Crossword Clue: Scientist Franklin of DNA fame
Here's the answer to the Scientist Franklin of DNA fame crossword clue, with an explanation and where it has appeared.
Definition & answer: ROSALIND
ROSALIND solves the clue "Scientist Franklin of DNA fame". Spanning 8 letters (3 vowels, 5 consonants), it begins at R and ends at D. 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
Rosalind Franklin was a British chemist whose X-ray images were key to discovering DNA's structure. Her work was crucial to the double-helix model.
Common usage
Rosalind turns up often in crosswords because of that letter mix. Words like ROSALIND interlock cleanly with longer entries, so constructors reach for them to make a grid fit together without awkward clashes. Given a 8-square slot and a crossing letter or two, it's usually quick to confirm.
Crossword trivia
At 8 letters, ROSALIND 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 ROSALIND'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 ROSALIND — 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 ROSALIND was right."
- "I had the crossing letters, so writing ROSALIND into the grid took no time at all."
- "Rosalind is the kind of answer that clicks the moment you spot one letter."