Startled syllable

The answer to “Startled syllable” in the LA Times crossword is EEK — a 3-letter word. It most recently appeared in the LA Times crossword on July 19, 2026, a Sunday puzzle, at 83-Across. Below you'll find why that fill fits, every other answer we've recorded for this clue, and links into the puzzle it came from.

“Startled syllable” answer

EEK (3 letters)

Reveal the solution one letter at a time with the tiles above if you'd rather nudge yourself toward it than see the whole word at once. Just want it outright? The answer is EEK.

Why the answer is EEK

It's a common exclamation when something surprising happens! 😲

What does EEK mean?

Reading the plain dictionary sense of EEK is often the fastest way to see why it answers this clue.

When else has “Startled syllable” appeared?

LA Times reuses clues across dates, sometimes with a different answer depending on the grid. Here's where this exact clue has shown up, and what the answer was each time — handy when you're checking whether today's fill is the only one.

July 19, 2026 (most recent) → EEK. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

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