Crossword Clue: Desert covering half of Israel
Here's the answer to the Desert covering half of Israel crossword clue, with an explanation and where it has appeared.
Definition & answer: NEGEV
The answer to "Desert covering half of Israel" is NEGEV. Negev runs 5 letters — 2 vowels and 3 consonants — opening with N and closing on V. In a grid it fills a 5-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
The Negev Desert makes up more than half of Israel's land area. Its crater-like erosion cirques, called makhtesh, are a rare geological feature.
Common usage
You'll see NEGEV in grids regularly — its 5-letter, 2 vowels shape is exactly what setters need to bridge trickier entries. When one intersecting letter is already in place, especially the N or V, NEGEV tends to fall fast.
Crossword trivia
Short answers like NEGEV are the connective tissue of a crossword. You'll meet NEGEV 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 NEGEV will often be the only word that fits the letters you already have.
This clue in different puzzles
Setters vary how they clue NEGEV — 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 NEGEV into the grid took no time at all."
- "Negev is the kind of answer that clicks the moment you spot one letter."
- "Seeing 'Desert covering half of Israel' in the clue list, an experienced solver pencils in NEGEV almost immediately."