You're staring at the grid. The black and white squares are mocking you. You have five letters, maybe six, and the clue "breaks a promise" is just sitting there, vague as ever. Crossword puzzles are a mental tightrope walk. One minute you're a genius, the next you’re humbled by a simple verb.
It happens.
The struggle with a breaks a promise crossword clue usually isn't about your vocabulary. It’s about the "cruciverbalist" mindset—that specific, slightly twisted way puzzle constructors think. They love synonyms that aren't quite synonyms. They love words that function as both nouns and verbs. Honestly, solving these isn't just about knowing the word; it's about knowing the game.
The Usual Suspects: Common Answers for Breaks a Promise
When you see this clue in the New York Times or the LA Times, your brain probably jumps to "lied" or "cheated." Those are rarely the answer. Why? Because constructors prefer words with more "scrabbly" letters or those that fit common vowel patterns.
RENEG (or RENEGE) is the heavyweight champion here.
If you have a six-letter slot and the clue is "breaks a promise," RENEGE is almost certainly the winner. It comes from the Latin renegare, meaning to deny. In modern English, we use it specifically when someone backs out of a deal or a card game commitment. If the clue is "breaks a promise" in the present tense, look for RENEGES (7 letters). If it's past tense, RENEGED.
But wait. There’s more.
Sometimes the answer is WELSH. Now, this one is controversial. It’s an old slang term, often considered offensive because of its ethnic origins, referring to someone backing out of a bet. You don't see it as much in modern, "woke" puzzles, but it still pops up in older archives or British-style cryptics.
Then you have RECANTS. This is a more formal version. You recant a statement or a vow. It’s stiff. It’s academic. It’s exactly what a Friday puzzle would use to mess with your head.
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Why Context Changes Everything
You have to look at the surrounding words. Is the clue "Breaks a promise, in a way" or "One who breaks a promise"? That tiny suffix changes everything.
If it's "One who breaks a promise," you're looking for RAT, LIAR, or RENEGADE.
The word RENEGADE is a fun one. We think of it as a cool outlaw, like a biker or a rebel, but its core definition is someone who deserts a cause or breaks a faith-based promise. It’s a bit dramatic for a Tuesday puzzle, but for a Sunday? Absolutely.
Crossword constructors like Will Shortz or Brendan Emmett Quigley often use "misdirection clues." They might use "breaks a promise" to lead you toward a moral failing, when the actual answer is something mechanical or literal.
Think about the word SNAPS.
If you "promise" someone something will hold, and it breaks, it snaps. It's a bit of a stretch, but that's how the high-level puzzles operate. They want you to think metaphorically when the answer is literal, and literally when the answer is metaphorical.
The Linguistic History of Going Back on Your Word
Language evolves in weird ways. The word RENEGE actually shares a root with "negate." It’s basically saying "no" to something you previously said "yes" to.
In the 17th century, "breaking a promise" might have been called FORSWEARING. You’ll see FORSWEAR (8 letters) or FORSWORN in puzzles that have a "Ye Olde" vibe or refer to Shakespeare.
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"Thou art forsworn," says a character in a play you haven't read since high school.
That basically means you broke your word.
Another one that catches people off guard is COP OUT. If the clue is "Breaks a promise (slang)," and you have six letters, COPSOUT or COPOUT is a strong contender. It implies a lack of nerve. It's not just that you didn't do what you said; it's that you were too scared or lazy to follow through.
Tips for Nailing the Answer Every Time
Don't just guess. That leads to messy erasures and a ruined grid. Instead, follow a bit of logic.
- Check the Tense. If the clue is "breaks," the answer must end in S or be a present-tense verb. If it's "broke," look for -ED or an irregular past tense like RAN. Wait, "ran"? Yeah, as in "ran out on a deal."
- Count the Vowels. Crosswords are built on a skeleton of vowels. If you have an E and an E, RENEGE is screaming at you.
- Look for Cross-References. Does the "R" in your "breaks a promise" answer also start the word for "Red fruit"? If it's APPLE, then RENEGE is looking even better.
Honestly, the best thing you can do is keep a mental list of "Crosswordese." These are words that exist almost exclusively in the world of puzzles. RENEGE is the king of Crosswordese for this specific clue.
Beyond the Grid: Why We Care About Promises
There's a reason this clue is so common. Breaking a promise is a universal human experience. We hate when it happens to us, and we feel guilty when we do it.
Psychologically, a promise is a "social contract." When someone reneges, it creates "cognitive dissonance." Your brain struggles to reconcile the version of the person you trusted with the person who just let you down.
In business, breaking a promise can lead to a BREACH of contract. BREACH (6 letters) is another frequent flyer in the crossword world. If the clue mentions a "legal promise," start writing "B-R-E-A-C-H" immediately.
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When the Clue is a Phrase
Sometimes the answer isn't a single word. Puzzles love multi-word phrases.
- GOES BACK ON (9 letters)
- EATS ONES WORDS (12 letters)
- PLAYS FALSE (10 letters)
These are "grid-spanners." They are the long answers that hold the whole puzzle together. If you see a long blank space for "breaks a promise," don't look for a complex Latin root. Look for a common idiom.
We use these phrases every day without thinking. "He totally went back on his word." That’s a nine-letter goldmine for a constructor.
Common Answers Summary Table (Prose Version)
Instead of a boring table, let's just look at the lengths. For a three-letter answer, you're usually looking at LIE. Four letters? Maybe ERRS or FALS. Five letters? WELSH or BELIE. Six letters is the sweet spot: RENEGE or BREACH. Seven letters often lands on RENEGES or RECANTS.
If you're dealing with a cryptic crossword, the rules change. The clue might be "Breaking a promise to get a new green (6)." The answer is REGENE, which is an anagram of "green" (represented by "new") plus "e." Wait, that's too complex. Cryptics are a whole different beast where "breaks" might just be an indicator to scramble the letters of another word.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Puzzle
Stop overthinking the morality of the word. Crosswords are about letter patterns, not ethics.
- Scan the crosses first. Never fill in a "breaks a promise" answer without at least one confirmed letter from a crossing word.
- Keep "RENEGE" in your back pocket. It is the most statistically likely answer for a mid-length slot.
- Watch for the "slang" or "informal" tags. If the clue says "Breaks a promise, informally," go for COPS OUT or WELSHES.
- Use a pencil. Seriously.
The next time you see breaks a promise crossword clue, you won't be frustrated. You'll see it as an opportunity to slot in a few easy vowels and open up the rest of the corner. Puzzles are just big logic problems disguised as vocabulary tests. Once you know the "dictionary" the creators use, you're unstoppable.
Next Steps:
To master these types of clues, start tracking how often certain words appear in your favorite daily puzzle. Grab a notebook or a digital memo and jot down the "clue/answer" pairs that stump you. Over time, you'll notice that "breaks a promise" almost always cycles through the same five or six words. Strengthening your recognition of these "Crosswordese" staples will shave minutes off your solving time.