Crossword Clue: Frozen water
Here's the answer to the Frozen water crossword clue, with an explanation and where it has appeared.
Definition & answer: ICE
ICE solves the clue "Frozen water". Spanning 3 letters (2 vowels, 1 consonant), it begins at I and ends at E. 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
Ice comes from the Old English "is" and shares roots across Germanic languages. Two vowels bracketing a C make it a workhorse fill, clued through hockey, cocktails, glaciers, or slang for diamonds.
Common usage
Ice turns up often in crosswords because of that letter mix. Words like ICE interlock cleanly with longer entries, so constructors reach for them to make a grid fit together without awkward clashes. Given a 3-square slot and a crossing letter or two, it's usually quick to confirm.
Crossword trivia
At 3 letters, ICE 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 ICE'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 ICE — 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
- "Seeing 'Frozen water' in the clue list, an experienced solver pencils in ICE almost immediately."
- "Once the I was confirmed by the crossing word, ICE was the only entry that fit."
- "A 3-letter slot and a clue like 'Frozen water'? That's ICE nine times out of ten."