Crossword Clue: Historic city in southwestern Nigeria
Here's the answer to the Historic city in southwestern Nigeria crossword clue, with an explanation and where it has appeared.
Definition & answer: IBADAN
The answer to "Historic city in southwestern Nigeria" is IBADAN. Ibadan is a 6-letter word made up of 3 vowels and 3 consonants, beginning with I and ending with N. In a crossword grid it occupies a 6-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
Ibadan was once one of the largest cities in sub-Saharan Africa. It is home to Nigeria's oldest university, founded in 1948. The city grew as a Yoruba military stronghold in the 19th century.
Common usage
Ibadan turns up frequently in crosswords precisely because of that letter mix. Short, vowel-friendly words like IBADAN 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 6-letter slot and already have a crossing letter or two, IBADAN is often quick to confirm — especially once the I or N is in place.
Crossword trivia
Because it is only 6 letters long, IBADAN 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 "Historic city in southwestern Nigeria" 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 IBADAN 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 IBADAN — 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 IBADAN into the grid took no time at all."
- "Ibadan is the kind of answer that clicks the moment you spot one letter."
- "Seeing 'Historic city in southwestern Nigeria' in the clue list, an experienced solver pencils in IBADAN almost immediately."
- "Once the I was confirmed by the crossing word, IBADAN was the only entry that fit."