Crossword Clue: Capital of Peru
Here's the answer to the Capital of Peru crossword clue, with an explanation and where it has appeared.
Definition & answer: LIMA
The answer to "Capital of Peru" is LIMA. Lima is a 4-letter word made up of 2 vowels and 2 consonants, beginning with L and ending with A. In a crossword grid it occupies a 4-square slot, and each of its letters also forms part of a word crossing it — so even if the clue stumps you, the crossing entries will usually hand you enough letters to fill it in.
Origin & meaning
Lima was founded by Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro in 1535 as the City of Kings. It sits on the arid Pacific coast and is one of the largest desert cities on Earth. Its historic center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Common usage
Lima turns up frequently in crosswords precisely because of that letter mix. Short, vowel-friendly words like LIMA are a constructor's best friend: they interlock cleanly with longer entries and help a grid come together without awkward letter clashes. When you see a 4-letter slot and already have a crossing letter or two, LIMA is often quick to confirm — especially once the L or A is in place.
Crossword trivia
Because it is only 4 letters long, LIMA appears far more often in daily mini and themed puzzles than longer, more obscure words. Regular solvers come to recognize it on sight, and it is exactly the kind of entry worth committing to memory: the more common short words you know cold, the faster your solve times become.
Stuck on this clue?
If "Capital of Peru" has you stuck, don't force it — jump to the clues crossing this slot instead. Filling in even one or two intersecting letters usually makes LIMA obvious. That crossing-first approach is the single most useful habit for improving at crosswords, and it works on everything from the quick daily Mini to a full Sunday grid.
This clue in different puzzles
Setters vary how they clue LIMA — sometimes with a straight dictionary definition, sometimes with wordplay, a pun, or a fill-in-the-blank — but the answer itself stays the same. Learning to spot the answer behind the disguise is a core crossword skill.
Example sentences
- "I had the crossing letters, so writing LIMA into the grid took no time at all."
- "Lima is the kind of answer that clicks the moment you spot one letter."
- "Seeing 'Capital of Peru' in the clue list, an experienced solver pencils in LIMA almost immediately."
- "Once the L was confirmed by the crossing word, LIMA was the only entry that fit."