Crossword Clue: Belgian capital
Here's the answer to the Belgian capital crossword clue, with an explanation and where it has appeared.
Definition & answer: BRUSSELS
The answer to "Belgian capital" is BRUSSELS. Brussels runs 8 letters — 2 vowels and 6 consonants — opening with B and closing on S. In a grid it fills a 8-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
Brussels serves as the de facto capital of the European Union. It is famous for the Manneken Pis statue and its ornate Grand Place square. The city is a bilingual hub of French and Dutch speakers.
Common usage
You'll see BRUSSELS in grids regularly — its 8-letter, 2 vowels shape is exactly what setters need to bridge trickier entries. When one intersecting letter is already in place, especially the B or S, BRUSSELS tends to fall fast.
Crossword trivia
Short answers like BRUSSELS are the connective tissue of a crossword. You'll meet BRUSSELS 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 BRUSSELS will often be the only word that fits the letters you already have.
This clue in different puzzles
Setters vary how they clue BRUSSELS — sometimes with a straight dictionary definition, sometimes with wordplay, a pun, or a fill-in-the-blank — but the answer itself stays the same. Learning to spot the answer behind the disguise is a core crossword skill.
Example sentences
- "I had the crossing letters, so writing BRUSSELS into the grid took no time at all."
- "Brussels is the kind of answer that clicks the moment you spot one letter."
- "Seeing 'Belgian capital' in the clue list, an experienced solver pencils in BRUSSELS almost immediately."