‘Synonym for close’ NYT Mini Crossword Answer and Hints

I enjoy a good NYT Mini Crossword Puzzle Challenge, and today’s clue, “Synonym for ‘close’,” is the clue for one across and eight across, making it hard to crack. So here is the answer to both clues.

‘Synonym for close’ October 9 NYT Mini Crossword Tips and Answer

• Tip 1: One-across starts with an ‘S’.
• Tip 2: Eight-across starts with an ‘N’.
• Tip 3: One-across ends with a “T.”
• Tip 4: Eight-over ends with an “R.”

The answer to the “Synonym for close” one-over clue from the October 9 NYT Mini Crossword Puzzle is “CLOSE.” And the “synonym for close” eight-over clue answer is “NEAR.” Close is a homograph. Homographs are words that are spelled the same but have different meanings.

So close can be used in a sentence like ‘close the door!’ or it can be used to say, “We are close to our destination.” Both pronunciations and their meanings are different, but they are spelled the same. Therefore, homographs are difficult to solve in crosswords.

NYT Mini Crossword Puzzle: All October 9 Clues and Answers

About

• 1A Synonym for “near”—CLOSE
• 5A Workshop assignment for actor—SCENE
• 6A Burgermaker—HONDA
• 7A ___ sanctuary (private room)—INSIDE
• 8A Synonym for “near”—NEAR

Down

• 1D Pastries often served with teaSCONE
• 2D Temporary reddish dye—HENNA
• 3D Not over yet?UNDER
• 4D Drop of sadness –TEAR
• 5D Vulnerable body part in footballSHIN

How challenging was the crossword clue ‘Synonym for close’?

This clue was difficult to solve because, as you saw earlier, close is a homograph, which makes it much more difficult to solve because you never really know which version of the word to use to get the answer. I ended up having to solve a few surrounding clues to get both answers. But because these clues were so tricky, I’m giving it a difficulty rating of five out of five.

Mini puzzles like the NYT Mini Crossword to play

If you like mini crosswords, try the following from the LA Times or the Washington Post or these fun word-based games from the NYT Strands or Spelling Bee.