Crossword Clue: Islam's holiest city
Here's the answer to the Islam's holiest city crossword clue, with an explanation and where it has appeared.
Definition & answer: MECCA
MECCA solves the clue "Islam's holiest city". Spanning 5 letters (2 vowels, 3 consonants), it begins at M and ends at A. 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
Mecca is the holiest city in Islam and the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad. Millions of Muslims make the annual Hajj pilgrimage to its Grand Mosque. The cube-shaped Kaaba stands at its center as the focus of Muslim prayer.
Common usage
Mecca turns up often in crosswords because of that letter mix. Words like MECCA 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, MECCA 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 MECCA'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 MECCA — 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 'Islam's holiest city' in the clue list, an experienced solver pencils in MECCA almost immediately."
- "Once the M was confirmed by the crossing word, MECCA was the only entry that fit."
- "A 5-letter slot and a clue like 'Islam's holiest city'? That's MECCA nine times out of ten."