The easiest cryptic clue type to spot — the answer is hiding in plain sight
Hidden word clues are the friendliest clue type for beginners. The answer is literally spelled out inside the clue text, hidden across one or more consecutive words. All you need to do is find the right sequence of letters.
The setter signals this clue type with a hidden word indicator — a word or phrase like "in", "some", "part of", "held by", or "concealed". These tell you to look inside the surrounding words for consecutive letters that spell the answer.
Because the answer is right there in the clue, hidden word clues are a great place to start when tackling a new puzzle. If you see an indicator like "some" or "part of", scan the nearby words letter by letter — the answer is waiting for you.
These words and phrases tell you to look for the answer hidden inside the clue text:
Once you spot the indicator, look at the remaining words in the clue. Slowly read the consecutive letters across word boundaries. The answer will span across at least two words (otherwise it would be too obvious).
Setters almost always hide the answer across two or more words. If you find the whole answer inside a single word, double-check — that would be unusually easy and most setters avoid it.
The number in brackets tells you exactly how many consecutive letters to look for. This makes it much easier to scan through the clue systematically.
Some clues combine hidden words with reversals. If you see both a hidden word indicator and a reversal indicator (like "returning" or "back"), the answer is hidden backwards in the text.
Hidden word clues are the quickest to solve. In a new puzzle, look for indicators like "some", "part of", or "in" first — solving these gives you crossing letters to help with harder clues.
Now that you know hidden words, explore the other cryptic clue types.