Crossword Clue: Long-necked white water bird
Here's the answer to the Long-necked white water bird crossword clue, with an explanation and where it has appeared.
Definition & answer: SWAN
The answer to "Long-necked white water bird" is SWAN. Swan runs 4 letters — 1 vowel and 3 consonants — opening with S and closing on N. 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
Swans are large, graceful waterbirds famous for lifelong pair bonds. The phrase 'swan song' comes from the ancient belief that a swan sings beautifully just before it dies.
Common usage
You'll see SWAN in grids regularly — its 4-letter, 1 vowel shape is exactly what setters need to bridge trickier entries. When one intersecting letter is already in place, especially the S or N, SWAN tends to fall fast.
Crossword trivia
Short answers like SWAN are the connective tissue of a crossword. You'll meet SWAN 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 SWAN will often be the only word that fits the letters you already have.
This clue in different puzzles
Setters vary how they clue SWAN — 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 SWAN into the grid took no time at all."
- "Swan is the kind of answer that clicks the moment you spot one letter."
- "Seeing 'Long-necked white water bird' in the clue list, an experienced solver pencils in SWAN almost immediately."