This page is just for fun. It's a random collection of rare crossword answers; so rare that each appears only in a single Modern Era puzzle. Bogus entries (thematic words that make sense only in that crossword) are excluded.
There are 50,849 unique Modern Era answer words in the database.
Click any word to see it in the context of its puzzle. Words in this color did appear in pre-Shortz crosswords.
| Word | Date | Clue | Author |
|---|---|---|---|
| ALIGHTED | Wed Jan 4, 2012 | Came down | Brendan Emmett Quigley |
| ALPINEGOAT | Thu Aug 6, 2015 | Relative of an ibex | Gary Cee |
| ASPIRATOR | Sun Aug 27, 1995 | Suction pump | Martin Schneider |
| ATOMICMASS | Wed Jul 23, 2025 | Figure that roughly equals protons plus neutrons | Joseph Gangi |
| BESTOFFER | Sun Nov 24, 2002 | Hit man of the Year? | Nancy Salomon and Lee Glickstein |
| BUSHTIT | Sun Feb 14, 2021 | Small woodland songbird | Lisa Bunker |
| COAGULATE | Sun Mar 6, 2011 | Thicken | David Levinson Wilk |
| DRIVENUTS | Sun Apr 11, 2021 | Result of a merger between Google and Planters? | Dick Shlakman and Will Nediger |
| ESPIONAGEGROUP | Sun Aug 8, 2010 | ... in 48-Down | Pam Klawitter |
| FAERIES | Sun Sep 10, 2000 | Spenserian beings | Elizabeth C. Gorski |
| FAKEFUR | Sun Feb 17, 2013 | Relatively inexpensive wrap | Ian Livengood and J.A.S.A. Crossword Class |
| FIREENGINE | Sun Jun 16, 2019 | Bright shade of red | Joel Fagliano |
| FRESCOISTS | Fri Oct 28, 2005 | Giotto and others | Elizabeth C. Gorski |
| GALENTINESDAY | Sat Feb 22, 2025 | Time to celebrate female friendship, in a neologism | Rose Conlon |
| GASTRONOMY | Fri Jul 31, 2020 | Food-filled field | Claire Rimkus and Erik Agard |
| GLOTTIS | Thu Sep 20, 2018 | Opening between the vocal cords | Sam Ezersky |
| INAMERICA | Wed Aug 27, 2008 | Stateside | Donna Hoke Kahwaty |
| INFIELDRULE | Thu Feb 7, 2008 | *Umpire's invocation after a pop-up, perhaps | Kenneth J. Berniker |
| LARGETYPE | Sun May 19, 2019 | Format accommodating poor vision | Natan Last |
| MACARON | Sun Apr 26, 2026 | Patisserie treat | Rebecca Goldstein |
| MILITARYOFFICER | Fri Mar 5, 2004 | One may be decorated | Gary Steinmehl |
| NEXTDAYAIR | Wed Mar 23, 2016 | *Speedy shipping option | Alex Boisvert and Jeff Chen |
| OPENEDONESHEART | Fri Dec 4, 2009 | Became emotionally receptive | Martin Ashwood-Smith |
| PACSUN | Wed Sep 24, 2025 | Clothing chain that began as a surf shop | Peter A. Collins |
| POWERUSERS | Fri May 10, 2024 | Tech-savvy folks | Jesse Cohn |
| PRGURU | Wed May 14, 2025 | Spin instructor? | Rebecca Goldstein and Adam Wagner |
| REMAINSTOBESEEN | Sun Oct 23, 2011 | Contents of Lenin's Tomb, e.g.? | Joe DiPietro |
| RIPINTWO | Thu Jan 8, 2015 | Tear asunder | Jacob Stulberg |
| SALESAGREEMENTS | Fri Mar 4, 2011 | Certain contracts | Joe Krozel |
| SINEWAVES | Fri Feb 17, 2006 | Representation of tuning fork sounds | Trip Payne |
| SIPCHAMPAGNE | Sun Dec 30, 2001 | What a celebrant may do at 16-Down | Elizabeth C. Gorski |
| THISBEARSREPEATING | Sun Aug 25, 2024 | Pooh-pooh? | John Kugelman |
| TIMOTHYLEARY | Wed May 30, 2007 | Speaker of the catchphrase that starts 20-, 27- and 47-Across | Mike Nothnagel |
| TRAUMATIZE | Fri Feb 9, 2001 | Shock | Nelson Hardy |
| TWOJAKES | Sun Dec 31, 2006 | 1990 sequel to "Chinatown," with "The" | Elizabeth C. Gorski |
| UNDREAMED | Fri Jul 26, 1996 | Extremely remote, with "of" | G. Newman |
| VOLLEY | Sat Jun 24, 1995 | Barrage | Bob & Sharon Klahn |
| WHITEKNUCKLED | Mon Sep 18, 2017 | Visibly tense | Tom McCoy |
| WOODROT | Sat Jun 7, 2025 | Corruption below deck, perhaps | Blake Slonecker |
| YIELDSTO | Sun Dec 19, 1999 | Bows before | Frances Hansen |