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cryptic

/ˈkɹɪptɪk/adjective

Cryptic is also used as adjective, with meanings including having a secret or hidden meaning.

3 meanings7 lettersScrabble 16

Length

7

Scrabble

16

WWF

18

Starts

CR

Ends

TIC

Difficulty

Medium

Dictionary

What Does “CRYPTIC” Mean?

/ˈkɹɪptɪk/

cryptic has 3 documented senses across adjective.

Adjective

3 senses
1

of an obscure nature

the new insurance policy is written without cryptic or mysterious terms

a deep dark secret

the inscrutable workings of Providence

{'source': 'Rachel Carson', 'text': 'in its mysterious past it encompasses all the dim origins of life'}

2

having a secret or hidden meaning

cabalistic symbols engraved in stone

cryptic writings

{'source': 'John Gunther', 'text': 'thoroughly sibylline in most of his pronouncements'}

3

having a puzzling terseness

a cryptic note

Scrabble Score

16

Letters

7

Vowels

1

Consonants

6

Word Intelligence

Explore the word cryptic with its definition, score, letter pattern, and useful word game details.

Definition

of an obscure nature

Length

7 letters

Starts With

C

Ends With

C

Vowels

1

Consonants

6

Letters

C, R, Y, P, T, I, C

Use Case

Useful for Scrabble, Wordle, crosswords, anagrams, and other word games.

Letter Breakdown

c
r
y
p
t
i
c

Word Facts

Key letter, score, and pattern facts for cryptic.

CRYPTIC is a 7-letter word.
It has a Scrabble score of 16.
It starts with C and ends with C.
It contains 1 vowel and 6 consonants.
Its vowel share is about 14%.
It has 1 repeated letter.
It is not a palindrome.
Letter pattern: ABCDEFA.
Vowel/consonant pattern: CCCCCVC.

Word Strategy

Strategy notes for using cryptic in Scrabble, Wordle-style games, crosswords, and anagram solving.

Scrabble Strategy

★★★★★

CRYPTIC has a Scrabble score of 16. It is useful for balancing a rack and building steady board position.

Wordle Strategy

★★☆☆☆

CRYPTIC is not five letters, so it is not a standard Wordle answer, but its letter pattern can still help with word analysis.

Crossword Strategy

★★★☆☆

CRYPTIC can be useful in crossword solving because it has a clear starting letter, ending letter, and 7-letter structure.

Anagram Strategy

★★★☆☆

CRYPTIC contains repeated letters, which can make anagram solving more constrained but also easier to pattern-match.

Letter Intelligence

A deeper look at the letter structure, patterns, and useful game signals inside cryptic.

Unique Letters

6

Repeated Letters

1

Highest Value Letter

Y

Letter Pattern

ABCDEFA

CV Pattern

CCCCCVC

Vowel Share

14%

Consonant Share

86%

Bigrams

CR, RY, YP, PT, TI, IC

Trigrams

CRY, RYP, YPT, PTI, TIC

Crossword Intelligence

Crossword-style clues, crossing help, and pattern notes for cryptic.

CRYPTIC is a 7-letter standard crossword entry.
It starts with C and ends with C, which helps narrow crossword crossings.
It contains 1 vowel and 6 consonants.
Its vowel/consonant pattern is CCCCCVC.
Crossword difficulty estimate: Hard.

Related Words

Word Usage Insights

Practical observations about how this word performs in different word games and puzzle situations.

This word contains 7 letters and is suitable for medium-length word games.
Its consonant/vowel pattern is CCCCCVC, making it relatively challenging to recognize.
With a Scrabble score of 16, it offers strong scoring potential.
The word begins with C and ends with C, making it useful for solving pattern-based puzzles.
Some letters repeat, which can be useful when identifying anagrams.

Word Intelligence Links

Explore word lists connected to CRYPTIC by length, score, vowels, consonants, starting letters, ending letters, and word game tools.

Word Family

Explore words that share a similar beginning or root pattern with cryptic.

Related Word Tools

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