By surprise
The crossword clue "By surprise" is answered by ABACK, a 5-letter entry. Used 40 times across 24 distinct years; most recently in 2026; first recorded in 1994. It appears in 12 publications in the xd corpus. Every figure on this page comes from the collection data itself.
The answer
ABACK
5 letters. See every clue for this answer on the ABACK answer page.
Used 40 times across 24 distinct years; most recently in 2026; first recorded in 1994. It appears in 12 publications in the xd corpus. Frequency and last-seen figures come from the xd crossword corpus only.
Other answers for this clue
The same clue has also been answered these ways in the xd corpus. Answers inside this collection link to their own answer page.
- UNAWARES (11 uses in xd)
- SUDDENLY (1 uses in xd)
Other clues for ABACK
Every other clue in this collection answered by ABACK, most used first.
- Taken ___ (surprised) - used 62 times, most recently in 2026
- One way to be taken - used 45 times, most recently in 2026
Related clues
Clues in this collection of the same answer length that share a word with this clue, or match its answer pattern when no word is shared. Most used first.
- Surprise win - UPSET, used 33 times
- Surprise victory - UPSET, used 32 times
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