Crossword Clue: Ethiopian capital
Here's the answer to the Ethiopian capital crossword clue, with an explanation and where it has appeared.
Definition & answer: ADDIS
The answer to "Ethiopian capital" is ADDIS. Addis runs 5 letters — 2 vowels and 3 consonants — opening with A and closing on S. In a grid it fills a 5-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
Addis Ababa sits high in the Ethiopian highlands at around 7,700 feet. Its name means new flower in Amharic. The city hosts the headquarters of the African Union.
Common usage
You'll see ADDIS in grids regularly — its 5-letter, 2 vowels shape is exactly what setters need to bridge trickier entries. When one intersecting letter is already in place, especially the A or S, ADDIS tends to fall fast.
Crossword trivia
Short answers like ADDIS are the connective tissue of a crossword. You'll meet ADDIS 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 ADDIS will often be the only word that fits the letters you already have.
This clue in different puzzles
Setters vary how they clue ADDIS — 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 had the crossing letters, so writing ADDIS into the grid took no time at all."
- "Addis is the kind of answer that clicks the moment you spot one letter."
- "Seeing 'Ethiopian capital' in the clue list, an experienced solver pencils in ADDIS almost immediately."