Crossword Clue: Frozen balls that fall in storms
Here's the answer to the Frozen balls that fall in storms crossword clue, with an explanation and where it has appeared.
Definition & answer: HAIL
HAIL solves the clue "Frozen balls that fall in storms". Spanning 4 letters (2 vowels, 2 consonants), it begins at H and ends at L. 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
Hail forms inside thunderstorms when updrafts repeatedly carry raindrops upward, freezing them into layered ice balls. The largest hailstone recorded in the U.S. fell in South Dakota in 2010 and was nearly eight inches wide.
Common usage
Hail turns up often in crosswords because of that letter mix. Words like HAIL interlock cleanly with longer entries, so constructors reach for them to make a grid fit together without awkward clashes. Given a 4-square slot and a crossing letter or two, it's usually quick to confirm.
Crossword trivia
At 4 letters, HAIL 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 HAIL'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 HAIL — 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 second-guessed it, but the crossing answers confirmed HAIL was right."
- "I had the crossing letters, so writing HAIL into the grid took no time at all."
- "Hail is the kind of answer that clicks the moment you spot one letter."