Crossword Clue: Historic city in southwestern Nigeria
Here's the answer to the Historic city in southwestern Nigeria crossword clue, with an explanation and where it has appeared.
Definition & answer: IBADAN
"Historic city in southwestern Nigeria" points to IBADAN, a 6-letter entry that starts with I and finishes on N and carries 3 vowels. Because every square it occupies also belongs to a down or across answer crossing it, you can often back into IBADAN from the letters around it rather than the clue alone.
Origin & meaning
Ibadan was once one of the largest cities in sub-Saharan Africa. It is home to Nigeria's oldest university, founded in 1948. The city grew as a Yoruba military stronghold in the 19th century.
Common usage
Compact, vowel-friendly answers such as IBADAN 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
Ibadan 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 "Historic city in southwestern Nigeria"? Don't force it — solve the clues crossing this slot instead. One or two intersecting letters usually make IBADAN obvious. Working from the crossings is the single most useful habit for getting faster.
This clue in different puzzles
Setters vary how they clue IBADAN — 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
- "A 6-letter slot and a clue like 'Historic city in southwestern Nigeria'? That's IBADAN nine times out of ten."
- "I second-guessed it, but the crossing answers confirmed IBADAN was right."
- "I had the crossing letters, so writing IBADAN into the grid took no time at all."