Crossword Challenge Puzzle 988 Clues and Answers
This page covers all 29 clues of Crossword Challenge Puzzle 988, an 8×10 grid that mixes picture clues with short word clues.
Short answers dominate here: 9 of 29 fit in one or two squares. 3 clues are pictures, and 2 of those ask you to fill the gaps in a word printed on the image; 2 clues want only the initials of the clue words; 4 want just the first letter of a single word; 1 clue is a fill-in, and 1 of it needs only the missing letters. The longest answer runs 9 letters and belongs to “Start”.
Here is the shortcut for Puzzle 988: read the first letters of the top-row answers and you get the answer to “End a relation-ship”. Read the first letters down the left edge and you get the answer to “Start”. One of those two words unlocks the first letter of 15 others.
Hints and answers, clue by clue
Clues look the way they do in the game. Tap Hint for a nudge or Answer to see the letters. The fully solved grid is below the hints.
Top row
These sit along the top edge and every answer runs down.
START
1Start
Top row 1/7 · 9 letters · down
Fits B _ _ I _ _ I _ _. “Net” crosses it at the sixth square.
BEGINNING
VINTAGE LOOK
2Vintage look
Top row 2/7 · 5 letters · down
Fits R _ _ R _. The picture clue in the left column crosses it at the fourth square.
RETRO
ent-
3Picture clue
Top row 3/7 · 2 letters · down
Say what the picture shows. “ent-” is printed on it, and the dashes are the letters you type. Starts with E.
ER
GOAL OR PURPOSE
4Goal or purpose
Top row 4/7 · 3 letters · down
Shape: A _ _. Solving “Chaotic state” first gives you its third letter.
AIM
UPHOLD
5Uphold
Top row 5/7 · 4 letters · down
Starts with K; pattern K _ _ _. The third square is also part of “Chaotic state”.
KEEP
UNIQUE
6Unique
Top row 6/7 · 1 letter · down
Write the first letter of Unique, nothing more.
U
GARDEN SPRAY
7Garden spray
Top row 7/7 · 9 letters · down
Shape: P _ _ T _ _ I _ _. “Storage area” crosses it at the sixth square.
PESTICIDE
Left column
These sit down the left edge and every answer runs across.
END A RELATION-SHIP
8End a relation-ship
Left column 1/9 · 7 letters · across
Fits B _ _ A _ _ P. “Uphold” crosses it at the fifth square.
BREAKUP
WEIRD
9Weird
Left column 2/9 · 5 letters · across
Begins with E. The fourth square is also part of “Goal or purpose”.
EERIE
GLOBAL TIME
10Global time
Left column 3/9 · 2 letters · across
Take one letter from each word of the clue, in order.
GT
w---less
11Picture clue
Left column 4/9 · 3 letters · across
Picture word minus “wless” gives the answer. First letter: I.
IRE
ZERO
12Zero
Left column 5/9 · 4 letters · across
N _ _ _. The third square is also part of “Perform”.
NONE
NET
13Net
Left column 6/9 · 1 letter · across
Only one square: take the initial of Net.
N
SCRATCHY FEELING
14Scratchy feeling
Left column 7/9 · 5 letters · across
I _ _ H _. Solving “Colorless gas” first gives you its fourth letter.
ITCHY
OFFICE SUPPLY ITEM
15Office supply item
Left column 8/9 · 7 letters · across
Starts with N; pattern N _ _ E _ _ D. Solving “Text error” first gives you its fifth letter.
NOTEPAD
GENERAL YARD
16General yard
Left column 9/9 · 2 letters · across
Shorten the clue to its first letters: 2 squares.
GY
Inside the grid
Split squares hold two clues: the top half runs across, the bottom half runs down.
EXIT
17Exit
Row 3, col 7 · 1 letter · across
Only one square: take the initial of Exit.
E
SILK WRAP
18Silk wrap
Row 3, col 7 · 4 letters · down
Begins with S. The third square is also part of “__VER”.
SARI
CHAOTIC STATE
19Chaotic state
Row 4, col 4 · 4 letters · across
M _ _ _. Its third letter is shared with “Silk wrap”.
MESS
PERFORM
20Perform
Row 4, col 4 · 5 letters · down
Shape: E _ _ C _. “Scratchy feeling” crosses it at the fourth square.
ENACT
GLIB
21Glib
Row 5, col 5 · 3 letters · across
Begins with P. Its third letter is shared with “Garden spray”.
PAT
COLORLESS GAS
22Colorless gas
Row 5, col 5 · 5 letters · down
Starts with E; pattern E _ _ E _. Check the fourth letter against “Office supply item”.
ETHER
__VER
23__VER
Row 6, col 6 · 2 letters · across
Fill the gap in “__VER”, but leave out the letters already shown. Starts with R.
RI
TEXT ERROR
24Text error
Row 6, col 6 · 4 letters · down
Fits T _ _ _. Solving “Office supply item” first gives you its third letter.
TYPO
STORAGE AREA
25Storage area
Row 7, col 3 · 5 letters · across
Starts with A; pattern A _ _ I _. Its fourth letter is shared with “Silk wrap”.
ATTIC
KIDS' FAVORITE
26Kids' favorite
Row 7, col 3 · 3 letters · down
Starts with T; pattern T _ _. The third square is also part of “General yard”.
TOY
IT
27It
Row 8, col 7 · 1 letter · across
It starts with the answer.
I
BLOOD TYPE
28Blood type
Row 8, col 7 · 2 letters · down
Shape: A _. “Boxer's attire” crosses it at the second square.
AB
29Boxer's attire
Row 10, col 4 · 4 letters · across
Use the text “BOXER'S ATTIRE” if the picture is unclear. First letter R.
ROBE
Crossword Challenge Level 988 Solved Grid
Hide the letters to check your own board against the empty grid.
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Puzzle 988 solved
Thanks for working through Puzzle 988 with us. Puzzle 989 is next, with 31 clues on a 8×10 board.