Crossword Clue: Tajik capital
Here's the answer to the Tajik capital crossword clue, with an explanation and where it has appeared.
Definition & answer: DUSHANBE
The answer to "Tajik capital" is DUSHANBE. Dushanbe runs 8 letters — 3 vowels and 5 consonants — opening with D and closing on E. In a grid it fills a 8-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
Dushanbe's name means Monday in Tajik, referencing a popular Monday marketplace. It sits in a valley surrounded by the Pamir and other mountain ranges. The city grew rapidly from a small village during the Soviet era.
Common usage
You'll see DUSHANBE in grids regularly — its 8-letter, 3 vowels shape is exactly what setters need to bridge trickier entries. When one intersecting letter is already in place, especially the D or E, DUSHANBE tends to fall fast.
Crossword trivia
Short answers like DUSHANBE are the connective tissue of a crossword. You'll meet DUSHANBE 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 DUSHANBE will often be the only word that fits the letters you already have.
This clue in different puzzles
Setters vary how they clue DUSHANBE — 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 D was confirmed by the crossing word, DUSHANBE was the only entry that fit."
- "A 8-letter slot and a clue like 'Tajik capital'? That's DUSHANBE nine times out of ten."
- "I second-guessed it, but the crossing answers confirmed DUSHANBE was right."