Crossword Clue: Small red fruit atop a sundae
Here's the answer to the Small red fruit atop a sundae crossword clue, with an explanation and where it has appeared.
Definition & answer: CHERRY
"Small red fruit atop a sundae" points to CHERRY, a 6-letter entry that starts with C and finishes on Y and carries 1 vowel. Because every square it occupies also belongs to a down or across answer crossing it, you can often back into CHERRY from the letters around it rather than the clue alone.
Origin & meaning
Cherries are small stone fruits that grow in pairs on long stems. The phrase 'the cherry on top' captures their role as a finishing flourish, while 'cherry-picking' means selecting only the best examples.
Common usage
Compact, single-vowel answers such as CHERRY 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
Cherry 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 "Small red fruit atop a sundae"? Don't force it — solve the clues crossing this slot instead. One or two intersecting letters usually make CHERRY obvious. Working from the crossings is the single most useful habit for getting faster.
This clue in different puzzles
Setters vary how they clue CHERRY — 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 'Small red fruit atop a sundae'? That's CHERRY nine times out of ten."
- "I second-guessed it, but the crossing answers confirmed CHERRY was right."
- "I had the crossing letters, so writing CHERRY into the grid took no time at all."