Crossword Clue: Icy space traveler
Here's the answer to the Icy space traveler crossword clue, with an explanation and where it has appeared.
Definition & answer: COMET
COMET solves the clue "Icy space traveler". Spanning 5 letters (2 vowels, 3 consonants), it begins at C and ends at T. 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
Comet derives from the Greek "kometes," meaning long-haired, describing the glowing tail. Its common letters make it an easy five-letter fill, and it is also one of Santa's reindeer.
Common usage
Comet turns up often in crosswords because of that letter mix. Words like COMET interlock cleanly with longer entries, so constructors reach for them to make a grid fit together without awkward clashes. Given a 5-square slot and a crossing letter or two, it's usually quick to confirm.
Crossword trivia
At 5 letters, COMET 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 COMET'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 COMET — 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 COMET was right."
- "I had the crossing letters, so writing COMET into the grid took no time at all."
- "Comet is the kind of answer that clicks the moment you spot one letter."