Deceptive ploys
The crossword clue "Deceptive ploys" is answered by RUSES, a 5-letter entry. Used 14 times across 12 distinct years; most recently in 2026; first recorded in 2004. It appears in 10 publications in the xd corpus. Every figure on this page comes from the collection data itself, never from a guess.
The answer
RUSES
5 letters. See every clue for this answer on the RUSES answer page.
Used 14 times across 12 distinct years; most recently in 2026; first recorded in 2004. It appears in 10 publications in the xd corpus. Frequency and last-seen figures come from the xd crossword corpus only.
Other clues for RUSES
Every other clue in this collection answered by RUSES, most used first.
- Tricks - used 63 times, most recently in 2026
- Artful dodges - used 20 times, most recently in 2026
- Ploys - used 17 times, most recently in 2026
- Stratagems - used 15 times, most recently in 2023
- Deceptions - used 12 times, most recently in 2021
- Subterfuges - used 10 times, most recently in 2014
- Artifices - used 9 times, most recently in 2007
- Deceptive maneuvers - used 6 times, most recently in 2025
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.
- Deceptive move - FEINT, used 19 times
- Deceptive appearance - GUISE, used 7 times
- Deceptive scheme - SETUP, used 7 times
- Deceptive - FALSE, used 6 times
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