You're staring at the grid. The black-and-white squares are mocking you. You have five letters, maybe four, and the clue says pretend to be crossword clue. Your brain immediately jumps to "ACT" or "PLAY," but they don't fit. Why? Because the English language is a messy, beautiful disaster, and crossword constructors love to exploit that.
Crosswords are basically a battle of wits between you and the person who made the puzzle. When they use a phrase like "pretend to be," they aren't just asking for a synonym. They’re setting a trap. They want you to think in one direction while the answer sits quietly in another.
The Most Common Answers for Pretend to Be
If you're stuck right now, let's get the quick wins out of the way. Depending on the letter count and the specific vibe of the puzzle—whether it's the New York Times, LA Times, or a cryptic from the Guardian—the answer usually falls into a few specific camps.
POSE AS is a heavyweight in the five-letter category. It’s classic. It’s functional. It suggests a level of deception that "act" doesn't quite capture. Then you have FEIGN, which is the "fancy" version. If the constructor is feeling a bit literary, they’ll go with feign. It’s five letters, it’s got that tricky "G," and it feels sophisticated.
Sometimes, the answer is just ACT. Three letters. Simple. But what if it's ACT AS? Or PLAY? If you’re looking at a four-letter slot, MIME or SHAM might be the culprit. SHAM is particularly nasty because we usually use it as a noun, but in the world of crosswords, it’s a perfectly valid verb.
Why Context Changes Everything
Crosswords aren't just about definitions; they are about parts of speech. This is where most people trip up. If the clue is "Pretend to be," the answer must be a verb phrase that matches that exact tense.
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Take the word EMULATE. That’s seven letters. It means to try to equal or excel, usually through imitation. It’s a positive form of pretending. On the flip side, you have IMPERSONATE. Eleven letters. That’s a mouthful. You’d usually see that in a Sunday puzzle where there’s more real estate to work with.
Then there's the "Ape" factor. APE is a crossword staple. Three letters. It means to mimic or imitate, often poorly. If you see "Pretend to be" and you only have three squares, and "Act" isn't working, try "Ape." It’s a favorite of Will Shortz and other editors because of that vowel-consonant-vowel structure that helps bridge difficult sections of the grid.
Looking at the Nuances
- PASSOFF: Usually used as "Pass oneself off as." This is a common multi-word answer in larger puzzles.
- SIMULATE: Often used in technical or scientific contexts. Think flight simulators or "pretending" to have a certain condition.
- AFFECT: Not just a feeling! To "affect" a persona is to pretend to be something you aren't. This is a common trap for beginners.
The Psychology of the Solve
When you see a clue like this, your amygdala—the part of the brain that handles stress—might actually flare up a tiny bit if you're on a timer. To beat the puzzle, you have to bypass the literal meaning.
Expert solvers like Rex Parker or the folks over at Crossword Fiend often talk about "crosswordese." These are words that exist almost exclusively in the vacuum of puzzles. ETUI, ALEE, ERNE. While "pretend to be" isn't exactly crosswordese, the way it's clued follows that same logic.
You have to ask yourself: is the constructor being funny? If the clue has a question mark at the end—like "Pretend to be a sheep?"—the answer isn't going to be a synonym for lying. It's going to be something like BAA. The question mark is the universal sign for "I'm punning, and I'm not sorry about it."
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Cultural Shifts in Cluing
Crosswords have changed. Back in the day, clues were very dictionary-heavy. Now, they're more conversational. A 1950s puzzle might clue "pretend to be" as "to dissemble." Today? It’s more likely to be clued as "Channel," as in "Channeling your inner celebrity."
This shift towards "lifestyle" cluing means you have to be aware of how we use language in the real world. We don't say "I am dissembling a doctor." We say "I'm POSING as a doctor." Modern puzzles reflect that.
Strategies for When You're Truly Stuck
First, look at the "crosses." If you have the second and fourth letters, the word usually reveals itself through math rather than vocabulary. If you have _ O _ E _, it’s almost certainly POSES. If you have _ P _ , it’s APE.
Second, check the tense. If the clue is "Pretended to be," the answer has to end in -ED. POSED, APED, ACTED, FEIGNED. If the clue is "Pretending to be," look for -ING. POSING, ACTING, SHAMMING. It sounds obvious, but in the heat of a Saturday morning solve, it's the first thing people forget.
Third, consider the "As." Many answers to "Pretend to be" are actually two words. ACT AS, POSE AS, PASS AS. If you’re counting squares and you’re one or two short, check if a preposition is hiding in there.
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Real-World Examples from Major Publications
In a recent New York Times puzzle, the clue "Pretend to be" led to the answer MASQUERADE. That’s a ten-letter beast. It’s elegant. It changes the whole vibe of that corner of the grid. In a Wall Street Journal puzzle, the answer was MAKE LIKE. That’s very informal, very "street."
The New Yorker puzzles, which are known for being particularly "voicey," might use something like PUT ON. "He's just putting on an act." Two words, five letters. It’s the kind of phrase you’d use over coffee, which makes it harder to find because your brain is looking for "Big Words."
The Logic of Deception
Basically, "pretending" is a huge category. It covers everything from a child playing house to a con artist running a scheme.
If the clue implies a malicious intent, think SHAM or FAKE.
If the clue implies a performance, think ACT or STAGE.
If the clue implies an imitation, think COPY or MIMIC.
Constructors use these subtle emotional differences to guide you. A clue like "Pretend to be, as a role" is a dead giveaway for PLAY. But "Pretend to be, as a charlatan" is going to be something more cynical.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Puzzle
- Count the Squares Immediately: Don't even start thinking of synonyms until you know if you're looking for three letters or twelve.
- Verify the Part of Speech: Is it a verb? A noun? An adjective? "Pretend" is usually a verb, but "Pretend to be" can sometimes lead to a noun if the clue is phrased cleverly.
- Check for Puns: If there's a question mark, throw the dictionary out the window and start thinking about sounds or wordplay.
- Look for the Preposition: If the answer feels too short, see if "AS" or "LIKE" fits in the remaining boxes.
- Use the Crosses: Don't brute-force the word. Solve the easy clues around it (the "low-hanging fruit") to get those vital anchor letters.
- Trust Your Gut on Crosswordese: If it’s three letters and "ACT" doesn't work, just type in "APE." You'll be right 80% of the time.
Crosswords are a test of your ability to see the world from someone else's perspective—specifically, the perspective of a person who spends their Tuesday nights looking through a thesaurus. Next time you see pretend to be crossword clue, don't panic. Just breathe, count the boxes, and remember that "APE" is always waiting in the wings if things get desperate.