Crossword Clue: Enormous ocean mammal
Here's the answer to the Enormous ocean mammal crossword clue, with an explanation and where it has appeared.
Definition & answer: WHALE
WHALE solves the clue "Enormous ocean mammal". Spanning 5 letters (2 vowels, 3 consonants), it begins at W and ends at E. 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
Whales are the largest animals ever to live, with the blue whale exceeding the size of any known dinosaur. Despite living in the sea, whales are mammals that breathe air and nurse their young.
Common usage
Whale turns up often in crosswords because of that letter mix. Words like WHALE 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, WHALE 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 WHALE'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 WHALE — 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 'Enormous ocean mammal' in the clue list, an experienced solver pencils in WHALE almost immediately."
- "Once the W was confirmed by the crossing word, WHALE was the only entry that fit."
- "A 5-letter slot and a clue like 'Enormous ocean mammal'? That's WHALE nine times out of ten."