4. Jackie Kennedy's name after she re-married

5. British hair stylist famous for the bob cut

6. Straight-forward, right-to-the-point attitude

7. Foolish, stupid, mindless

8. Quality of or relating to the physical senses, rather than pleasing the mind or intelligence 

Answers:

 

1. NISSAN

2. ASIANS

3. NASSAU

4. ONASSIS

5. SASSOON

6. NO-NONSENSE

7. ASININE

8. SENSUOUSNESS

MY O MY III

The Word's The Thing

Dr. Louis D. Appel

 

Answer each clue with a word ending in O.

 

1. Proportion

2. Tavern, night club

3. Enthusiasm, relish

4. Outdoors - as a meal 

5. Small, picturesque cave

6. Stipulation, as in a contract or treaty

7. Traditional Japanese woman's garment 

8. Fiery style of Spanish music and dance

9. Gradual increase in the volume of sound

10. Harmless medication used as a control in testing new drugs

11. Musical composition featuring one instrument with an orchestra

Answers:

 

1. Ratio

2. Bistro 

3. Gusto

4. Alfresco

5. Grotto

6. Proviso

7. Kimono

8. Flamenco

9. Crescendo

10. Placebo

11. Concerto

 

MY O MY! II

The Word's The Thing

Dr. Louis D. Appel 

 

Answer each clue with a word ending in O.

 

1. Gambling hall

2. Text of an opera

3. Unbroken horse

4. Insinuation, implication

5. Trunk of the human body

6. Interesting art object or trinket

7. A public declaration of principles and intentions

8. A small dagger or woman's high, thin-heeled shoe

9. An expert and enthusiast of a particular subject or activity

10. Not able, willing, or allowed to get in touch with the outside world

Answers:

 

1. Casino

2. Libretto

3. Bronco

4. Innuendo

5. Torso

6. Curio

7. Manifesto

8. Stiletto

9. Aficionado

10. Incommunicado

My O My! I

The Word's The Thing

Dr. Louis D. Appel

Answer each clue with a word ending in O. 

1. Souvenir

2. Beginner

3. Dizziness

4. Discharge of artillery

5. Grain storage structure 

6. Death Valley in August

7. Complete and total failure

8. Flaunted, pretended courage

9. Traditional American Indian village

9. Restriction or prohibition of imports

11. Disguised so as not to be recognized

12. Masterful performer on an instrument 

Answers:

 

1. Memento

2. Tyro

3. Vertigo

4. Salvo

5. Silo

6. Inferno

7. Fiasco

8. Bravado

9. Pueblo

10. Embargo

11. Incognito

12. Virtuoso

 

 

TRIPLE A VOCABULARY III

The Word's The Thing

Dr. Louis D. Appel 

Each clue below can be answered with a word containing three or more A's. The first letter of the word is given as a hint. Other vowels in the answer word are allowed.

 

1. Magic word - A

2. Formal procession - C

3. Eye issue or waterfall - C

4. Spotted, mottled horse - A

5. Popular Italian pasta dish - L

6. Incarnation or manifestation - A 

7. Various pieces of equipment - P

8. Despotic, Tyrannical, Oppressive - A or T

9. Sudden, massive fall of snow or ice - A

10. Like a huge home or royal residence - P

11. Platform supporting a casket in a funeral - C

12. Academic leave, usually every seven years - S

13. Common greeting or bow of respect in many Muslim countries - S

Answers:

 

1. Abracadabra

2. Cavalcade

3. Cataract 

4. Appaloosa

5. Lasagna

6. Avatar

7. Paraphernalia

8. Authoritarian or Totalitarian 

9. Avalanche

10. Palatial

11. Catafalque 

12. Sabbatical

13. Salaam

VOWEL POKER

Mark McClain 

In five-card poker, a hand containing 3 of a kind and a pair is called a full house. Each clue below can be answered with a name, word, or phrase containing at least three of the same of one  vowel, and two of the same of a different vowel.

1. Supreme Court Justice since 2010

2. Ledger pro - but not a CPA

3. Swift (archaically)

4. Southeastern U.S. capital

5. Cured dinner course from a southern state

6. Fruit discard that can be dangerous

7. First family - the very first

8. Sounds of admiration 

9. Like some lamps or handlebars

Answers:

 

1. ELENA KAGAN

2. BOOKKEEPER

3. FLEET OF FOOT

4. TALLAHASSEE

5. VIRGINIA HAM

6. BANANA PEEL

7. ADAM AND EVE

8. OOHS AND AAHS

9. GOOSE-NECKED

TRIPLE A VOCABULARY II

The Word's The Thing 

Dr. Louis D. Appel

Each clue below can be answered by word containing three or more A's. The first letter of the word is given as a hint. Other vowels in the answer word are allowed.

1. Large, colorful handkerchief - B

2. Make worse - A

3. Pertaining to land - A

4. Unyielding, immovable - A

5. Enthusiastic to extremes - F

6. Merciful, deliberate death -E

7. Impostor, quack - C 

8. Corruption by one in public office - M

9. Low, thorny shrubs

10. Turtle's shell - C

 

Answers:

 

1. Bandana

2. Aggravate

3. Agrarian

4. Adamant

5. Fanatical

6. Euthanasia

7. Charlatan

8. Malfeasance

9. Chaparral

10. Carapace 

 

 

TRIPLE A VOCABULARY I

The Word's The Thing

Dr. Louis D. Appel 

Each clue below can be answered by a word containing three or more A's. The first letter of the word is given as a hint. Other vowels in the answer word are allowed.

1. Fellowship - C

2. Mental disorder - P

3. Melon and lemon, for example - A

4. 1940 Disney classic - F

5. Restate in your own words - P

6. Uncivilized, violent person - B

7. Huge - G

8. Beach bathhouse - C

9. Cure-all - P

10. Something vehemently disliked - A

11. Fleet of ships - A

12. Expansive view - P

 

Answers:

 

1. Camaraderie

2. Paranoia

3. Anagram

4. Fantasia

5. Paraphrase

6. Barbarian

7. Gargantuan

8. Cabana

9. Panacea

10. Anathema

11. Armada

12. Panorama

Can you think of three related place names which contain:

1. Four letters, with three consecutive vowels?

2. Five letters, with four consecutive vowels?

3. Six letters, with five consecutive vowels? 

Answers:

 

1. MAUI

2. KAUAI

3. HAWAII

VOWEL CITY

Can you thing of a very well-known place whose name has four letters - three of which are consecutive vowels - that is closely associated with another place that also has consecutive vowels?

Answer:

MAUI (Island of Hawaii - which arguably has six letters and five consecutive vowels.)