The common crossword answer for “scathing review” is PAN.

Scathing Review Crossword Clue – Quick Scoop

If you’ve seen the clue “Scathing review” in a crossword, especially in mainstream US-style puzzles, the answer is very frequently:

  • PAN (3 letters) – meaning to criticize harshly or give a totally negative review.

This shows up across many outlets (NYT, WSJ, USA Today, Thomas Joseph, Word Craze, etc.), which is why solvers tend to jump to PAN first when they see this clue.

In everyday usage, a film, book, or play that gets a scathing review is often said to have been “panned” by critics.

Possible Answer Variants

While PAN is by far the most common, some crossword resources list additional possibilities connected to harsh criticism.

  • PAN / PANS / PANNING – verb forms for harsh criticism.
  • BLASTED – another word for being harshly criticized, but less common specifically for this clue.
  • XXX or ACID, HARSHEST, EDIT – appear as potential mappings in some crossword databases, usually depending on grid length and intersecting letters rather than being the primary go-to answer.

Still, if your clue is exactly “Scathing review” and you need:

  • 3 letters → PAN is almost certainly correct.

Quick Length Guide (If You Know the Letter Count)

Use this mini “solver mindset” when you’re stuck:

  1. Count the spaces in your grid.
  2. Check these likely fits:
    • 3 letters → PAN.
 * 4–7 letters → sometimes theme- or grid-specific answers like **PANS** , **PANNING** , or **BLASTED** , depending on crossings.
  1. Confirm with intersecting letters; crosswords nearly always make PAN work with crosses because it’s so standard.

Mini Forum-Style Perspective

If this were a thread on a crossword forum, you’d probably see someone post:

“Clue: Scathing review (3) – is it PAN?”

And multiple solvers replying that PAN is the standard fill, pointing to its repeated use across many crosswords over the years.

TL;DR:
For the clue “Scathing review” , the usual crossword answer is PAN (3 letters), used widely in major puzzles and solver databases.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.