Clue example sentences
Related (13): hint, evidence, lead, sign, indication, trace, tip, inkling, mystery, puzzle, riddle, clue-finder, detective
"Clue" Example Sentences
Common Phrases
- haven't got a clue
- not a clue
- give someone a clue
- clue in
- clue someone in
- vital clue
- crucial clue
- missing clue
- clue to the mystery
- clue about
- follow the clue
- piece of the clue
- hidden clue
Examples by Level
A1
- I don't have a clue what that word means.
- The teacher gave us a clue to help solve the problem.
- She has no clue where her brother is right now.
A2
- He didn't have a clue that everyone was watching him.
- The police found an important clue at the scene.
- Can you give me a clue about what you're planning?
B1
- Looking back, there were clue after clue that something was wrong, but we ignored them all.
- The detective examined every clue carefully, hoping to find the connection.
- I haven't got a clue why she's so angry with me — we barely spoke yesterday.
B2
- The final clue revealed that everything we'd believed was completely false.
- She left a clue deliberately, wanting someone to understand what had really happened.
- Without that single clue, the entire investigation would have gone in the wrong direction.
C1
- The absence of a clue was itself a clue — it suggested someone had carefully covered their tracks.
- Each clue seemed to contradict the previous one, creating a labyrinth of false leads and dead ends.
- He recognized in that small clue the fingerprint of someone he thought he'd never see again.
C2
- The clue, buried beneath layers of misdirection and deliberate obfuscation, finally emerged as the linchpin that reframed the entire narrative.
- What appeared to be a clue was in fact a carefully constructed deception — a mirror meant to reflect back our own assumptions.
- She understood that the most valuable clue was often the one that contradicted everything you wanted to believe.
Examples by Scenario
🏠 Everyday Life
- My dog knocked over a plant and left dirt everywhere — that was the clue that gave away his guilt.
- I found a clue in the kitchen: an empty ice cream container in the trash, and my brother's spoon in the sink.
- The clue that my roommate had eaten my leftovers was the soy sauce stain on her shirt.
💼 Workplace
- The email timestamp was the clue that proved he'd sent it before the meeting, not after.
- She noticed a clue in his tone — something was definitely wrong, even though he said everything was fine.
- The missing clue in the project file suggested someone had deliberately deleted it.
📊 Business
- The clue to their success was investing in customer service when competitors were cutting costs.
- Market research provided a crucial clue about which demographic was actually buying the product.
- The clue lay in the data: their most loyal customers weren't the ones they'd been targeting.
🛒 Buying / Shopping
- The price tag was the only clue I had about whether this vintage jacket was actually worth buying.
- I found a clue in the reviews — everyone mentioned the same problem with the zipper breaking.
- The clue that this wasn't a genuine product was how cheap it felt in my hands.
✈️ Travel
- The clue that we'd taken the wrong train was the announcement in a language we didn't understand.
- The hotel receptionist's confused expression was the clue that our reservation had somehow vanished.
- I found a clue about the local culture in how people reacted to our terrible pronunciation.
📚 Education
- The teacher gave us a clue by writing a specific date on the board during the history lesson.
- My daughter's test score gave me a clue that she wasn't understanding the material as well as she claimed.
- The clue to good studying wasn't working harder — it was working smarter, my tutor explained.
❤️ Relationships
- The clue that he was going to propose was how nervous he'd been all week, checking his pocket constantly.
- She found a clue about his feelings in the way he looked at her when he thought she wasn't watching.
- The clue that our relationship was ending came not from words but from silence — the kind that couldn't be filled.
📰 News / Politics
- The leaked document provided a crucial clue about what had really happened behind closed doors.
- Political analysts pointed to a single clue in the candidate's speech that suggested a shift in strategy.
- The clue to understanding the scandal was following the money — it always led somewhere interesting.
💻 Technology
- The error message was the only clue I had about why the software kept crashing.
- The clue that my phone was hacked was when apps started opening on their own.
- The algorithm's recommendation gave me a clue about what data it had collected about my habits.
📝 Formal Writing
- The statistical significance of the correlation provided a clue that the hypothesis warranted further investigation.
- The absence of documentation served as a clue to the irregular nature of the transaction.
- Analysis of the textual evidence revealed a clue that the author's perspective had shifted between chapters.