Crossword Clue: Turkish capital
Here's the answer to the Turkish capital crossword clue, with an explanation and where it has appeared.
Definition & answer: ANKARA
The answer to "Turkish capital" is ANKARA. Ankara runs 6 letters — 3 vowels and 3 consonants — opening with A 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
Ankara replaced Istanbul as Turkey's capital in 1923 under Ataturk. It sits high on the Anatolian plateau in the country's interior. The city is famous for the Angora goat, whose wool gives us mohair.
Common usage
You'll see ANKARA 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 A or A, ANKARA tends to fall fast.
Crossword trivia
Short answers like ANKARA are the connective tissue of a crossword. You'll meet ANKARA 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 ANKARA will often be the only word that fits the letters you already have.
This clue in different puzzles
Setters vary how they clue ANKARA — 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 A was confirmed by the crossing word, ANKARA was the only entry that fit."
- "A 6-letter slot and a clue like 'Turkish capital'? That's ANKARA nine times out of ten."
- "I second-guessed it, but the crossing answers confirmed ANKARA was right."