The most common answers to the crossword clue "Internal organ" are STOMACH (7 letters, Evening Standard Easy, Oct 20, 2021), BOWEL (5 letters, Telegraph Quick, May 2, 2026), LIVER (5 letters), HEART (5 letters), and SPLEEN (6 letters) — and the letter count of your grid decides which one fits (standardcrosswords.co.uk; crossword-solver.io).
The Most Common Answers by Letter Count
Anatomy clues are crossword workhorses: body parts have short, grid-friendly spellings and most solvers know them. The leading answers:
| Answer | Letters | Seen in |
|---|---|---|
| HEART | 5 | Evening Standard; Penny Press |
| LIVER | 5 | Telegraph Quick (May 15, 2020) |
| BOWEL | 5 | Telegraph Quick (May 2, 2026) |
| SPLEEN | 6 | Penny Press |
| STOMACH | 7 | Evening Standard Easy (Oct 20, 2021) |
| ENTRAIL | 7 | Wall Street Journal (Jul 26, 2021) |
| INNARDS | 7 | Missing Letter Crossword (Oct 20, 2025) |
| VISCERA | 7 | Times Concise (Oct 9, 2019) |
Why There Are So Many Five-Letter Answers
HEART, LIVER, and BOWEL all run to five letters, which is why "Internal organ" at five letters is one of the trickiest common clues — the count alone does not settle it. This is where crossing letters earn their keep: a single crossing vowel usually separates HEART from LIVER from BOWEL.
STOMACH: The Seven-Letter Default
STOMACH was the answer to "Internal organ (7)" in the Evening Standard's Easy crossword on October 20, 2021 (standardcrosswords.co.uk). It is the organ solvers name first when asked to think of one, which makes it the constructor's default at seven letters.
SPLEEN: The Cryptic Favourite
The spleen turns up constantly in cryptic crosswords because it doubles as a word for bad temper — "venting one's spleen". Crosswordgenius.com records it for "Internal organ" in the Penny Press and lists alternative definitions like "Acrimony" and "Ill-humour". If your cryptic clue hints at anger as well as anatomy, SPLEEN is almost certainly the answer.
HEART: The Emotional Organ
HEART works as both an internal organ and a symbol of love or courage, giving constructors two clueing angles. Crosswordgenius.com notes definitions for HEART ranging from "Red card" to "Body organ" — the versatility keeps it in heavy rotation.
Cryptic Wordplay Using Internal Organs
Cryptic crosswords frequently hide organ names inside longer answers. One verified example: the Irish Times clue "Twist round internal organ?" gives OLIVER — "twist" is the definition, and the wordplay is O (round) + LIVER (internal organ) (crosswordgenius.com). Spotting that organs like LIVER double as wordplay building blocks is a key cryptic skill.
Other common cryptic uses:
- "Organ" alone often means the musical instrument, not the body part — context decides.
- "Gut" clues point to the intestines: BOWEL or GUT itself.
- "Ticker" is slang for the HEART.
- "Bread basket" is slang for the STOMACH.
Recent Sightings of the "Internal Organ" Clue
- Evening Standard Easy — October 20, 2021: "Internal organ (7)" = STOMACH (standardcrosswords.co.uk).
- Telegraph Quick — May 2, 2026: "Internal organ" = BOWEL (5) (crossword-solver.io).
- Telegraph Quick — May 15, 2020: "Internal organ" = LIVER (5) (crossword-solver.io).
- Guardian Quick — September 22, 2026: "Internal organs (5)" = OFFAL (crossword-solver.io).
- Wall Street Journal — July 26, 2021: "Internal organ, usually referred to in the plural" = ENTRAIL (7) (crossword-solver.io).
- Missing Letter Crossword — October 20, 2025: "the internal organs of a human being or animal" = INNARDS (7) (tryhardguides.com).
Tips for Solving Anatomy Clues
- Letter count first. Seven letters? Think STOMACH. Five? HEART, LIVER, or BOWEL — then use crossings.
- Check singular vs plural. "Internal organs" (plural) points to INNARDS, VISCERA, or ENTRAILS; singular takes one organ.
- Watch for double meanings. SPLEEN (temper), HEART (love), GUT (courage) — the clue may be playing on the non-anatomical sense.
- In cryptics, organs build words. LIVER inside OLIVER is the classic example; look for organ names tucked into longer answers.
- Slang is fair game. TICKER, BREAD BASKET, and GUT all appear in mainstream puzzles.
For more clue-type explainers, see our guide to prize crossword clues, and the crossword books for adults roundup if you want to practise cryptic conventions.
More Anatomy Clues Worth Learning
"Internal organ" is just one member of a large anatomy family in crosswords. Body parts are constructor favourites because they are short, vowel-rich, and universally known. Beyond the organ answers above, watch for these:
- Bones: RIB (3), ULNA (4), FEMUR (5), TIBIA (5), PELVIS (6). Short bone names are among the most common three- and four-letter answers in any crossword.
