Crossword Clue: Yellow kernels on a cob
Here's the answer to the Yellow kernels on a cob crossword clue, with an explanation and where it has appeared.
Definition & answer: CORN
CORN solves the clue "Yellow kernels on a cob". Spanning 4 letters (1 vowel, 3 consonants), it begins at C and ends at N. Like most crossword fill, it lives at the intersection of two words, so a single confirmed crossing letter frequently reveals the whole entry.
Origin & meaning
Corn, also called maize, was domesticated in Mexico thousands of years ago from a wild grass called teosinte. In British English 'corn' can refer to any grain crop, such as wheat, rather than specifically maize.
Common usage
Corn turns up often in crosswords because of that letter mix. Words like CORN interlock cleanly with longer entries, so constructors reach for them to make a grid fit together without awkward clashes. Given a 4-square slot and a crossing letter or two, it's usually quick to confirm.
Crossword trivia
At 4 letters, CORN shows up in daily mini and themed puzzles far more than longer, obscure words. It's the kind of entry worth memorizing — the more common short words you know cold, the faster you solve.
Stuck on this clue?
If this clue won't come, leave it and fill the answers that cross it. Once a couple of CORN's letters are locked by neighboring words, the entry tends to reveal itself. Crossings beat staring at a clue every time.
This clue in different puzzles
Setters vary how they clue CORN — 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 second-guessed it, but the crossing answers confirmed CORN was right."
- "I had the crossing letters, so writing CORN into the grid took no time at all."
- "Corn is the kind of answer that clicks the moment you spot one letter."