‘Makes a mistake’ NYT Mini clue hints and answer (Sept. 12)

We all make them.

The Makes a Mistake clue on the NYT Mini Crossword.
Image by Dot Esports

Mistakes are a key part of life, so it’s not surprising there are many different words to describe making them. Today’s “Makes a mistake” clue on the NYT Mini Crossword challenges you to uncover a rather rare way of saying this.

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The solution to this clue is easily one of the trickiest words I’ve seen in any crossword puzzle. If you’re struggling to solve this one, here’s the answer to the Sept. 12 “Makes a mistake” NYT Mini clue and some hints to help you navigate through it.

‘Makes a mistake’ NYT Mini Crossword clue Sept. 12 hints and answer

The "Makes a mistake" clue on the NYT Mini highlighted.
You’re looking for a word that’s four letters long. Screenshot by Dot Esports
  • Hint 1: It starts with the letter “E.”
  • Hint 2: It’s the word used in the phrase, “I prefer to ‘___’ on the side of caution” if you add the letter “S” at the end of it.
  • Hint 3: Similar to the word “ERROR.”
  • Hint 4: This word has the letter “R” in it twice.

Stop here and ponder a bit longer if you aren’t ready to learn the answer to this clue just yet.

You can’t always avoid making mistakes, but you can avoid making a mistake on today’s crossword puzzle. The answer for the “Makes a mistake” clue on the Sept. 12 NYT Mini is “ERRS.”

Unless you’re a huge word nerd like me, there’s a fairly decent chance you’ve never heard this one before. “ERRS” means to be mistaken or incorrect, but you’re likely to generally hear more common words that mean the same thing, like error, mistake, blunder, or misjudge, so it can be a tough clue to solve.

All Sept. 12 clues and answers in the NYT Mini Crossword puzzle

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‘Makes a mistake’ clue difficulty rating

“ERRS” is a fairly obscure word most people aren’t likely to know or use. It’s also still tricky to guess if you have some other clues finished because you’re not likely to solve this word, even with some of the letters uncovered. This is certainly one of the toughest NYT Mini clues I’ve seen, so I’m giving it a five out of five difficulty rating because I can’t see it getting much more challenging than this.

Best games like the NYT Mini Crossword

If you finish the Sept. 12 NYT Mini but still want to work through some more word game fun, there are plenty of great options. You can mix things up with a different type of word game experience by trying Strands or Spelling Bee or stick with what you know and love by playing other crosswords like the LA Times or the Washington Post.

Author
Image of Kacee Fay
Kacee Fay
Staff Writer at Dot Esports covering new releases and a wide array of topics including Minecraft, Disney Dreamlight Valley, Phasmophobia, general gaming, streaming, and more. She has been avidly writing and gaming her whole life and now spends her time combining the two. Kacee graduated from San Diego State University in 2021 with a Bachelor’s Degree in English and a Certificate in Creative Editing and Publishing. She then joined Dot Esports as a Freelance Writer in 2022 before transitioning to a Staff Writer in 2023. In her spare time, she enjoys buying more books than she can read, gaming alone or with friends, drinking too much tea, attending concerts, fangirling over movies and television, listening to music, and spending time with her family, friends, and pets, who are the most important parts of her world.