A clue is a piece of information that helps you find an answer or solve a mystery.
What Does Clue Mean?
A clue points the way. It doesn't give you the whole answer. It gives you something to follow.
The muddy footprints were the first clue in the case of the missing cookies.
Detectives look for them. Crosswords are full of them. Treasure hunts depend on them.
And here's the odd part: the word began as a ball of thread.
🔊 Pronunciation
KLOO
One short syllable. It rhymes with blue, glue and true.
🗣️ Natural Examples
The torn ticket was the first clue in the mystery of the missing school bag.
I'll give you a clue: it's round, and you can eat it.
Each riddle in the treasure hunt gave us a new clue.
My brother hasn't got a clue where he left his shoes.
The detective followed the clues all the way to the garden shed.
🛠️ How to Use It
Clue is a very common word, used in games, school, stories and everyday life.
- As a noun: a clue, the first clue, a clue to the mystery.
- With to, about or as to: a clue to the answer, a clue about the thief.
- Common verbs: give a clue, find a clue, follow a clue, look for clues.
- An informal phrase: I haven't got a clue means I have no idea.
🤝 Common Word Partners
- a big clue
- an important clue
- follow a clue
- give someone a clue
- a crossword clue
- a clue to the mystery
- look for clues
🌳 Word Family
- clue (noun): a piece of information that helps. The clue was under the sofa.
- clueless (adjective): having no idea, in an informal and slightly rude way. He was totally clueless about the surprise.
- clue in (informal phrasal verb): to tell someone the facts. Can you clue me in?
👯 Similar and Related Words
- hint: a small piece of help, often given to you on purpose. Can I have a hint? The word hint has a different origin, from an old word meaning "to seize".
- evidence: facts or objects that show something is true, used for serious cases. A clue can lead you to evidence.
- sign: something that shows what is true or what will happen. Dark clouds are a sign of rain.
- lead: a clue that someone is following in an investigation. The police have a new lead.
⚠️ Common Mistakes
A clue is not the answer.
❌ The clue is that Leo ate the cookies.
✅ The crumbs on Leo's shirt are a clue. (they point to the answer)
Use "a clue to", not "a clue of".
❌ This is a clue of the mystery.
✅ This is a clue to the mystery.
Clueless can sound unkind.
❌ You are so clueless. (it can hurt)
✅ I'm a bit clueless about football. (talking about yourself is gentler)
💬 In a Conversation
Sam: Do you have any clue where my left shoe is?
Mia: I have one clue.
Sam: Great! What is it?
Mia: The dog is wearing it.
🕵️ Where Does It Come From?
Clue is the same word as the old English word clew, which meant a ball of thread or yarn.
In a famous Greek myth, a hero named Theseus had to find his way out of a giant maze called the Labyrinth. He was given a ball of thread. He unrolled it as he walked, so he could follow it back out. That thread was his way home.
So clew came to mean "something that guides you through a puzzle". The idea of a clew as a guide in a tricky case appears in English in the late 1500s. Over time the spelling also changed from clew to clue, the same kind of change that happened to words such as true and hue.
Like companion and rival, clue started with an everyday picture, in this case a ball of thread you follow.
💡 The OddLingo Trick
Picture a thread running through a maze.
Every clue is a loose thread. Follow it, pull it, and the mystery comes undone.