Pay crossword clue

The most likely answers for the crossword clue “Pay” are BEAR, WAGE or CALL, with 4 letters. Below are 50 answers from 3 to 12 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

FIX 3 letters · verb

restore by replacing a part or putting together what is torn or broken

BEAR 4 letters · verb

bring in “interest-bearing accounts”

YIELD 5 letters · verb

bring in

SALARY 6 letters · noun

something that remunerates

ADVANCE 7 letters · verb

pay in advance “Can you advance me some money?”

EARNINGS 8 letters · noun

something that remunerates “they saved a quarter of all their earnings”

SACRIFICE 9 letters · noun

the act of losing or surrendering something as a penalty for a mistake or fault or failure to perform etc.

COMPENSATE 10 letters · verb

do or give something to somebody in return

REMUNERATION 12 letters · noun

something that remunerates

Telling them apart

With 4 squares, BEAR, WAGE, CALL, MIND, HEAR and PICK all fit. The first letter tells them all apart: B → BEAR · W → WAGE · C → CALL · M → MIND · H → HEAR · P → PICK. Fill in that crossing answer first.

With 5 squares, YIELD, VISIT, SPEND, SPORT and HONOR all fit. The fourth letter tells them all apart: L → YIELD · I → VISIT · N → SPEND · R → SPORT · O → HONOR. Fill in that crossing answer first.

With 3 squares, FIX, HIT, PRO and OWE all fit. The first letter tells them all apart: F → FIX · H → HIT · P → PRO · O → OWE. 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: “payed” wants an answer that ends the same way.

What “pay” means

• verb: give money, usually in exchange for goods or services (“Pay the waitress, please”)
• verb: convey, as of a compliment, regards, attention, etc.; bestow (“Don't pay him any mind”)
• verb: cancel or discharge a debt (“pay up, please!”)
• verb: bring in (“How much does this savings certificate pay annually?”)

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 PAY, and words whose definition is PAY. We don't copy answers from newspaper puzzles, so a clue that leans on trivia or wordplay may need the crossing letters instead.