Crossword Clue: Thick ground-level cloud
Here's the answer to the Thick ground-level cloud crossword clue, with an explanation and where it has appeared.
Definition & answer: FOG
FOG solves the clue "Thick ground-level cloud". Spanning 3 letters (1 vowel, 2 consonants), it begins at F and ends at G. 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
Fog is essentially a cloud that forms at ground level when moist air cools to its dew point. San Francisco's residents have even nicknamed their persistent summer fog 'Karl.'
Common usage
Fog turns up often in crosswords because of that letter mix. Words like FOG interlock cleanly with longer entries, so constructors reach for them to make a grid fit together without awkward clashes. Given a 3-square slot and a crossing letter or two, it's usually quick to confirm.
Crossword trivia
At 3 letters, FOG 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 FOG'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 FOG — 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 FOG was right."
- "I had the crossing letters, so writing FOG into the grid took no time at all."
- "Fog is the kind of answer that clicks the moment you spot one letter."