Stout stem

The answer to “Stout stem” in the The Telegraph Cryptic crossword is STAUNCH — a 7-letter word. It most recently appeared in the The Telegraph Cryptic crossword on September 23, 2026, a Wednesday puzzle, at 20-Down. 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.

“Stout stem” answer

STAUNCH (7 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 STAUNCH.

What does STAUNCH mean?

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

When else has “Stout stem” appeared?

The Telegraph Cryptic 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.

September 23, 2026 (most recent) → STAUNCH. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions