Problem crossword clue

The most likely answers for the crossword clue “Problem” are SKILL, FACET or POSER, with 5 letters. Below are 24 answers from 3 to 11 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

JOB 3 letters · noun

a state of difficulty that needs to be resolved “it is always a job to contact him”

CASE 4 letters · noun

a problem requiring investigation “Perry Mason solved the case of the missing heir”

SKILL 5 letters · noun

ability to produce solutions in some problem domain “the skill of a well-trained boxer”

MATTER 6 letters · noun

a problem “is anything the matter?”

TROUBLE 7 letters · noun

a source of difficulty “one trouble after another delayed the job”

SOLUTION 8 letters · noun

a statement that solves a problem or explains how to solve the problem “they were trying to find a peaceful solution”

CONDITION 9 letters · noun

an illness, disease, or other medical problem “a heart condition”

RESOLUTION 10 letters · noun

finding a solution to a problem

CALCULATION 11 letters · noun

problem solving that involves numbers or quantities

Telling them apart

With 5 squares, SKILL, FACET and POSER all fit. The first letter tells them all apart: S → SKILL · F → FACET · P → POSER. Fill in that crossing answer first.

With 6 squares, MATTER, ASPECT, RIDDLE and ENIGMA all fit. The first letter tells them all apart: M → MATTER · A → ASPECT · R → RIDDLE · E → ENIGMA. Fill in that crossing answer first.

With 7 squares, TROUBLE, SCIENCE, SOLVING and STICKER all fit. The second letter tells them all apart: R → TROUBLE · C → SCIENCE · O → SOLVING · T → STICKER. 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: “problems” wants an answer that ends the same way.

What “problem” means

• noun: a state of difficulty that needs to be resolved (“she and her husband are having problems”)
• noun: a question raised for consideration or solution (“our homework consisted of ten problems to solve”)
• noun: a source of difficulty (“what's the problem?”)

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