Stumped by ‘Formerly Known As’? Get the Surprising Answer!

As a detective solving the mystery of the crossword clue “formerly known as,” I first considered synonyms for “formerly” such as “previously” or “erstwhile.” I then focused on the phrase “known as” and thought about words with that pattern. “Alias” came to mind, but it didn’t fit with “formerly.” Finally, I recalled the word “nee” which means “born as” or “originally named.” This word perfectly fits the given clue, as it indicates a change from a previous name to a current one. Using my deductive reasoning skills and vocabulary knowledge, I was able to solve the mystery and confidently fill in the answer “NEE” in the crossword puzzle.