Crossword Clue: River through Hamburg
Here's the answer to the River through Hamburg crossword clue, with an explanation and where it has appeared.
Definition & answer: ELBE
The answer to "River through Hamburg" is ELBE. Elbe runs 4 letters — 2 vowels and 2 consonants — opening with E and closing on E. In a grid it fills a 4-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 Elbe flows about 680 miles from the Czech Republic through Germany to the North Sea. The port of Hamburg lies far inland along its tidal estuary.
Common usage
You'll see ELBE in grids regularly — its 4-letter, 2 vowels shape is exactly what setters need to bridge trickier entries. When one intersecting letter is already in place, especially the E or E, ELBE tends to fall fast.
Crossword trivia
Short answers like ELBE are the connective tissue of a crossword. You'll meet ELBE 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 ELBE will often be the only word that fits the letters you already have.
This clue in different puzzles
Setters vary how they clue ELBE — 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
- "Once the E was confirmed by the crossing word, ELBE was the only entry that fit."
- "A 4-letter slot and a clue like 'River through Hamburg'? That's ELBE nine times out of ten."
- "I second-guessed it, but the crossing answers confirmed ELBE was right."