Crossword Clue: Guitarist Santana
Here's the answer to the Guitarist Santana crossword clue, with an explanation and where it has appeared.
Definition & answer: CARLOS
"Guitarist Santana" points to CARLOS, a 6-letter entry that starts with C and finishes on S and carries 2 vowels. Because every square it occupies also belongs to a down or across answer crossing it, you can often back into CARLOS from the letters around it rather than the clue alone.
Origin & meaning
Carlos Santana is a Mexican-American guitarist blending rock and Latin sounds. His 1999 album 'Supernatural' won nine Grammys.
Common usage
Compact, vowel-friendly answers such as CARLOS are a constructor's staple: they slot into a 6-square space and play nicely in both directions. Solvers who recognize it on sight save real time on the daily puzzle.
Crossword trivia
Carlos belongs to the small vocabulary of words that appear constantly in grids. Because it's only 6 letters, editors can drop it almost anywhere, which is why regular solvers know it on sight.
Stuck on this clue?
Stuck on "Guitarist Santana"? Don't force it — solve the clues crossing this slot instead. One or two intersecting letters usually make CARLOS obvious. Working from the crossings is the single most useful habit for getting faster.
This clue in different puzzles
Setters vary how they clue CARLOS — 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
- "Carlos is the kind of answer that clicks the moment you spot one letter."
- "Seeing 'Guitarist Santana' in the clue list, an experienced solver pencils in CARLOS almost immediately."
- "Once the C was confirmed by the crossing word, CARLOS was the only entry that fit."