Special crossword clue

The most likely answers for the crossword clue “Special” are EXTRA, THING or EVENT, with 5 letters. Below are 59 answers from 3 to 15 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

PET 3 letters · noun

a special loved one

CASE 4 letters · noun

a special set of circumstances “it may rain in which case the picnic will be canceled”

EXTRA 5 letters · adjective

added to a regular schedule

SECRET 6 letters · noun

information known only to a special group “the secret of Cajun cooking”

LIMITED 7 letters · adjective

having a specific function or scope

UNCOMMON 8 letters · adjective

not common or ordinarily encountered; unusually great in amount or remarkable in character or kind “uncommon birds”

COMMITTEE 9 letters · noun

a special group delegated to consider some matter “a committee is a group that keeps minutes and loses hours”

PARTICULAR 10 letters · adjective

unique or specific to a person or thing or category “the particular demands of the job”

EXCEPTIONAL 11 letters · adjective

surpassing what is common or usual or expected “exceptional kindness”

CONSERVATORY 12 letters · noun

a schoolhouse with special facilities for fine arts

EXTRAORDINARY 13 letters · adjective

beyond what is ordinary or usual; highly unusual or exceptional or remarkable; special “extraordinary authority”

UNDISTINGUISHED 15 letters · adjective

not special in any way; lacking distinction

Telling them apart

With 4 squares, CASE, HOUR, PULL, HANG, AXIS and BENT all fit. The fourth letter tells them all apart: E → CASE · R → HOUR · L → PULL · G → HANG · S → AXIS · T → BENT. Fill in that crossing answer first.

With 5 squares, EXTRA, THING, EVENT, FOCUS, TREAT and LIVER all fit. The second letter tells them all apart: X → EXTRA · H → THING · V → EVENT · O → FOCUS · R → TREAT · I → LIVER. Fill in that crossing answer first.

With 6 squares, SECRET, STRESS, SELECT, TEMPLE, ACCENT and DEARIE all fit. The fifth letter tells them all apart: E → SECRET · S → STRESS · C → SELECT · L → TEMPLE · N → ACCENT · I → DEARIE. 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: “specials” wants an answer that ends the same way.

What “special” means

• adjective: unique or specific to a person or thing or category (“the special features of a computer”)
• adjective: for a special service or occasion (“a special correspondent”)
• adjective: surpassing what is common or usual or expected (“a special occasion”)
• adjective: adapted to or reserved for a particular purpose (“a special kind of paint”)

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