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

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.

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

• 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

Across

• 1A Hair with mascara on it — LASH
• 5A Emotion in “Inside Out 2” who opens up a “sar-chasm” in Riley’s mind — ENNUI
• 7A One finding work for an actor or author — AGENT
• 8A Looks behind couches and curtains, say — SEEKS
• 9A Makes a mistake — ERRS

Down

• 1D Renter’s agreement — LEASE
• 2D Emotion in “Inside out” who blows flames out of his head — ANGER
• 3D Mocking smile — SNEER
• 4D Beefcakes — HUNKS
• 6D “___all I ask…” — ITS

‘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.