When did 'clew' become 'clue'? Somewhere in the 1600s, the spelling of CLEW changed and became standardized to what we use today: C-L-U-E. ... Over the centuries, the metaphorical sense of the word has become the preferred meaning to the literal sense, and the "-ue" spelling outperformed the "-ew" spelling.

When did clew become clue?

CLEW BECOMES CLUE

By the 17th century, the universal reverence that later writers held towards Chaucer led to the figurative use of “clew of thread” as an expression for any guidance that would lead to a solution for a puzzle, problem or difficulty. It came to mean, quite literally, “that which points the way.”

Is Clue a homophone?

Clew and clue are two words that are pronounced in the same manner but are spelled differently and have different meanings. They are homophones.