Crossword Clue: Nobel-winning nun of Calcutta
Here's the answer to the Nobel-winning nun of Calcutta crossword clue, with an explanation and where it has appeared.
Definition & answer: TERESA
The answer to "Nobel-winning nun of Calcutta" is TERESA. Teresa runs 6 letters — 3 vowels and 3 consonants — opening with T and closing on A. In a grid it fills a 6-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
Mother Teresa was a Catholic nun who served the poor in Kolkata, India. She won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.
Common usage
You'll see TERESA in grids regularly — its 6-letter, 3 vowels shape is exactly what setters need to bridge trickier entries. When one intersecting letter is already in place, especially the T or A, TERESA tends to fall fast.
Crossword trivia
Short answers like TERESA are the connective tissue of a crossword. You'll meet TERESA 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 TERESA will often be the only word that fits the letters you already have.
This clue in different puzzles
Setters vary how they clue TERESA — 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 T was confirmed by the crossing word, TERESA was the only entry that fit."
- "A 6-letter slot and a clue like 'Nobel-winning nun of Calcutta'? That's TERESA nine times out of ten."
- "I second-guessed it, but the crossing answers confirmed TERESA was right."