- Brain-adjacent: BRAIN (5) itself appears for "thinking organ" and similar clues.
- Collective terms: INNARDS, VISCERA and ENTRAILS cover the plural "organs" clues, as the FAQ explains below.
- Slang: TICKER (heart), BREAD BASKET (stomach) and GUT (intestines) show up in looser, modern puzzles.
The same letter-count-first discipline applies: count the squares, list the candidates at that length, and let the crossings decide. For more clue-type explainers, see our guide to prize crossword clues.
Why "Spleen" Is the Cryptic Crossword Favourite
Of all the internal-organ answers, SPLEEN has a special status in cryptic crosswords — and it is worth understanding why, because the wordplay patterns recur. The spleen is an organ associated since ancient medicine with melancholy and bad temper: the Greeks believed it was the seat of the "black bile" humour, which is why we still say someone is "venting their spleen" when they let out anger. That emotional baggage gives setters a rich field of misdirection.
In cryptics, SPLEEN is a gift of a word. It anagrams neatly, its letters are common, and the definition half of a clue can hide behind temperament words — "anger", "ill temper", "melancholy" — rather than anatomy at all. A clue like "Twist round internal organ?" can use "twist" as an anagram indicator and "round" as a container hint, leading solvers away from the body entirely. The article's FAQ on that clue shows the pattern in action.
There is a second reason setters love it: SPLEEN is one of the few six-letter organ answers, filling a slot length that HEART, LIVER, and BOWEL cannot. In grid construction, six-letter slots are common and organ vocabulary at that length is thin — so SPLEEN gets clued far more often than its everyday usage would suggest.
The practical rule: when the enumeration says (6) and the clue is about temper, mood, or anatomy, write SPLEEN first and let the crossings prove you wrong.
What is the most common answer for “Internal organ” in a crossword?
It depends on length: STOMACH (7) leads at seven letters, while HEART, LIVER, and BOWEL share the five-letter slot. Crossword-solver.io ranks BOWEL and LIVER at 98% for the plain clue (standardcrosswords.co.uk; crossword-solver.io).
What is the 7-letter answer for “Internal organ”?
STOMACH — recorded in the Evening Standard Easy on October 20, 2021. Alternatives include ENTRAIL, INNARDS, and VISCERA (standardcrosswords.co.uk).
What is the 5-letter answer for “Internal organ”?
HEART, LIVER, or BOWEL — all five letters, so crossing letters decide. LIVER appeared in the Telegraph Quick on May 15, 2020 and BOWEL on May 2, 2026 (crossword-solver.io).
Why does “spleen” appear in crosswords so often?
Because it has two meanings: the organ and ill temper (“venting one’s spleen”). That double duty makes it a cryptic constructor’s favourite (crosswordgenius.com).
What does “Twist round internal organ?” mean in a cryptic crossword?
It is a verified Irish Times clue for OLIVER: O (round) + LIVER (internal organ) = OLIVER, with “Twist” as the definition — Dickens’ Oliver Twist (crosswordgenius.com).
What is the plural answer for “Internal organs”?
INNARDS (7), VISCERA (7), or ENTRAILS (8) — all collective nouns for the body’s internal organs (tryhardguides.com; crossword-solver.io).
What if none of the common answers fit my grid?
Re-check the letter count first — most misses come from miscounting squares. Then consider whether the clue is cryptic: a question mark, wordplay indicator, or double meaning (like SPLEEN for temper) changes everything. Our [crossword books for adults](https://plusword.co.uk/crossword-books-for-adults/) roundup recommends practice collections for building this instinct.
Are organ clues common in American crosswords too?
Yes. Short answers like HEART, LIVER and BONES appear constantly in American-style grids, which prize short, stackable words. The cryptic wordplay angle (LIVER inside OLIVER) is more of a British tradition.
What is the longest “internal organ” answer in crosswords?
ESOPHAGUS (9) and APPENDIX (8) both appear for longer slots, while PANCREAS (8) is another constructor favourite at eight letters — all worth keeping in your mental candidate list alongside STOMACH. Constructors favour these longer slots in Sunday-sized grids, where the extra squares make room for richer crossing answers.
Why does “spleen” mean anger as well as an organ?
Ancient Greek medicine taught that the spleen was the seat of “black bile”, one of the four humours believed to cause melancholy and bad temper. The metaphor survived in phrases like “venting one’s spleen”, which is why cryptic setters can clue SPLEEN with temper words instead of anatomy.
What is the rarest common answer for “internal organ”?
ENTRAIL and VISCERA are the least everyday of the common answers — both seven letters and both seen in major papers (the Wall Street Journal and The Times Concise respectively). They tend to appear in harder puzzles where the setter expects a strong vocabulary.