Crossword Clue: Wading bird
Here's the answer to the Wading bird crossword clue, with an explanation and where it has appeared.
Definition & answer: IBIS
The answer to "Wading bird" is IBIS. Ibis runs 4 letters — 2 vowels and 2 consonants — opening with I and closing on S. In a grid it fills a 4-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
The ibis is a long-billed wading bird revered in ancient Egypt. Its I-B-I-S vowel pattern makes it a crossword staple.
Common usage
You'll see IBIS in grids regularly — its 4-letter, 2 vowels shape is exactly what setters need to bridge trickier entries. When one intersecting letter is already in place, especially the I or S, IBIS tends to fall fast.
Crossword trivia
Short answers like IBIS are the connective tissue of a crossword. You'll meet IBIS 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 IBIS will often be the only word that fits the letters you already have.
This clue in different puzzles
The clue "Wading bird" is just one way to arrive at IBIS. Across different puzzles and editors you may see the same answer clued as "Bird sacred to Thoth". 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 IBIS into the grid took no time at all."
- "Ibis is the kind of answer that clicks the moment you spot one letter."
- "Seeing 'Wading bird' in the clue list, an experienced solver pencils in IBIS almost immediately."