Crossword Clue: Driest nonpolar desert on Earth
Here's the answer to the Driest nonpolar desert on Earth crossword clue, with an explanation and where it has appeared.
Definition & answer: ATACAMA
"Driest nonpolar desert on Earth" points to ATACAMA, a 7-letter entry that starts with A and finishes on A and carries 4 vowels. Because every square it occupies also belongs to a down or across answer crossing it, you can often back into ATACAMA from the letters around it rather than the clue alone.
Origin & meaning
The Atacama Desert in northern Chile is the driest nonpolar desert, with some areas receiving virtually no rain for decades. Its clear skies make it a premier site for astronomical observatories.
Common usage
Compact, vowel-friendly answers such as ATACAMA are a constructor's staple: they slot into a 7-square space and play nicely in both directions. Solvers who recognize it on sight save real time on the daily puzzle.
Crossword trivia
Atacama belongs to the small vocabulary of words that appear constantly in grids. Because it's only 7 letters, editors can drop it almost anywhere, which is why regular solvers know it on sight.
Stuck on this clue?
Stuck on "Driest nonpolar desert on Earth"? Don't force it — solve the clues crossing this slot instead. One or two intersecting letters usually make ATACAMA obvious. Working from the crossings is the single most useful habit for getting faster.
This clue in different puzzles
Setters vary how they clue ATACAMA — 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
- "Atacama is the kind of answer that clicks the moment you spot one letter."
- "Seeing 'Driest nonpolar desert on Earth' in the clue list, an experienced solver pencils in ATACAMA almost immediately."
- "Once the A was confirmed by the crossing word, ATACAMA was the only entry that fit."