Crossword Clue: Peninsula divided at the 38th parallel
Here's the answer to the Peninsula divided at the 38th parallel crossword clue, with an explanation and where it has appeared.
Definition & answer: KOREA
"Peninsula divided at the 38th parallel" points to KOREA, a 5-letter entry that starts with K and finishes on A and carries 3 vowels. Because every square it occupies also belongs to a down or across answer crossing it, you can often back into KOREA from the letters around it rather than the clue alone.
Origin & meaning
Korea is a peninsula in East Asia split into North and South near the 38th parallel. The Korean War of the early 1950s cemented the division that persists today.
Common usage
Compact, vowel-friendly answers such as KOREA are a constructor's staple: they slot into a 5-square space and play nicely in both directions. Solvers who recognize it on sight save real time on the daily puzzle.
Crossword trivia
Korea belongs to the small vocabulary of words that appear constantly in grids. Because it's only 5 letters, editors can drop it almost anywhere, which is why regular solvers know it on sight.
Stuck on this clue?
Stuck on "Peninsula divided at the 38th parallel"? Don't force it — solve the clues crossing this slot instead. One or two intersecting letters usually make KOREA obvious. Working from the crossings is the single most useful habit for getting faster.
This clue in different puzzles
Setters vary how they clue KOREA — 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
- "Korea is the kind of answer that clicks the moment you spot one letter."
- "Seeing 'Peninsula divided at the 38th parallel' in the clue list, an experienced solver pencils in KOREA almost immediately."
- "Once the K was confirmed by the crossing word, KOREA was the only entry that fit."