Best crossword clue

The most likely answers for the crossword clue “Best” are FIRST, TRUMP or SCOOP, with 5 letters. Below are 36 answers from 3 to 13 letters, best match first in each length, then what each top answer means and how to tell them apart.

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The best answers, explained

TOP 3 letters · noun

the upper part of anything “the mower cuts off the tops of the grass”

GOOD 4 letters · adjective

having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified “good news from the hospital”

FIRST 5 letters · noun

the first or highest in an ordering or series “He wanted to be the first”

BETTER 6 letters · adjective

(comparative and superlative of ‘well’) wiser or more advantageous and hence advisable “it would be better to speak to him”

OPTIMAL 7 letters · adjective

most desirable possible under a restriction expressed or implied “optimal concentration of a drug”

CHAMPION 8 letters · noun

someone who has won first place in a competition

ADVISABLE 9 letters · adjective

worthy of being recommended or suggested; prudent or wise “such action is neither necessary nor advisable”

UNSURPASSED 11 letters · adjective

not capable of being improved on

INCOMPARABLE 12 letters · adjective

such that comparison is impossible; unsuitable for comparison or lacking features that can be compared “an incomparable week of rest and pleasure”

Telling them apart

With 4 squares, GOOD, PICK and MARK all fit. The first letter tells them all apart: G → GOOD · P → PICK · M → MARK. Fill in that crossing answer first.

With 5 squares, FIRST, TRUMP, SCOOP, PRIMO, OUTDO and PRIME all fit. The first letter settles most of it: F → FIRST · T → TRUMP · S → SCOOP · P → PRIMO, PRIME · O → OUTDO. Fill in that crossing answer first.

With 7 squares, OPTIMAL, OPTIMUM, MAXIMUM, TOPPING and MAXIMAL all fit. The first letter settles most of it: O → OPTIMAL, OPTIMUM · M → MAXIMUM, MAXIMAL · T → TOPPING. Fill in that crossing answer first.

Other forms of this clue

Clues often use another form of the word, and the answer then takes the same form: “bested” wants an answer that ends the same way.

What “best” means

• adverb: in a most excellent way or manner (“he played best after a couple of martinis”)
• adverb: it would be sensible (“you'd best stay at home”)
• adverb: from a position of superiority or authority (“father knows best”)
• adjective: (superlative of ‘good’) having the most positive qualities (“the best film of the year”)

A clue usually points at one of these senses, so the right answer is the one that matches the sense the puzzle means: check it against the crossing words.

About these answers

We match the clue against our own thesaurus and dictionary (Open English WordNet): words that mean the same as BEST, and words whose definition is BEST. We don't copy answers from newspaper puzzles, so a clue that leans on trivia or wordplay may need the crossing letters instead.