You’ve been staring at those blank white squares for twenty minutes. The coffee is getting cold. You have the "C" and the "L," maybe even a "U," and you’re pretty sure it’s a six-letter word, but "PACT" is too short and "CONSPIRACY" is way too long. The secret agreement crossword clue is a classic staple of the New York Times, LA Times, and Wall Street Journal puzzles, yet it manages to trip up even seasoned solvers because the English language has about a dozen ways to describe people whispering in a dark corner.
Crosswords aren't just about knowing words. They’re about knowing how an editor's mind works. When Will Shortz or an editor at The Crossword looks at a grid, they aren’t just looking for a definition; they’re looking for a synonym that fits the specific vibe of the day's difficulty. If it’s a Monday, the answer is probably simple. If it's a Saturday? Prepare for some obscure Latin or a word used primarily in 18th-century law.
The Most Likely Answers for Secret Agreement
Let's cut to the chase. If you are stuck right now, look at your grid and see if any of these fit.
The heavy hitter is almost always COLLUSION. It’s nine letters, it feels weighty, and it’s been in the news constantly for the last decade. But if you only have five letters? Try CABAL. A cabal isn't just an agreement; it's a group of people united in some secret design, often to promote their own interests or overthrow someone else. It sounds devious. It’s a great word.
Then there’s COVEN. Usually, we associate this with witches, but in the world of cryptic clues, it can sometimes be used to describe a secret meeting or agreement. If the clue is looking for something more formal and perhaps a bit more "legal-adjacent," you might be looking for CARTEL. While we think of cartels in terms of modern economics or illegal trade, at its core, it is a secret agreement between supposedly competing parties to fix prices or limit competition.
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If the answer is only four letters, you’re likely looking at PACT. Simple. Elegant. Effective. A pact doesn’t necessarily have to be nefarious, but in a crossword context, "secret" is often the leading adjective. If you have five letters and "PACT" doesn't work, try TRUST—specifically in the anti-trust sense of a secret monopoly agreement.
Why Crossword Editors Love This Clue
Editors love the "secret agreement" prompt because it allows for a lot of flexibility. They can make it a "straight" clue, where the definition is literal, or they can use wordplay. For example, if the clue is "Secret agreement between two people?" the answer might be TRYST. Now, a tryst is usually romantic, but it’s still an agreement to meet in secret.
You’ve probably noticed that crossword difficulty scales throughout the week. Monday clues for this might be "Under-the-table deal," leading directly to PACT. By the time Wednesday rolls around, you might see "Hidden handshake," which is a bit more metaphorical. By Saturday, they might give you something like "Machiavellian maneuver," and suddenly you’re hunting for INTRIGUE or CONNIVANCE.
Connivance is a fascinating one. It’s rarely used in casual conversation. You don’t tell your friend, "I suspect some connivance in the PTA." But in a crossword? It’s gold. It specifically refers to the "secret surfacing" of a plan, usually involving someone turning a blind eye to wrongdoing.
A Quick List of Synonyms to Check
Sometimes you just need to see the words laid out. No fluff.
- COLLUSION (9 letters)
- CONNIVANCE (10 letters)
- CONSPIRACY (10 letters)
- CABAL (5 letters)
- PACT (4 letters)
- CARTEL (6 letters)
- COVEN (5 letters)
- PLOT (4 letters)
- LEAGUE (6 letters)
- UNDERSTANDING (13 letters - rare but happens)
Don't forget about COALITION. While usually public, if the clue implies a "shadowy" element, this might be your winner.
The Nuance of "Under the Table" Deals
In the business world, a secret agreement is often referred to as a "gentleman's agreement." In crosswords, this often appears as a clue about an unwritten rule or an informal deal. However, the secret agreement crossword clue specifically looks for those more "cloaked" terms.
Take the word CAMARILLA. Have you ever seen that one? It refers to a group of secret advisors to a politician. It’s a very specific type of secret agreement—one where the people involved are whispering in the ear of power. It’s a "deep cut" for crossword fans, but if you see it, you’ll feel like a genius for filling it in.
The context of the surrounding letters—the "crosses"—is your best friend here. If you have an "O" and an "N," and the clue is about a secret agreement, you are almost certainly looking at COLLUSION or CONNIVANCE. If you see a "Z," you might be dealing with something much weirder, like a reference to a specific historical treaty or a word like SCHEME.
How to Solve It Faster Next Time
Solving these isn't just about a large vocabulary. It's about pattern recognition. When you see the word "secret" in a clue, your brain should immediately start categories:
- Is it a secret place? (Hiding, Den, Lair)
- Is it a secret meeting? (Tryst, Rendezvous)
- Is it a secret agreement? (Pact, Cabal, Collusion)
By categorizing the clue, you narrow down the mental dictionary you're searching through. Also, look at the tense. If the clue is "Secretly agreed," the answer must end in -ED (like PLOTTED or CONSPIRED). If it's "Secretly agreeing," look for -ING. It sounds obvious, but when you're frustrated, these are the first things you forget.
There’s also the "shorthand" of crosswords. If the clue has a question mark at the end, like "Secret agreement?", it means there is a pun or a non-literal meaning involved. Maybe the answer is KNOT, as in "tying the knot" secretly? Crosswords are sneaky like that.
Real-World Examples from Recent Puzzles
In a recent New York Times puzzle, the clue "Secret agreement" resulted in the answer CABAL.
In a Wall Street Journal puzzle from last year, the answer was CARTEL.
The LA Times has been known to use COLLUSION when they need to fill a long vertical stretch in the grid.
These editors aren't reinventing the wheel. They use these words because they have a "friendly" letter distribution. Words with lots of vowels (like COLLUSION) or common consonants (like PACT) are much easier to weave into a grid than words with X’s, Z’s, or Q’s.
Moving Toward the Solution
If you're still stuck, look at the letter count one more time. Count it out loud. Sometimes we miscount the squares when we're frustrated. If it's seven letters, have you considered ENTENTE? It’s a French-origin word often used in diplomacy to describe an informal secret agreement between nations. It’s a favorite of high-level puzzle creators because it has three E’s, which are very easy to build other words around.
Crossword puzzles are a test of persistence as much as knowledge. The secret agreement crossword clue is a hurdle, but it's one you've likely seen before and will definitely see again.
Actionable Tips for Your Current Puzzle:
- Check the Crosses: Don't obsess over the clue itself. Solve the words going the other way. Even two letters can confirm if you’re looking at CABAL or COVEN.
- Say it Out Loud: Sometimes hearing the phrase "secret agreement" helps you stumble onto a synonym like PLOTTING.
- Think About the Theme: If the puzzle has a theme about "The Ocean," maybe the secret agreement is a SHELL deal? (Okay, that's a bad joke, but that's how some Thursday puzzles actually work).
- Use a Dictionary of Synonyms: If you are truly stumped and just want to finish, search specifically for "Synonyms for secret agreement" rather than just the crossword clue. It expands your options.
- Note the Difficulty: If it’s a Monday or Tuesday, go with the simplest word. If it’s later in the week, think of the most "SAT-prep" word you know.
The next time you sit down with the Sunday paper, keep these variations in your back pocket. You'll find that "secret agreement" isn't a roadblock anymore; it's a freebie that helps you unlock the rest of the grid.