Crossword Clue: Woolly farm animal
Here's the answer to the Woolly farm animal crossword clue, with an explanation and where it has appeared.
Definition & answer: SHEEP
SHEEP solves the clue "Woolly farm animal". Spanning 5 letters (2 vowels, 3 consonants), it begins at S and ends at P. Like most crossword fill, it lives at the intersection of two words, so a single confirmed crossing letter frequently reveals the whole entry.
Origin & meaning
Sheep are ruminants raised for wool, meat, and milk, and among the earliest animals domesticated by humans. The word 'sheep' is unusual in English for being identical in singular and plural.
Common usage
Sheep turns up often in crosswords because of that letter mix. Words like SHEEP interlock cleanly with longer entries, so constructors reach for them to make a grid fit together without awkward clashes. Given a 5-square slot and a crossing letter or two, it's usually quick to confirm.
Crossword trivia
At 5 letters, SHEEP shows up in daily mini and themed puzzles far more than longer, obscure words. It's the kind of entry worth memorizing — the more common short words you know cold, the faster you solve.
Stuck on this clue?
If this clue won't come, leave it and fill the answers that cross it. Once a couple of SHEEP's letters are locked by neighboring words, the entry tends to reveal itself. Crossings beat staring at a clue every time.
This clue in different puzzles
Setters vary how they clue SHEEP — 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
- "Seeing 'Woolly farm animal' in the clue list, an experienced solver pencils in SHEEP almost immediately."
- "Once the S was confirmed by the crossing word, SHEEP was the only entry that fit."
- "A 5-letter slot and a clue like 'Woolly farm animal'? That's SHEEP nine times out of ten."