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 51,115 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| ABBREVIATE | Sat Jan 3, 2026 | Save space, in a way | Hannah Slovut-Einertson |
| ALAINA | Sun Jan 26, 2025 | ___ Urquhart, co-host of the podcast "Morbid" | Rich Proulx |
| APERSON | Sun Apr 1, 2018 | Each | Sam Ezersky |
| AUTOTUNER | Sun Dec 7, 2025 | Musical tool popularized by T-Pain | Kate Jensen |
| BODYLANGUAGE | Sun Nov 17, 2024 | Crossed arms, furrowed brows, etc. | Rebecca Goldstein and Ariela Perlman |
| DAMPISH | Sun Apr 5, 2026 | Like a wrung-out mop | Samuel A. Donaldson |
| DEEPSPACENINE | Fri Jun 30, 1995 | 90's TV spinoff series | Rich Norris |
| DESKPAD | Sat Jan 11, 2025 | Certain workplace protection? | Ryan McCarty |
| DIETPEPSI | Sat Nov 22, 2025 | Beverage that Ray Charles once touted as "The right one, baby" | Blake Slonecker |
| DISMALSWAMP | Tue Oct 15, 1996 | Large marsh near Virginia Beach | G. E. Paul |
| DISOWNED | Sun Nov 16, 2003 | Repudiated | Cathy Millhauser |
| DROMO | Fri Feb 14, 2003 | ___ One (indoor kart racing) | M. Francis Vuolo |
| DRPHIL | Sun Mar 13, 2016 | Self-help guru who wrote "Life Code" | Tom McCoy |
| DUPLEXHOUSE | Wed Oct 8, 1997 | Shared dwelling | Gilbert H. Ludwig |
| EARTIPS | Thu May 14, 2009 | Elf costume add-ons, maybe | David J. Kahn |
| ESPION | Sat Dec 16, 1995 | French secret agent | Bryant White |
| FALLBREAK | Mon Sep 8, 2025 | *Days off following October midterms | Margaret Seikel |
| FEISTIER | Mon Jan 27, 2025 | More spunky | Alexander Liebeskind |
| GIANTESS | Fri Dec 26, 2025 | Figure in sci-fi's "Attack of the 50 Foot Woman," e.g. | Andrew Spooner |
| GUTFLORA | Tue Aug 27, 2024 | Micro-organisms in the digestive tract | Julia Hoepner |
| HEADHUNT | Wed Aug 25, 2021 | Recruit selectively | Adam Vincent |
| JASMINEGUY | Sun Apr 8, 2007 | "A Different World" actress | Byron Walden |
| JUNELOCKHART | Mon Jan 29, 1996 | "Lassie" actress | G. Paul |
| MANTELPIECE | Sat Jan 17, 2004 | Place for candlesticks | Patrick Berry |
| MONTHLYRENT | Fri Sep 5, 2003 | Landlord's entitlement | Manny Nosowsky |
| PANHANDLE | Thu Sep 24, 2020 | Bee, e.g. | Trenton Charlson |
| PAOLOVERONESE | Sat May 17, 2014 | Italian artist with the largest painting in the Louvre | Brad Wilber |
| PENULTS | Sat Jul 15, 1995 | November and Y, e.g. | Rand H. Burns |
| PEQUOTWAR | Sat Jun 25, 2011 | Chief Sassacus led one side in it | Barry C. Silk |
| QUACKDOCTORS | Mon May 4, 2020 | Medical impostors, informally | Emily Carroll |
| RAZZIEAWARDS | Tue Nov 20, 2018 | Turkey's place | Zhouqin Burnikel |
| READABOOK | Fri Feb 14, 2014 | Classic parental advice to bored children | Bruce Haight |
| RUNSONEMPTY | Thu Oct 22, 2020 | Keeps going despite fatigue ... or a hint to three features of this puzzle | Sid Sivakumar |
| SPAYING | Sun Apr 7, 2002 | Vet's job | Nancy Salomon |
| STOKEUP | Sun Jan 8, 2006 | Fuel | Michael Ashley |
| STOPGAPMEASURES | Fri Nov 20, 1998 | They'll do for now | Manny Nosowsky |
| THEPRIZE | Sat May 4, 2002 | 1963 Paul Newman film | Rich Norris |
| UNHANDMEVILLAIN | Mon Feb 12, 1996 | Heroine's cry in silent movies | S. Robbins |
| VOWELLENGTH | Tue Nov 11, 2003 | Short or long, in phonetics | M. Francis Vuolo |
| YOUREDARNTOOTIN | Sat Oct 22, 2016 | "And how!" | James Mulhern |