You're staring at the grid. The coffee is getting cold, and that one pesky corner of the New York Times Wednesday puzzle just won't budge. You see the prompt: share a boundary with crossword clue. It’s a classic. It’s the kind of clue that feels like it should be easy, yet your brain keeps cycling through words that are just one letter too long or too short.
Crosswords are weirdly psychological. They rely on the way our brains categorize physical space. When a constructor asks for a word that describes two things touching, they aren't just testing your vocabulary; they’re testing your ability to pivot between Latin roots and common everyday verbs. Most of the time, you're looking for a five-letter word that starts with A.
The Short List: The Answers You’re Probably Looking For
If you just want the answer so you can move on with your life, it’s almost certainly ABUT.
Seriously. ABUT is the darling of the crossword world. It’s short. It has those high-frequency vowels (A and U) and common consonants (B and T) that make it the perfect "glue" word for constructors like Will Shortz or Patti Varol to use when they’re stuck in a tight corner of the grid.
But sometimes, constructors like to get fancy. If ABUT doesn't fit, you might be looking for:
- ADJOIN: This is the runner-up. It’s six letters. It’s a bit more formal.
- BORDER: Often used when the clue is "Share a boundary with," but usually it’s more common in larger Sunday grids.
- MEET: Sometimes the simplest answer is the one we overlook.
- BUTT: (Rarely used in the literal sense of "butt up against," but it happens).
- VERGE: More poetic, often used in British-style puzzles or the cryptic crosswords found in The Guardian.
Why ABUT Dominates the Grid
Let’s talk about why ABUT is everywhere. In the world of "crosswordese"—that specific dialect of English that only exists within a 15x15 square—certain words thrive because they help the creator connect more interesting, longer "themeword" entries.
Think about the structure. You have a "B" and a "T." Those are anchors. If a constructor is trying to fit a word like "RABBIT" or "SUBLET" horizontally, having "ABUT" running vertically is a godsend. It's functional. It’s the duct tape of the crossword world.
Honestly, it’s kinda funny how often we use "abut" in a crossword compared to real life. When was the last time you told a neighbor, "My property abuts yours"? You don't. You say, "We share a fence." But in the land of the Los Angeles Times crossword, we are all legalistic scholars of land surveying.
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Context Matters: How to Decode the Clue Variations
The way the clue is phrased is your secret decoder ring. Puzzlemakers are sneaky. They use "tense matching," which is a fancy way of saying that if the clue is in the past tense, the answer must be in the past tense.
If the clue says "Shared a boundary with," you need ABUTTED or ADJOINED.
If it says "Sharing a boundary with," you're looking for ABUTTING or BORDERING.
Sometimes the clue isn't a verb at all. If the clue is "Sharing a common boundary," the answer might be ADJACENT. That’s an eight-letter beast that usually anchors a mid-sized section of the puzzle. It’s a great word, but it requires more "real estate" on the grid.
The Geography Hook
Often, these clues are linked to specific places. You might see "Share a boundary with Canada." The answer there isn't a verb; it’s a state. But if the clue is "How New York and Pennsylvania relate," the answer might be ABUT.
Constructors love to play with the relationship between states and countries. Did you know that Tennessee and Missouri are the most "abutted" states in the U.S.? They each share a border with eight other states. That’s a trivia nugget that frequently finds its way into the clues for these types of answers.
The Evolution of Crosswordese
Back in the day—we're talking the 1940s and 50s—crosswords were much more focused on obscure dictionary definitions. You’d see words that nobody had used since the 18th century. Today, there’s a movement toward "natural language."
Modern editors like Erik Agard have pushed for clues that feel more like how people actually talk. However, the word ABUT persists. Why? Because the geometry of the grid hasn't changed. You still have those tight spots where you need a word that starts with A and ends with T.
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It’s an interesting tension in the industry. On one hand, you want the puzzle to feel fresh and relevant, featuring TikTok trends or modern slang. On the other hand, you need these structural words to make the whole thing hold together. ABUT is the old reliable. It’s the "C" chord of the crossword world—simple, necessary, and found in almost every song.
Tips for Solving Tough Sections
When you find yourself stuck on a "boundary" clue, stop looking at the clue itself. Look at the "crosses."
If you have the first letter and it’s an A, don't immediately ink in ABUT. Check the second letter. If it’s a D, you’re likely looking at ADJOIN. If you see a J anywhere in that vertical column, it’s a dead giveaway for ADJOIN, because J is a relatively rare letter that constructors love to use to "scrabble-up" their point totals.
Also, pay attention to the day of the week.
- Monday/Tuesday: Expect ABUT.
- Wednesday/Thursday: Might be ADJOIN or a tricky pun.
- Friday/Saturday: The clue might be something like "Touch on," which is a much more lateral way of thinking about boundaries.
The "Touchy" Synonyms
Sometimes the clue isn't about land at all. If the clue is "Share a boundary with" and the answer is MEET, the constructor might be thinking about two lines in geometry or two roads.
There's also MARCH. No, not the month. In historical geography, "marches" were borderlands. To "march with" someone meant to share a boundary. You’ll see this a lot in British puzzles or very "high-brow" American ones. It’s a bit of an archaism, but it’s a favorite for constructors who want to trip you up.
Then there is FLANK. If something flanks something else, it’s on the side. It’s a boundary of sorts. This is more common in military-themed clues or descriptions of architecture.
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Moving Beyond the Grid
Understanding these clues is really about understanding how we organize the world. Boundaries are everywhere. In linguistics, we have "isoglosses," which are the boundaries between different dialect features. In biology, we have "cell membranes."
But in the crossword, we are usually dealing with the physical and the literal. We are dealing with how one square relates to the one next to it. In a way, every single word in a crossword puzzle "abuts" another. The entire game is a map of shared boundaries.
When you solve a clue like this, you’re participating in a tradition that spans over a century. From the first "Word-Cross" by Arthur Wynne in 1913 to the digital apps we use today, the challenge remains the same: finding the exact right fit for a specific space.
Your Solving Strategy
Next time you see a clue about sharing a boundary, follow this mental flowchart:
- Count the squares. If it's four, try ABUT.
- Check the tense. If it’s "shared," add that -ED.
- Look for the "J" or "X". If the grid looks like it has "power letters," look for ADJOIN or even ANNEX.
- Read the room. Is the puzzle simple or complex? A simple puzzle wants the common word. A complex puzzle wants the metaphor.
Don't let a four-letter word ruin your morning. Usually, the simplest answer is the right one, and in the world of crosswords, "abut" is the king of the border.
Actionable Next Steps
To improve your speed on these types of "structural" crossword clues, start keeping a small "cheat sheet" of common four and five-letter words that appear frequently. Words like AREA, ETUI, OLIO, and ABUT are the building blocks of most puzzles. Once you memorize these "crosswordese" staples, you’ll find that the larger, more interesting words become much easier to solve because you already have the connecting letters in place. Try timing yourself on a Monday puzzle to see how quickly you can identify these filler words without overthinking the synonyms.