Crossword Clue: Sea of the Great Barrier Reef
Here's the answer to the Sea of the Great Barrier Reef crossword clue, with an explanation and where it has appeared.
Definition & answer: CORAL
The answer to "Sea of the Great Barrier Reef" is CORAL. Coral runs 5 letters — 2 vowels and 3 consonants — opening with C and closing on L. In a grid it fills a 5-square slot whose letters are each shared with a crossing word, so the intersections do a lot of the heavy lifting when the clue itself is tough.
Origin & meaning
The Coral Sea lies off Australia's northeast coast and hosts the Great Barrier Reef. A pivotal 1942 naval battle between the US and Japan was fought here.
Common usage
You'll see CORAL in grids regularly — its 5-letter, 2 vowels shape is exactly what setters need to bridge trickier entries. When one intersecting letter is already in place, especially the C or L, CORAL tends to fall fast.
Crossword trivia
Short answers like CORAL are the connective tissue of a crossword. You'll meet CORAL again and again, and recognizing it instantly is one of the quiet skills that separates fast solvers from slow ones.
Stuck on this clue?
The fastest way past a stubborn clue like this one is the grid itself: pencil in the easy crossing answers first, and CORAL will often be the only word that fits the letters you already have.
This clue in different puzzles
The clue "Sea of the Great Barrier Reef" is just one way to arrive at CORAL. Across different puzzles and editors you may see the same answer clued as "Pinkish-orange reef color". Recognizing that a single answer can wear many clues is one of the fastest ways to level up as a solver.
Example sentences
- "I had the crossing letters, so writing CORAL into the grid took no time at all."
- "Coral is the kind of answer that clicks the moment you spot one letter."
- "Seeing 'Sea of the Great Barrier Reef' in the clue list, an experienced solver pencils in CORAL almost immediately."