Crossword Clue: United Arab Emirates capital
Here's the answer to the United Arab Emirates capital crossword clue, with an explanation and where it has appeared.
Definition & answer: ABUDHABI
The answer to "United Arab Emirates capital" is ABUDHABI. Abudhabi runs 8 letters — 4 vowels and 4 consonants — opening with A and closing on I. 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
Abu Dhabi is the capital of the UAE and the largest of its seven emirates. It is home to the vast Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and a Louvre museum branch. The name means father of the gazelle in Arabic.
Common usage
You'll see ABUDHABI in grids regularly — its 8-letter, 4 vowels shape is exactly what setters need to bridge trickier entries. When one intersecting letter is already in place, especially the A or I, ABUDHABI tends to fall fast.
Crossword trivia
Short answers like ABUDHABI are the connective tissue of a crossword. You'll meet ABUDHABI 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 ABUDHABI will often be the only word that fits the letters you already have.
This clue in different puzzles
Setters vary how they clue ABUDHABI — 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, ABUDHABI was the only entry that fit."
- "A 8-letter slot and a clue like 'United Arab Emirates capital'? That's ABUDHABI nine times out of ten."
- "I second-guessed it, but the crossing answers confirmed ABUDHABI was right."