Period of Leave From Work in Addition to Holidays Crossword: Clue Answer

The most common crossword answer for "period of leave from work in addition to holidays" is SABBATICAL (10 letters) — an extended leave taken beyond regular holidays, traditionally every seventh year, according to dictionary and crossword-solver databases. Shorter grids may instead want LEAVE (5) or VACATION (8). Below: every likely answer by letter count, real published clue examples, and how to pick the right one.

The Answer, by Letter Count

Crossword answers live and die by letter count, so start there:

Why SABBATICAL Is the Most Likely Answer

A sabbatical is a leave usually taken every seventh year (tryhardguides.com) — an extended break that sits in addition to ordinary holidays and vacation time. That is exactly what the clue describes: not your annual leave, but a longer, separate period away from work, often used for rest, study, or travel.

The answer is well attested in published puzzles. The Daily Commuter Crossword used "Break from work" with the 10-letter answer SABBATICAL on February 19, 2025 (tryhardguides.com), and the clue's definition — "a leave usually taken every seventh year" — matches the sabbatical concept precisely.

Cryptic crossword example

British cryptic crosswords love this answer too. The Guardian Quiptic ran this clue on February 1, 2026: "Southern sailor, one in Baltic at work, has period of leave (10)" — and the answer is SABBATICAL (crossword-solver.io). The definition half is "period of leave"; the rest of the clue is the wordplay, which is why the answer needs 10 letters. Spotting which half of a cryptic clue is the definition is half the battle, and here "period of leave" sits neatly at the end.

Shorter Alternatives

If SABBATICAL doesn't fit your grid, check these:

• LEAVE (5). The Seattle Times New Crossword clued "Sabbatical" at 5 letters on April 5, 2026, with the answer LEAVE — defined as "the period of time during which you are absent from work or duty" (tryhardguides.com). The perfect fallback for tight grids.
• VACATION (8). Crossword solver databases list VACATION as the top answer for "Time away from work", an 8-letter word, with LEISURE (7) and OFFHOURS (8) as further solutions (the-crossword-solver.com). Use it when the clue leans American or mentions time off generally.
• LEISURE (7). A solid fit for "time away from work" phrasings at seven letters (the-crossword-solver.com).

More published examples

The same family of clues shows up constantly in slightly different wordings, and the answers cluster around the same words:

• "An extended period of leisure and time off from work" → VACATION (sporcle.com clue database).
• "A period of suspension of work, study, or other activity, usually used for rest, recreation, or travel" → VACATION (sporcle.com).
• "Leisure time away from work" → VACATION (sporcle.com).
• "Period of absence from work" → VACATION in word-game help databases (wordhikehelp.com).

Notice the pattern: when the clue says "period of" or "break from", the setter usually means the longer, formal leave — SABBATICAL. When it says "time off" or "time away", the setter usually means the ordinary holiday — VACATION or LEISURE. The "in addition to holidays" wording in your clue pushes it firmly into SABBATICAL territory.

How to Choose the Right Answer

1. Count the slots. Ten letters means SABBATICAL, eight means VACATION, seven means LEISURE, five means LEAVE. This alone solves most cases.
2. Read the crossing letters. If you have S _ _ B _ _ _ _ _ _, it's SABBATICAL; V _ C _ _ _ _ _ points to VACATION.
3. Check the clue's flavour. "Break from work", "extended leave", or anything about the seventh year points to SABBATICAL. Plain "time off" or "time away from work" points to VACATION or LEISURE. A bare "Sabbatical" at 5 letters means LEAVE.
4. Mind the "in addition to holidays" phrasing. That wording rules out HOLIDAY and points to something beyond normal time off — another reason SABBATICAL is the favourite here.

A note on sabbaticals

The word comes from "sabbatical" as an adjective meaning "of or relating to the Sabbath" — the concept of rest every seventh cycle, extended from days to years; Merriam-Webster traces both sabbatical and Sabbath to the Greek sabbaton and Hebrew shabbāth, meaning "rest" (Merriam-Webster). In practice, academics and some companies grant sabbaticals as months-long paid or unpaid leave for research, travel, or rest, entirely separate from annual holiday entitlement.

For more clue-solving practice, see our guide to prize crossword clue answers, and browse crossword books for adults to sharpen your grid skills.

Related Leave and Time-Off Crossword Clues

Crossword setters recycle this theme constantly. If your exact clue wording differs slightly, the same small set of answers usually applies — match the letter count first, then the clue's flavour:

The giveaway is always the phrasing: "period of", "break from" and "extended" point to the formal, longer leave (SABBATICAL), while "time off", "time away" and "absence" point to the ordinary holiday (VACATION or LEISURE). The "in addition to holidays" phrasing in your clue is the strongest SABBATICAL signal of all, since it explicitly excludes the regular vacation answer.

The Sabbath Roots of "Sabbatical"

SABBATICAL is one of those crossword answers that carries its whole history in its spelling — and knowing that history makes the word unforgettable. It comes from "sabbath", the day of rest, which itself comes from the Hebrew shabbat. The connection is the number seven: just as the sabbath is the seventh day, a sabbatical was traditionally a period of rest taken every seventh year.

The seven-year rhythm started in academia. Universities granted professors a sabbatical — originally a full year, now often a semester — every seven years of service, to rest, travel, research, or write. The idea was biblical as well as practical: the ancient sabbatical year was a year in which fields lay fallow. That agricultural metaphor survives in the modern usage — a sabbatical is time deliberately left "unplanted" so that something can grow later.

This is exactly why the crossword clue works. "Period of leave from work in addition to holidays" describes something longer and more purposeful than a vacation: a break with the weight of tradition behind it. Holidays are annual and expected; a sabbatical is exceptional, extended, and — in its original form — tied to a seven-year cycle.

For solvers, the etymology is a memory hook. Any clue mentioning rest, a seventh year, academia, or an extended break should bring SABBATICAL to mind immediately. And the Sabbath connection explains the double B — a spelling detail that crossings do not always confirm, but that the word's history makes natural.