Crossword Clue: Northern California volcano
Here's the answer to the Northern California volcano crossword clue, with an explanation and where it has appeared.
Definition & answer: SHASTA
The answer to "Northern California volcano" is SHASTA. Shasta runs 6 letters — 2 vowels and 4 consonants — opening with S and closing on A. In a grid it fills a 6-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
Mount Shasta is a potentially active volcano in northern California rising about 14,179 feet. It is one of the largest stratovolcanoes in the Cascade Range.
Common usage
You'll see SHASTA in grids regularly — its 6-letter, 2 vowels shape is exactly what setters need to bridge trickier entries. When one intersecting letter is already in place, especially the S or A, SHASTA tends to fall fast.
Crossword trivia
Short answers like SHASTA are the connective tissue of a crossword. You'll meet SHASTA 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 SHASTA will often be the only word that fits the letters you already have.
This clue in different puzzles
Setters vary how they clue SHASTA — 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
- "Once the S was confirmed by the crossing word, SHASTA was the only entry that fit."
- "A 6-letter slot and a clue like 'Northern California volcano'? That's SHASTA nine times out of ten."
- "I second-guessed it, but the crossing answers confirmed SHASTA was right."