Crossword Clue: Sour citrus fruit
Here's the answer to the Sour citrus fruit crossword clue, with an explanation and where it has appeared.
Definition & answer: LEMON
The answer to "Sour citrus fruit" is LEMON. Lemon runs 5 letters — 2 vowels and 3 consonants — opening with L and closing on N. In a grid it fills a 5-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
Lemon likely arrived in English through Arabic and Persian roots for citrus. Beyond the fruit, it colorfully labels a defective car, giving clue writers a chance for misdirection.
Common usage
You'll see LEMON in grids regularly — its 5-letter, 2 vowels shape is exactly what setters need to bridge trickier entries. When one intersecting letter is already in place, especially the L or N, LEMON tends to fall fast.
Crossword trivia
Short answers like LEMON are the connective tissue of a crossword. You'll meet LEMON 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 LEMON will often be the only word that fits the letters you already have.
This clue in different puzzles
The clue "Sour citrus fruit" is just one way to arrive at LEMON. Across different puzzles and editors you may see the same answer clued as "Sour yellow fruit". Recognizing that a single answer can wear many clues is one of the fastest ways to level up as a solver.
Example sentences
- "I had the crossing letters, so writing LEMON into the grid took no time at all."
- "Lemon is the kind of answer that clicks the moment you spot one letter."
- "Seeing 'Sour citrus fruit' in the clue list, an experienced solver pencils in LEMON almost immediately."