Jump Conjugation Chart: Simple Past, Participle, and Crossword Solutions

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Crossword constructors frequently lean on regular verb conjugation because six-letter past-tense forms easily balance grid corners. In games like the NYT Mini Crossword, clue phrasing tells you everything about the required tense and character count.

If the clue appears in the past tense, the solution must match that inflection. Clues such as "Vaulted," "Bounded," "Cleared an obstacle," or "Started suddenly in surprise" universally signal an answer in the preterite or past participle. In standard weekday puzzles, a six-letter solution to "Bounded forward" is almost certainly JUMPED or LEAPED. If the constructor provides a five-letter constraint, BOUND or SPRANG often replaces it.

Tense agreement remains an unbending rule of crossword construction:

• "Clear a hurdle" (4 letters): JUMP
• "Cleared a hurdle" (6 letters): JUMPED
• "Has cleared a hurdle" (6 letters): JUMPED
• "Surprise reaction" (5 letters): START

Checking the cross-letters (the down answers intersecting your across row) confirms whether the puzzle demands regular forms ending in "-ed" or irregular variants like "sprung" or "leapt."