Crossword Clue: Motown-associated genre
Here's the answer to the Motown-associated genre crossword clue, with an explanation and where it has appeared.
Definition & answer: SOUL
The answer to "Motown-associated genre" is SOUL. Soul runs 4 letters — 2 vowels and 2 consonants — opening with S and closing on L. In a grid it fills a 4-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
Soul is a music genre that combines gospel and rhythm and blues, rising to prominence in the 1960s. Artists like Aretha Franklin and Marvin Gaye became its defining voices.
Common usage
You'll see SOUL in grids regularly — its 4-letter, 2 vowels shape is exactly what setters need to bridge trickier entries. When one intersecting letter is already in place, especially the S or L, SOUL tends to fall fast.
Crossword trivia
Short answers like SOUL are the connective tissue of a crossword. You'll meet SOUL 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 SOUL will often be the only word that fits the letters you already have.
This clue in different puzzles
Setters vary how they clue SOUL — 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 SOUL into the grid took no time at all."
- "Soul is the kind of answer that clicks the moment you spot one letter."
- "Seeing 'Motown-associated genre' in the clue list, an experienced solver pencils in SOUL almost immediately."