System crossword clue

The most likely answers for the crossword clue “System” are RADIO, CABLE or SMELL, with 5 letters. Below are 48 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

SUN 3 letters · noun

the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system “the sun contains 99.85% of the mass in the solar system”

BODY 4 letters · noun

a collection of particulars considered as a system “a body of law”

RADIO 5 letters · noun

a communication system based on broadcasting electromagnetic waves

SCHEME 6 letters · noun

a group of independent but interrelated elements comprising a unified whole

NETWORK 7 letters · noun

an interconnected system of things or people “he owned a network of shops”

WIRELESS 8 letters · noun

a communication system based on broadcasting electromagnetic waves

SYMBOLISM 9 letters · noun

a system of symbols and symbolic representations

ACCOUNTING 10 letters · noun

a system that provides quantitative information about finances

ARRANGEMENT 11 letters · noun

an organized structure for arranging or classifying “he changed the arrangement of the topics”

ORGANIZATION 12 letters · noun

an organized structure for arranging or classifying “the facts were familiar but it was in the organization of them that he was original”

Telling them apart

With 4 squares, BODY, CULT and ODOR all fit. The first letter tells them all apart: B → BODY · C → CULT · O → ODOR. Fill in that crossing answer first.

With 5 squares, RADIO, CABLE, SMELL, LOGIC, INPUT and SCENT all fit. The first letter settles most of it: R → RADIO · C → CABLE · S → SMELL, SCENT · L → LOGIC · I → INPUT. Fill in that crossing answer first.

With 6 squares, SCHEME, OUTPUT, SCRIPT, DEFECT and PAGING all fit. The third letter tells them all apart: H → SCHEME · T → OUTPUT · R → SCRIPT · F → DEFECT · G → PAGING. 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: “systems” wants an answer that ends the same way.

What “system” means

• noun: instrumentality that combines interrelated interacting artifacts designed to work as a coherent entity (“he bought a new stereo system”)
• noun: a group of independent but interrelated elements comprising a unified whole (“a vast system of production and distribution and consumption keep the country going”)
• noun: (physical chemistry) a sample of matter in which substances in different phases are in equilibrium (“in a static system, oil cannot be replaced by water on a surface”)
• noun: a complex of methods or rules governing behavior (“they have to operate under a system they oppose”)

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